Two years of INTEGRAL observation of the BHC IGR J17464-3213

On March 2003, IBIS, the γ-ray imager on board the INTEGRAL satellite, detected an outburst from a new source, IGR J17464-3213, that turned out to be an HEAO-1 transient, namely H1743-322. The spectral and temporal evolutions of the source were observed by INTEGRAL in different periods. Also RXTE observed the source for the first time on 2003 March 29 during a PCA Galactic bulge scan. The source flux decayed below the RXTE PCA sensitivity limit in November 2003, then in April 2004 it was again detected by INTEGRAL. On July 3, 2004 the source was again detected by RXTE/PCA at a 2–10 keV intensity of 16 mCrab and on July 7, reached 69 mCrab. Recently, a new outburst was observed on August 2005. We briefly summarise here the behaviour of the source observed by INTEGRAL from March 2003 to August 2005. The new outbursts of the source and the analysis of all the data collected (now public) give a global view of the spectral and time behaviour of this X-ray transient.     

Electric potential structures of auroral acceleration region border from multi-spacecraft Cluster data

This paper studies an auroral event using data from three spacecraft of the Cluster mission, one inside and two at the poleward edge of the bottom of the Auroral Acceleration Region (AAR). The study reveals the three-dimensional profile of the region’s poleward boundary, showing spatial segmentation of the electric potential structures and their decay in time. It also depicts localized magnetic field variations and field-aligned currents that appear to have remained stable for at least 80?s. Such observations became possible due to the fortuitous motion of the three spacecraft nearly parallel to each other and tangential to the AAR edge, so that the differences and variations can be seen when the spacecraft enter and exit the segmentations, hence revealing their position with respect to the AAR.     

RTK model and positioning performance analysis using Galileo four-frequency observations

This paper proposes a real-time kinematic (RTK) model that uses one common reference satellite for the Galileo system with four frequency observations. In the proposed model, the double-differenced (DD) pseudorange and carrier phase biases among the different frequencies are estimated as unknown parameters to recover the integer features of the DD ambiguities among the different frequencies for ambiguity resolution and precise positioning. Analysis results show that the E5a, E5b, and E5 frequencies have virtually the same performance in terms of the positioning accuracy, observation residuals, and ratio values of ambiguity resolution. However, the E1 frequency performs worse than the E5a, E5b, and E5 frequencies. The RTK results for the combination of multiple frequencies are much better than those for a single-frequency observation, the coordinates’ standard deviation is improved about 20–30%, and the ambiguity fix time is improved about 10%.     

高能合成煤油GN-1性能研究 --“液体火箭推进”专刊

结合火箭发动机工程应用环境,研究了GN-1煤油高温高压热物性、安全特性、传热结焦性能以及点火延迟性能,并和现役火箭煤油作了对比分析。采用商业仪器对GN-1煤油在最高200℃、最高压力25MPa范围内的密度、黏度、定压比热容、导热系数、表面张力进行了实验测量。在实验数据的基础上,依据基团贡献法、基于比容平移法则的P-R方程、摩擦理论、广义对应态原理分别对GN-1煤油在最高350℃、最高压力60MPa范围内的密度、黏度、定压比热容、导热系数、表面张力进行了理论计算,建立了GN-1煤油的密度方程、黏度方程、导热系数方程,并将方程的计算值与实验值进行了对比,计算偏差较小。对GN-1煤油和火箭煤油的安全性能进行对比研究,GN-1煤油的闪点为40℃,自燃温度为305℃,高于火箭煤油(225℃);燃点为47℃,低于火箭煤油(82℃),GN-1煤油的爆炸极限范围为0.44%-2.9%（40℃）。GN-1煤油和火箭煤油的急性经口毒性LD50＞5000mg/kg,均属于第五级化合物（实际无毒）。在入口压力10 MPa,流速10 m·s-1,内壁温480℃条件下,GN-1煤油的传热系数比火箭煤油提高14.4%,建立了传热准则方程。GN-1煤油出口油温220℃时试验段平均结焦速率是出口油温150℃时的4.43倍,GN-1煤油不锈钢材质管路中试验段平均结焦为高合管材质管路中的22.3%。在970K-1105K温度范围内,GN-1煤油的点火延迟时间为320μs-471μs,是火箭煤油的55.6%-69.3%。相关研究可对发动机可靠设计及应用提供重要参考。     

Research on a complex CME event including Hα, LASCO, radio and MDI observations

We present our research on a fast and decelerating partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME) event detected in multi-wavelengths in the chromosphere and the corona on 14 October, 1999. The event involved a whole complex active area which spanned more than 40° of heliolongitude. It included a strong solar flare (XI/1N) and a complex eruptive filament within an active region of the entire complex. Especially, several radio sources were detected in the decimetric range prior to the CME by the Nançay Radioheliograph (NRH). A linear force-free field extrapolation of the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) magnetogram was performed to calculate the magnetic topology of the complex prior to the triggering of the event. The presence of a coronal null point combined with the occurrence of two distant and nearly simultaneous radio sources put strong arguments in favor of the generalized breakout model for the triggering of the eruption. The analysis of the subsequent development of the event suggests that large interconnecting loops were ejected together with the CME.     

Coupling damage and reliability model of low-cycle fatigue and high energy impact based on the local stress–strain approach

Fatigue induced products generally bear fatigue loads accompanied by impact processes,which reduces their reliable life rapidly. This paper introduces a reliability assessment model based on a local stress–strain approach considering both low-cycle fatigue and high energy impact loads.Two coupling relationships between fatigue and impact are given with effects of an impact process on fatigue damage and effects of fatigue damage on impact performance. The analysis of the former modifies the fatigue parameters and the Manson–Coffin equation for fatigue life based on material theories. On the other hand, the latter proposes the coupling variables and the difference of fracture toughness caused by accumulative fatigue damage. To form an overall reliability model including both fatigue failure and impact failure, a competing risk model is developed. A case study of an actuator cylinder is given to validate this method.     

GRB observed by IBIS/PICsIT in the MeV energy range

We present the preliminary results of a systematic search for GRB and other transients in the publicly available data for the IBIS/PICsIT (0.2–10 MeV) detector on board INTEGRAL. Lightcurves in 2–8 energy bands with time resolution from 1 to 62.5 ms have been collected and an analysis of spectral and temporal characteristics has been performed. This is the nucleus of a forthcoming first catalog of GRB observed by PICsIT.     

Analysis of total visual and CCD V-broadband observations of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp): 1995–2001

We developed a general method for determination of water production rates from groundbased visual observations and applied it to Comet Hale–Bopp. Our main objective is to extend the method to include total visual magnitude observations obtained with CCD detector and V filter in the analysis of total visual magnitudes. We compare the CCD V-broadband careful observations of Liller [Liller, W. Pre-perihelion CCD photometry of Comet 1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp). Planet. Space Sci. 45, 1505–1513, 1997; Liller, W. CCD photometry of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp): 1995–2000. Int. Comet Quart. 23(3), 93–97, 2001] with the total visual magnitude observations from experienced international observers found in the International Comet Quarterly (ICQ) archive. A data set of ∼400 CCD observations covering about the same 6 years time span of the ∼12,000 ICQ selected total visual magnitude observations were used in the analysis. A least-square method applied to the water production rates, yields power laws as a function of the heliocentric distances for the pre- and post-perihelion phases. The average dimension of the nucleus as well as its effective active area is determined and compared with values published in the literature.     

Occurrence rate of SAR arcs during the 23rd solar activity cycle

The occurrence rate of SAR arcs during 1997–2007 has been analyzed based on the photometric observations at the Yakutsk meridian (Maimaga station, corrected geomagnetic coordinates: 57°N, 200°E). SAR arcs appeared in 114 cases (∼500 h) during ∼370 nights of observations (∼3170 h). The occurrence frequency of SAR arcs increases to 27% during the growth phase of solar activity and has a clearly defined maximum at a decline of cycle 23. The SAR arc registration probability corresponds to the variations in geomagnetic activity in this solar cycle. The dates, intervals of UT, and geomagnetic latitudes of SAR arc observations at the Yakutsk meridian are presented.     

Discrete energy release in microwave emission in the preflare stage

Examples of solar microwave precursors and estimates of their energetic characteristics are discussed based on spectral investigations of the preflare activity.