Interplanetary scintillation observations of the high-latitude solar wind

Until the ULYSSES spacecraft reached the polar regions of the solar wind, the only high-latitude measurements available were from indirect techniques. The most productive observations in regions of the solar wind between 5R and 200R have been the family of radio scattering techniques loosely referred to as Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) (Coles, 1978). Useful observations can be obtained using a variety of radio sources, for example spacecraft beacons, planetary radar echoes and compact cosmic sources (quasars, active galactic nuclei, pulsars, galactic masers, etc.). However for measurement of the high-latitude solar wind cosmic sources provide the widest coverage and this review will be confined to such observations. IPS observations played a very important role in establishing that polar coronal holes (first observed in soft x-ray emission) were sources of fast solar wind streams which occasionally extend down to the equatorial region and are observed by spacecraft. Here I will review the IPS technique and show the variation of both the velocity and the turbulence level with latitude over the last solar cycle. I will also outline recent work and discuss comparisons that we hope to make between IPS and ULYSSES observations.     

跨声轴流压气机等离子体控制实验

为了能有效地拓宽压气机的失稳裕度,在一台跨声轴流压气机上进行了基于介质阻挡放电（DBD）等离子体激励扩稳的实验研究.实验中分别选取了正弦交流电源和纳秒脉冲电源提供激励,并在跨声压气机40%设计转速和65%设计转速下对其扩稳效果和效率进行了对比分析.结果表明:在40%设计转速时,正弦交流电源和纳秒脉冲电源均能有效拓宽压气机流量范围,其中正弦交流电源激励方式能够使压气机综合失速裕度改善（SMI）达到15.33%.在65%设计转速时,两种激励方式的扩稳效果明显减弱,此时纳秒脉冲电源激励方式的扩稳效果更好.在压气机效率方面,纳秒脉冲电源对压气机设计点的效率影响更小,在40%设计转速时甚至能略微提升其设计点效率.实验结果表明,合理地选择激励方式有助于提高等离子体激励的扩稳效果,为实际压气机中基于介质阻挡放电等离子体激励扩稳措施的设计提供参考.      

X-ray radiation from accreting, magnetized neutron stars

A review is given of recent developments in the theory of emission from a magnetized plasma for accreting neutron star conditions. Some observational data on X-ray pulsars are discussed, and present problems are indicated.     

RECAT间隔标准的差异性对比与计算分析

尾流是影响机场容量的重要因素之一,在保证安全前提下缩减尾流间隔能增加机场繁忙时刻航空器进离场架次,进而提高机场容量.美国和欧洲提出尾流标准重新分类(RECAT)概念,并在一些机场试运行,取得良好效果.基于国内某机场一周内航空器起降机型架次,将其重新分类,对比在现行ICAO和RECAT标准下的加权尾流间隔,证明在RECAT标准下尾流间隔将会缩减.通过改变不同航空器机型占比,分析机场容量变化,得出机场容量随航空器占比变化明显,对空管安全运行和机场及跑道运行效率提高具有实际参考价值.     

Preparation of bimodal grain size 7075 aviation aluminum alloys and their corrosion properties

The bimodal grain size metals show improved strength and ductility compared to traditional metals; however, their corrosion properties are unknown. In order to evaluate the corrosion properties of these metals, the bimodal grain size 7075 aviation aluminum alloys containing different ratios of coarse(100 μm in diameter) and fine(10 μm in diameter) grains were prepared by spark plasma sintering(SPS). The effects of grain size as well as the mixture degree of coarse and fine grains on general corrosion were estimated by immersion tests, electrochemical measurements and complementary techniques such as scanning electron microscope(SEM) and transmission electron microscope-energy disperse spectroscopy(TEM-EDS). The results show that, compared to fine grains, the coarse grains have a faster dissolution rate in acidic NaCl solution due to the bigger size,higher alloying elements content and larger area fraction of second phases in them. In coarse grains,the hydrogen ions have a faster reduction rate on cathodic second phases, therefore promoting the corrosion propagation. The mixture of coarse and fine grains also increases the electrochemical heterogeneity of alloys in micro-scale, and thus the increased mixture degree of these grains in metal matrix accelerates the corrosion rate of alloys in acidic NaCl solution.     

Kinetic theory of the current sheath. II. Effect of polarization on the stability of a current sheath

A procedure for investigating the stability of a current sheath, taking into account the effect of plasma polarization, is offered. The kinetic equation with a self-consistent electromagnetic field for perturbation of the distribution function is solved. On the basis of this solution, the tensor of dielectric permeability for a non-electroneutral current sheath plasma is calculated, and the dispersion equation for the study of possible instability modes of this current sheath is obtained. The instability of the current sheath of the magnetospheric tail with respect to tearing perturbations, and the influence of the effect of plasma polarization on the development of tearing instability, are investigated.     

Study of the 28 October 2003 and 20 January 2005 solar flares by means of 2.223 MeV gamma-emission line

By the data on intensity-time profiles of the neutron capture line of 2.223 MeV we have studied some characteristics of two solar flares, 28 October 2003 and 20 January 2005 (INTEGRAL and CORONAS-F observations, respectively). The SINP code was applied making allowance for the main processes of neutron interactions and deceleration in the solar plasma, character of neutron source, losses of neutrons and density model of the solar atmosphere. Comparison of the computed time profiles of 2.223 MeV line with observed ones for the flare of 28 October 2003 confirms the results obtained earlier for three other flares. Namely, the effect of density enhancement (EDE) in the sub-flare region, as well as the variations (hardening) of accelerated particle spectrum in the course of the event have been confirmed. The usual modeling procedure by the SINP code, however, seems to be inapplicable to the event of 20 January 2005. Possible causes of density enhancements during some flares and peculiarities of the 20 January 2005 flare are discussed.     

Effects of Hybrid Voltages on Oxide Formation on 6061 Al-alloys During Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is carried out on 6061 Al-alloys in a weak alkaline electrolyte containing NaOH, Na₂SiO₃ and NaCl. Centered on the correlation of composition and structure, analyses by means of X-ray diffration (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) are conducted on the specimens, which have been PEO-treated under hybrid voltages of different direct current (DC) values (140-280 V) with constant alternate current (AC) amplitude (200 V). Attention is paid to the composition, properties and growth mechanism of oxide layers formed with hybrid voltages. Moreover, the main effects of DC value are discussed. Ceramic layers with a double-layer structure which combines hard outer and soft inner layers are found to be consist of α-Al₂O₃, γ-Al₂O₃ and mullite. With the DC values increasing, the growth of the ceramic layers tends to have increasingly obvious three-stage feature.     

Interplanetary medium – A dusty plasma

The average mass of dust per volume in space equals that of the solar wind so that the interplanetary medium should provide an obvious region to study dust plasma interactions. While dust collective behavior is typically not observed in the interplanetary medium, the dust component rather consists of isolated grains screened by and interacting with the plasma. Space measurements have revealed several phenomena possibly resulting from dust plasma interactions, but most of the dust plasma interactions are at present not quantified. Examples are the production of neutrals and pick-up ions from the dust, dust impact generated field variations at spacecraft and magnetic field variations possibly caused by solar wind interacting with dust trails. Since dust particles carry a surface charge, they are exposed to the Lorentz force in the interplanetary magnetic field and for grains of sub-micrometer sizes acceleration can be substantial.     

L׳ADROIT – A spaceborne ultraviolet laser system for space debris clearing

Small (1–10 cm) debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) are extremely dangerous, because they spread the breakup cascade. Pulsed laser active debris removal using laser ablation jets on target is the most cost-effective way to re-enter the small debris. No other solutions address the whole problem of large (~100 cm, 1 t) as well as small debris. Physical removal of small debris (by nets, tethers and so on) is uneconomical because of the energy cost of matching orbits. In this paper, we present a completely new proposal relative to our earlier work. This new approach uses rapid, head-on interaction in 10–40 s rather than 4 minutes, using 20–40 kW bursts of 100 ps, 355 nm UV pulses from a 1.5 m diameter aperture on a space-based station in LEO. The station employs “heat-capacity” laser mode with low duty cycle to create an adaptable, robust, dual-mode system which can lower or raise large derelict objects into less dangerous orbits, as well as clear out the small debris in a 400-km thick LEO band. Time-average laser optical power is less than 15 kW. The combination of short pulses and UV wavelength gives lower required fluence on target as well as higher momentum coupling coefficient. An orbiting system can have short range because of high interaction rate deriving from its velocity through the debris field. This leads to much smaller mirrors and lower average power than the ground-based systems we have considered previously. Our system also permits strong defense of specific assets. Analysis gives an estimated cost less than $1 k each to re-enter most small debris in a few months, and about 280 k$ each to raise or lower 1-ton objects by 40 km. We believe it can do this for 2000 such large objects in about four years. Laser ablation is one of the few interactions in nature that propel a distant object without any significant reaction on the source.