Siple VLF transmissions and their magnetospheric effects observed at Halley,Antarctica

Halley (75.5°S, 26.7°W, L = 4.3) is well placed for reception of subionospheric signals from the Siple transmitter. Occasionally a two-hop magnetospheric response to such signals can be observed. The data presented here are relevant to the problems of the radiation and propagation of VLF waves in the polar earth/ionosphere waveguide, duct stimulation and ducted wave amplification and the growth of triggered emissions. An upper sideband emission 20–40 Hz higher in frequency than the transmitted pulse was often received at a similar strength to, and simultaneously with the two-hop whistler mode echo.     

Power-line harmonic radiation and the electron slot

World maps of the occurrence of VLF emissions obtained by the satellites Ariel 3 and 4 reveal maxima above industrial regions of high power consumption in North America and Euro-Asia. A study of the generation and radiation of power line harmonics indicates that these may be a major source of the observed signals. The latter propagate in the whistler mode into the geomagnetically conjugate regions in the southern hemisphere. A particularly prominent zone of emission is obtained at VLF (3.2 kHz) over North America where frequent magnetospheric wave amplification/stimulated emission, up to 50 dB and typically 10 to 20 dB above a baseline level that we ascribe to power harmonic radiation (PLHR), is obtained at invariant latitudes 45 to 55° (2 < L < 3) centred on the electron slot. It appears that PLHR may be responsible for pitch angle diffusion of energetic electrons (E 100 keV) at large pitch angles by first-order resonance and thereby contribute to the formation of the electron slot. There is a strong seasonal variation in wave-amplification/stimulated emission which we suggest may be due to a variation in the ability of the waves to become entrapped in ducts where wave-amplification occurs through a phase-bunching process. There is a strong correlation between D _ST and signal intensity, the latter lagging by 1–5 hr in the morning and 10 hr in the evening; here again wave-amplification appears to depend on duct formation and wave trapping therein. One or two (or multi) hop emissions occur with about equal probability at 3.2 kHz; at 9.6 kHz one hop are predominant.Paper presented at the Fifth International Wrocaw Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Wroclaw (Poland), 17–19 September, 1980. Sci. Rpt. 1978 (1), Sheffield Univ. Space Physics Grp.     

Organic analysis of hydrogen cyanide polymers: prebiotic and extraterrestrial chemistry.

Hydrogen cyanide polymerizes readily to a black solid from which a yellow-brown powder can be extracted by water and further hydrolyzed to alpha-amino acids. These macromolecules could be major components of the dark matter observed on many bodies in the outer solar system, including comets and asteroids. Primitive Earth might therefore have been covered with HCN polymers through bolide bombardment or be terrestrial synthesis. Several instrumental methods were used for the separation and identification of these intriguing polymeric materials, including photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, supercritical fluid extraction chromatography and pyrolysis mass spectrometry. Our integrated analytical approach revealed fragmentation patterns and chemical functionalities consistent with the presence of polymeric peptide precursors both in HCN polymers and in the Murchison meteorite.     

The occurrence of single hard X-raysources in solar flares

The ‘standard’ thick target flare model predicts the existence of strong hard X-ray emission at the footpointsof a flare loop. However, Yohkoh observations suggest that up to 20% of events with data available in three or more Hard X-ray Telescope (HXT) channels show only a single source. Combining datasets from Yohkoh, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and Nobeyama Radio Heliograph (NoRH), we compare the characteristics of these single source events to double source events. The objective of this study is to determine whether these represent unresolved double footpoints, asymmetric electron deposition due to magnetic mirroring effects, or a genuine departure from the ‘standard’ model.     

Multi-wavelength observations of the pre-cursor phase of solar flares

Observational studies of the pre-cursor phase of solar flares have shown that there are many and varied signatures that may or may not indicate the probable onset of a flare. Combining data from Yohkoh, SOHO and TRACE and more recent observations from RHESSI, SOHO and TRACE we, investigate the relationships between the different manifestations of pre-flare behaviour in two solar flares with a view to determining how they are related to the subsequent flare energy release. We find that in one case the preflare activity seems strongly related to the subsequent flare and probably represents a build-up of energy in the active region prior to flare onset. The second case we find to be less clear cut suggesting that significant further work remains to be done in order to determine which pre-flare signatures are most useful in indicating the build-up to flare onset.     

Hydrogen cyanide polymers from the impact of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter.

Hydrogen cyanide polymers--heterogeneous solids ranging in color from yellow to orange to brown to black--may be among the organic macromolecules most readily formed within the Solar System. The non-volatile black crust of comet Halley, for example, as well as the extensive orange-brown streaks in the atmosphere of Jupiter, might consist largely of such polymers synthesized from HCN formed by photolysis of methane and ammonia. Laboratory studies of these ubiquitous compounds point to the presence of polyamidine structures synthesized directly from hydrogen cyanide. These would be converted by water to polypeptides which can be further hydrolyzed to alpha-amino acids. Other polymers and multimers with ladder structures derived from HCN would also be present and might well be the source of the many nitrogen heterocycles, adenine included, detected by thermochemolytic analysis. The dark brown color arising from the impacts of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter could therefore be mainly caused by the presence of HCN polymers, whether originally present, deposited by the impactor or synthesized from freshly formed HCN. Spectroscopic detection of these predicted macromolecules and their hydrolytic and pyrolytic by-products would strengthen significantly the hypothesis that cyanide polymerization is a preferred pathway for prebiotic and extraterrestrial chemistry.     

Multifrequency electron spin resonance detection of solid-state organic free radicals in HCN polymer and a Titan tholin

Macromolecules derived from hydrogen cyanide (HCN) may be major components of the dark matter observed in bodies in the outer Solar System, which include comets and asteroids. HCN oligomers and polymers are readily formed at room temperature and react with water to produce polypeptides and alpha-amino acids or undergo pyrolysis to produce nitrogen heterocycles. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy shows that HCN polymer mixtures contain a significant amount of long-lived organic free radicals that are primarily carbon-based. For comparison, we have also examined samples of tholins produced from experimental analogs of Titan aerosols, which has been shown by trace organic analysis to consist partly of HCN polymer. The "Titan tholin" exhibits at least two ESR signals that can be assigned to nitrogen- and carbon-centered radicals, although heating the sample eliminates the nitrogen centers and increases the signal from the carbon centers. This result suggests that the nitrogen-centered radicals may be thermodynamically less stable, but are kinetically trapped during the spark-discharge reactions that produce tholins from mixtures of gases such as methane and nitrogen. The results strongly support previous proposals of free radical mechanisms for HCN polymerization.     

Hydrogen cyanide polymers on comets.

The original presence on cometary nuclei of frozen volatiles such as methane, ammonia and water makes them ideal sites for the formation and condensed-phase polymerization of hydrogen cyanide. We propose that the non-volatile black crust of comet Halley consists largely of such polymers. Dust emanating from Halley's nucleus, contributing to the coma and tail, would also arise partly from these solids. Indeed, secondary species such as CN have been widely detected, as well as HCN itself and particles consisting only of H, C and N. Our continuing investigations suggest that the yellow-orange-brown-black polymers are of two types: ladder structures with conjugated -C=N- bonds, and polyamidines readily converted by water to polypeptides. These easily formed macromolecules could be major components of the dark matter observed on the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn, as well as on outer solar system bodies such as asteroids, moons and other comets. Implications for prebiotic chemistry are profound. Primitive Earth may have been covered by HCN polymers either through cometary bombardment or by terrestrial happenings of the kind that brought about the black crust of Halley. The resulting proteinaceous matrix could have promoted the molecular interactions leading to the emergence of life.     

Measurements of atmospheric ozone from aircraft and from balloons

The first ozone data from the Northern Hemisphere meridional flight “SIMOC” are presented. The flight was made in May of 1981 from Germany up to 82 °N and then down to the Equator and back with the Falcon 20E German research aircraft. These data include those obtained using a differential solar absorption spectrometer developed and built at the Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie in Lindau. Ozone profiles obtained from an intensive series of balloon flights launched in northern Sweden over a two week period are also presented and discussed in terms of the variability in ozone concentration that they demonstrate in the middle atmosphere.     

Phase transitions in a dusty plasma with two distinct particle sizes

In semiconductor manufacturing, contamination due to particulates significantly decreases the yield and quality of device fabrication, therefore increasing the cost of production. Dust particle clouds can be found in almost all plasma processing environments including both plasma etching devices and in plasma deposition processes. Dust particles suspended within such plasmas will acquire an electric charge from collisions with electrons and ions in the plasma. If the ratio of inter-particle potential energy to the average kinetic energy is sufficient, the particles will form either a “liquid” structure with short-range ordering or a crystalline structure with long-range ordering. Many experiments have been conducted over the past decade on such colloidal plasmas to discover the character of the systems formed, but more work is needed to fully understand these structures. The preponderance of previous experiments used monodisperse spheres to form complex plasma systems. However, most plasma processing environments contain more arbitrary distributions of particle size. In order to examine in more detail the effects of a size distribution, experiments were carried out in a GEC rf reference cell modified for use as a dusty plasma system. Using two monodisperse particle sizes, experiments were conducted to determine the manner in which phase transitions and other thermodynamic properties depended upon the overall dust grain size distribution. Plasma crystals were formed from different mixtures of 8.89 and 6.50 μm monodisperse particles in argon plasma. With the use of various optical techniques, the pair correlation function was determined at different pressures and powers and then compared to measurements obtained for monodisperse spheres.