Peculiarities of the nighttime winter foF2 increase over Irkutsk

An analysis of properties and peculiarities of the nighttime winter foF2 increases (NWI) in the East Siberia is made on data of ionospheric station Irkutsk in the periods 1958–1992 and 2002–2009 and the empirical model of the F2 layer critical frequency under the geomagnetic quiet conditions deduced from these data (model Q-F2). It is revealed, that the NWI is the stable regularity of the quiet ionosphere over Irkutsk. The amplitude of the NWI (the difference between maximum and minimum foF2 values at night hours) is the greatest in December–January and nearly the same at low and middle solar activity. It is a peculiarity of the quiet ionosphere in the East Siberia. Maximum in night foF2 under quiet geomagnetic conditions is observed mainly after midnight (02-04 LT) and is shifted to predawn hours as solar activity increases. At low solar activity the quiet ionosphere at ∼02–04 LT shows the following properties: (a) the fluctuations of foF2 and hmF2 are in the reverse correlation but this dependence is weak; (b) very strong fluctuations of foF2 (|δfoF2| > 30%) occur seldom (∼4% of events) and almost all of them are positive; an example of very strong fluctuations of foF2 up to 60% can be an extreme increase in the foF2 on 19.12.2008; (c) the very strong enhancements of foF2 in the NWI maximum can be observed at the low geomagnetic activity, they occur more often during substorms but very seldom during geomagnetic storms. Possible reasons of these properties of NWI are discussed.     

Possible interstellar anions: CnS and CnO (n = 2–8)

The geometries, electron affinities and/or electron detachment energies for the C_nS and C_nO (n = 2–8) molecules and their anions were calculated by using the RCCSD (T) method. The C_nS⁻ (even n = 4, 6, and 8) and C_nO⁻ (even n = 6 and 8) anions are found to be substantially more stable than their corresponding neutral species. Several anions are potentially detectable as interstellar molecules.     

Coupling plasma plume of a low-power magnetically shielded Hall thruster with a hollow cathode

The coupling region of a Hall thruster with a hollow cathode is the region between the cathode and the thruster plume. The characteristics of plasma in that region are complicated and strongly associated with the thruster working conditions and the cathode position. In this paper, a laboratory 100 W class magnetically shielded Hall thruster was coupled with a hollow cathode. Optical imaging and electrostatic probe were employed to monitor and scan the plasma plume. Plume characteristics in the coupling region in non-self-sustained mode and self-sustained mode were compared. Evolution of the coupling plume with the cathode position was studied. Experiments show that, when turning the thruster into self-sustained mode or moving the cathode further away axially, the discharge current can be reduced by 6.4–10.6% restraining the electron current and improving ionization. In particular, when the cathode is moved further, the electron conduction near the channel walls is suppressed. The electron current is reduced by 27.4% and the ion beam current is increased by 7%. Overall, this work shows that the working mode of the thruster and the position of the cathode greatly affect the coupling plasma plume. Both play an important role in improving the utilizations of propellant and current.     

Propagation of cylindrical and spherical dust–ion acoustic solitary waves in a relativistic dusty plasma

The properties of cylindrical and spherical dust–ion acoustic solitary waves (DIASW) in an unmagnetized dusty plasma comprising of relativistic ions, Boltzmann electrons, and stationary dusty particles are investigated. Under a suitable coordinate transformation, the cylindrical KdV equation can be solved analytically. The change of the DIASW structure due to the effect of geometry, relativistic streaming factor, ion density and electron temperature is studied by numerical calculation of the cylindrical/spherical Kdv equation. It is noted that with ion pressure the effect of relativistic streaming factor to solitary waves structure is different. Without ion pressure, as the relativistic streaming factor decreases, the amplitude of the solitary wave decreases. However, when the ion pressure is taken into account, the amplitude decreases as the relativistic streaming factor increases and is highly sensitive to relativistic streaming factor. Our results may have relevance in the understanding of astrophysical plasmas.     

Nonplanar electron acoustic shock waves

The properties of cylindrical and spherical electron acoustic shock waves (EASWs) in an unmagnetized plasma consisting of cold electrons, immobile ions and Boltzmann distributed hot electrons are investigated by employing the reductive perturbation method. A Korteweg–de Vries Burgers (KdVB) equation is derived and its numerical solution is obtained. The effects of several parameters and ion kinematic viscosity on the basic features of EA shock waves are discussed in nonplanar geometry. It is found that nonplanar EA shock waves behave quite differently from their one-dimensional planar counterpart.     

Using GPS-TEC data to calibrate VTEC computed with the IRI model over Nigeria

This paper presents the development of a Total Electron Content (TEC) map for the Nigerian ionosphere. In this work, TEC measurements obtained from the AFRL-SCINDA GPS (Air Force Research Laboratory-Scintillation Network Decision Aid, Global Positioning System) equipment installed at Nsukka (6.87°N, 7.38°E) are used to adapt the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model for the Nigerian Ionosphere. The map is being developed as a computer program (implemented in the MATLAB programming language) that shows spatial and temporal representations of TEC for the Nigerian ionosphere. The method is aimed at showing how the IRI model can be used to estimate VTEC over wide areas by incorporating GPS measurements. This method is validated by using GPS VTEC data collected from a station in Ilorin (8.50°N, 4.55°E).     

On the variabilities of the Total Electron Content (TEC) over the Indian low latitude sector

The Total Electron Content (TEC) from four locations in the Indian sector namely, Trivandrum (8.47°N, 76.91°E, Geomag.0.63°S, 0.3° dip), Waltair (17.7° N, 83.3°E, Geomag. 6.4°N, 20° dip), Bhopal (23.28°N, 77.34°E, Geomag.14.26°N, 33.2° dip), and Delhi (28.58°N, 77.21°E, Geomag.19.2°N, 43.4° dip) during a low sunspot year of 2004 are used to study the variabilities of the TEC. The day time TEC values are higher over Waltair and Bhopal compared to those at Trivandrum and Delhi. Considerable day-to-day variations in the diurnal values of TEC are observed at the anomaly crest locations. The observed GPS-TEC has been compared with the IRI-2007 model derived TEC considering three different options (IRI-2001, IRI-2001 corrected and Ne-Quick) available in the model for the topside electron density. The TEC derived with Ne-Quick and IRI-01 corrected options show better agreement with GPS-TEC while the TEC from IRI-01 method shows larger deviations. From the correlation analysis carried out between TEC value at 1300 h LT and solar indices parameters namely sunspot number (SSN), F10.7 and EUV, it is observed that the correlation is more during equinoctial months and less during summer months. The correlation coefficients observed over the anomaly locations, Bhopal and Delhi are lower compared to those at Trivandrum and Waltair.     

Ti_2AlNb基合金电子束焊接头的显微组织

利用透射电子显微镜和能谱,研究电子束焊接过程中Ti_2AlNb基合金显微组织演变过程以及焊缝区组成、焊后热处理对接头显微组织的影响.结果表明:焊接过程中焊缝区Al元素损失较为严重,这有利于B_2相的形成而不利于O相的形成,使得接头焊缝区主要由B_2和α_2两相组成;在随后的热处理过程中,焊缝区的B_2相转变为β相和板条状的O相,使焊缝区由α_2、O和β相组成.     

Dark Matter Particle Explorer:The First Chinese Cosmic Ray and Hard γ-ray Detector in Space

The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) mission is one of the five scientific space science missions within the framework of the Strategic Pioneer Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) approved in 2011. The main scientific objective of DAMPE is to detect electrons and photons in the range of 5GeV-10TeV with unprecedented energy resolution (1.5% at 100GeV) in order to identify possible Dark Matter (DM) signatures. It will also measure the flux of nuclei up to above 500TeV with excellent energy resolution (40% at 800GeV), which will bring new insights to the origin and propagation high energy cosmic rays. With its excellent photon detection capability, the DAMPE mission is well placed for new discoveries in high energy-ray astronomy as well.      

Solar proton events recorded in the stratosphere during cosmic ray balloon observations in 1957–2008

Long-term balloon observations have been performed by the Lebedev Physical Institute since 1957 up to the present time. The observations are taken several times a week at the polar and mid latitudes and allow us to study dynamics of galactic and solar cosmic ray as well as secondary particle fluxes in the atmosphere and in the near-Earth space. Solar energetic particles (120) – mostly protons – (SEP) events with >100 MeV proton intensity above 1 cm⁻² s⁻¹ s⁻¹ were recorded during 1958–2006. Before the advent of the SEP monitoring on spacecraft these results constituted the only homogeneous series of >100 MeV SEP events. The SEP intensities and energy spectra inferred from the Lebedev Physical Institute observations are consistent with the results taken in the adjacent energy intervals by the spacecraft and neutron monitors. Joint consideration of the SEP events series recorded by balloons and by neutron monitors during solar cycles 20–23 makes it possible to restore the probable number of events in solar cycle 19, which was not properly covered by observations. Some correlation was found between duration of SEP event production in a solar cycle and sunspot cycle characteristics.