Relation between galactic and solar cosmic radiation at aviation altitude

Cosmic radiation bombards us at high altitude with ionizing particles; the radiation has a galactic component, which is normally dominant, and a component of solar origin. Cosmic ray particles are the primary source of ionization in the atmosphere above 1 km; below 1 km radon is a dominant source of ionization in many areas.     

DEMETER卫星探测到的强震前O^＋浓度变化

利用DEMETER卫星观测数据,采用level-2图像目视解译的方法和重访轨道对比方法,对2006年5月3日发生在汤加群岛的7．9级地震进行分析．从震前6天、震前2天、震前1天和震后2天的level-2图像可看到,电场和等离子体参量在震中上空偏北的位置出现扰动信号,震前的扰动信号幅度随地震时间临近有所增强,扰动持续时间也相应增加;震后2天扰动信号依然存在,其幅度并未减弱．通过对比震前1天的轨道在2006年至2008年内的重访轨道,发现O^＋浓度存在三类较规律的变化特征,即在夏季时,北半球的值高于南半球;冬季时则相反;二分季节时,南北半球含量相当．本文给出了地震和磁暴对O^＋浓度的不同影响,地震影响最靠近震中位置轨道上的O^＋浓度,而磁暴影响全球轨道上O^＋浓度分布．同时获取了DEMETER卫星上朗缪尔探针在上述重访轨道同步探测的电子浓度数据,发现电子浓度与O^＋浓度存在同步增加．等离子体浓度增加的现象可能与地震产生异常电场进而影响电离层结构有关．     

厘米-分米波段Ⅲ型爆发的统计分析

统计分析了太阳第23周期间(2000年7月至2004年9月)在625~1500,MHz,2600~3800,MHz和5200~7600,MHz范围频谱仪观测到的Ⅲ型射电爆发. 给出了Ⅲ型爆发的分布、寿命、频率漂移率、偏振度和频率带宽. 结果显示, 频率漂移率和频率带宽的平均值随频率的增加而增大, 寿命和偏振度的平均值既不是常数也不是在宽频延伸上保持均匀不变的.最多的Ⅲ型爆发分布在625~3800,MHz范围内, 且随频率的增加而增多. 分析表明, 电子加速和能量释放地点主要是在分米波范围内, 这个频率范围的特征可能与分米波段上的磁位形有关, 并且与主耀斑地点附近磁重联区中的电子加速有关. 然而, 还有相当数量的Ⅲ型爆发发生在5200~7600,MHz范围内, 这个特征表明电子加速的地点是在一个日冕的宽范围中. 关于厘米relax-relax 分米波段Ⅲ型爆发的辐射机制最可能包含相干的等离子体辐射或电子回旋脉泽辐射过程.     

The origin of the prompt optical emission in GRB 060111B

The detection of a bright optical emission measured with good temporal resolution during the prompt phase makes GRB 060111B a rare event that is especially useful for constraining theories of the prompt optical emission. Comparing this burst with other GRBs with evidence of optical peaks, we find that the optical peak epoch (t_p) is anti-correlated with the high energy burst energetic assuming an isotropic energy release (E_iso) in agreement with Liang et al. (2009), and that the steeper is the post-peak afterglow decay, the less is the agreement with the correlation. GRB 060111B is among the latters and it does not match the correlation. The Cannonball scenario is also discussed and we find that this model cannot be excluded for GRB 060111B.     

Characteristics of field line resonance type geomagnetic pulsations and variations of plasmaspheric plasma density distribution

The period of field line resonance (FLR) type geomagnetic pulsations depends on the length of the field line and on the plasma density in the inner magnetosphere (plasmasphere), where field lines are closed. Here as FLR period, the period belonging to the maximum occurrence frequency of the occurrence frequency spectrum (equivalent resonance curve) of pulsations has been considered. The resonance system may be replaced by an equivalent resonant circuit. The plasma density would correspond to the ohmic load. The plasma in the plasmasphere originates from the ionosphere, thus FLR period, occurrence frequency are also affected by the maximum electron density in the ionosphere. The FLR period has shown an enhancement with increasing F region electron density, while the occurrence frequency indicated diminishing trend (possible damping effect). Thus, the increased plasma density may be the cause of the decreased occurrence of FLR type pulsations in the winter months of solar activity maximum years (winter anomaly).     

Evolution of periodic orbits near the Lagrangian point L2

A study of the evolution of the periodic and the quasi-periodic orbits near the Lagrangian point L₂, which is located to the right of the smaller primary on the line joining the primaries and whose distance from the more massive primary is greater than the distance between the primaries, in the framework of restricted three-body problem for the Sun–Jupiter, Earth–Moon (relatively large mass ratio) and Saturn–Titan (relatively small mass ratio) systems is made. Two families of periodic orbits around the smaller primary are identified using the Poincaré surface of section method – family I (initially elliptical, gradually becomes egg-shaped with the increase in the Jacobi constant C and elongated towards the more massive primary) and family II (initially egg-shaped orbits elongated towards L₂ and gradually becomes elliptical with the increase in C). The family I in the Sun–Jupiter and Saturn–Titan systems contains two separatrix caused by third-order and fourth-order resonances, while the Earth–Moon system has only one separatrix which is caused by third-order resonances. Also in the Sun–Jupiter and the Saturn–Titan systems, family I merge with family II, around Jacobian constant 3.0393 and 3.0163, respectively, while in the Earth–Moon system, family II evolves separately from two different branches. The two branches merge at C = 3.184515. In the Earth–Moon system, the family II contains a separatrix due to third-order resonances which is absent in the other two systems.     

The relationship between plasma effects and cosmic radiation studied with TriTel-LMP measurements during the ESEO mission

The main point of the paper is to use the simultaneous measurements of the energetic particle flux by TriTel and those of electron density by a Langmuir probe to study the question of to what extent solar electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation (galactic cosmic rays, particle precipitation from the radiation belts) are responsible for the ionization of the atmosphere. The electron density measured by the Langmuir probe is the sum of the ionization produced by the solar electromagnetic radiation and that due to the corpuscular radiation. The ionization produced by the solar electromagnetic radiation may be computed. The flux of energetic particles in an energy range may be determined by taking the difference between the threshold energy of the TriTel telescopes and the energy corresponding to the local cut-off rigidity. As the ESEO satellite will have a quasi-polar and circular orbit, the cut-off rigidity will change from low to high latitudes, thus enabling the assignment of different energy bands for the telescopes. Thus, it will be possible to determine which energy bands of particle produce ionization at different latitudes.     

CubeSail: A low cost CubeSat based solar sail demonstration mission

CubeSail is a nano-solar sail mission based on the 3U CubeSat standard, which is currently being designed and built at the Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey. CubeSail will have a total mass of around 3 kg and will deploy a 5 × 5 m sail in low Earth orbit. The primary aim of the mission is to demonstrate the concept of solar sailing and end-of-life de-orbiting using the sail membrane as a drag-sail. The spacecraft will have a compact 3-axis stabilised attitude control system, which uses three magnetic torquers aligned with the spacecraft principle axis as well as a novel two-dimensional translation stage separating the spacecraft bus from the sail. CubeSail’s deployment mechanism consists of four novel booms and four-quadrant sail membranes. The proposed booms are made from tape-spring blades and will deploy the sail membrane from a 2U CubeSat standard structure. This paper presents a systems level overview of the CubeSat mission, focusing on the mission orbit and de-orbiting, in addition to the deployment, attitude control and the satellite bus.     

Drag force on solar sails due to absorption of solar radiation

We consider a special relativistic effect, known as the Poynting–Robertson effect, on various types of trajectories of solar sails. Since this effect occurs at order v^?/c, where v^? is the transversal speed relative to the sun, it can dominate over other special relativistic effects, which occur at order v²/c². While solar radiation can be used to propel the solar sail, the absorbed portion of it also gives rise to a drag force in the transversal direction. For escape trajectories, this diminishes the cruising velocity, which can have a cumulative effect on the heliocentric distance. For a solar sail directly facing the sun in a bound orbit, the Poynting–Robertson effect decreases its orbital speed, thereby causing it to slowly spiral towards the sun. We also consider this effect for non-Keplerian orbits in which the solar sail is tilted in the azimuthal direction. While in principle the drag force could be counter-balanced by an extremely small tilt of the solar sail in the polar direction, periodic adjustments are more feasible.