Real-time difference imaging analysis of MOA Galactic bulge observations during 2000

We describe observations carried out by the MOA group of the Galactic bulge during 2000 that were designed to detect efficiently gravitational microlensing of faint stars in which the magnification is high and/or of short duration. These events are particularly useful for studies of extrasolar planets and faint stars. Approximately 17 deg² were monitored at a sampling rate of up to six times per night. The images were analysed in real time using a difference imaging technique. 20 microlensing candidates were detected, of which eight were alerted to the microlensing community whilst in progress. Approximately half of the candidates had high magnifications (≳10), at least one had very high magnification (≳50), and one exhibited a clear parallax effect. The details of these events are reported here, together with details of the on-line difference imaging technique. Some nova-like events were also observed and these are described, together with one asteroid.     

Markarian 313: An intermediate object between a seyfert and a starburst galaxy

An ultraviolet-excess galaxy Markarian 313 (NGC 7465), which consists of a multiple system with NGC 7463 and NGC 7464, is studied using the low- and high-resolution optical spectrum. Emission lines of H, H, [NII], and [OIII] have conspicuous blueward asymmetrical wings or blue slanted profiles in the spectrum of the nuclear region of the galaxy. The width of these emission lines is as broad as 600 km s^–1 at the zero-intensity level, and the velocity difference between the narrow and broad components is estimated at around 80 km s^–1 from the two-component Gaussian profile fitting. This fact could be an evidence of a large-scale dynamical motion in or surrounding the nuclear region of the galaxy, implying that it bears an intermediate characteristic between a Seyfert and a starburst galaxy.     

A new photographic method for mapping lunar eclipse shadow

A new photographic method suitable for digital processing of a two-dimensional density distribution of lunar eclipse shadow has been developed and it has been applied to the observation of the eclipse of December 30, 1982. The principle of this method is to extract the terrestrial shadow by utilizing immediate post- or pre-eclipse full Moon image as a reference template. The uncertainties of the obtained shadow maps in density and position are mostly 0.03–0.05 and 10–15 respectively. Iso-density contours of the penumbra have revealed unknown systematic deviations from a geometrical (concentric) shadow model in terms of their directions of center and radii of curvature. A density map of the umbra has shown very irregular shapes of isophotoes and density variation in the outer umbra has been proved to be consistent with the optical depth measurement of the stratosphere performed in the same period of time with lidars and aircrafts. Geographic consideration of the shadow terminator on the Earth suggests that the remnant aerosols above the northern Pacific and northern Europe flown up by a Mexican volcano 8 months ago prior to this eclipse will be mainly responsible for the formation of such variation of density in the outer penumbra.On leave from Tokyo Astronomical Observatory as Visiting Scientist (from 28 Aug. 1984 to 27 Aug. 1985).     

The role of tidal vortices in material transport around straits

The strong tidal current (tidal jet) in straits generates tidal vortices with a scale of several kilometers. The role of the vortices in material transport was investigated in the Neko Seto Sea, located in the western part of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. A clockwise vortex with a diameter of about 0.8 km was observed in Nigata Bay (lying between two straits, the Neko Seto Strait and the Meneko Seto Strait). It was concluded that the clockwise vortex was the tidal vortex which was generated by the tidal jet in the Meneko Seto Strait. The vortex moved into the bay with the tide, but tended to stay on the sand bank in the bay. It was confirmed by current measurement with an ADCP and turbidity measurement that the secondary convergent flow was generated in the bottom layer of the vortex. This secondary flow seemed to contribute to the formation of the sand bank. It was suggested that tidal vortices may play an important role in the sediment transport and formation of topography in and around straits.     

Revision of magnitudes of large shallow earthquakes, 1897–1912

In previous research, trace amplitudes of surface wave maxima recorded by undamped Milne seismographs were used to determine the surface-wave magnitudes M_s of large shallow earthquakes which occurred prior to 1912. For this purpose, the effective gain of these instruments was calibrated by using the surface-wave magnitudes M_s(GR) which were calculated from the unpublished worksheets for Seismicity of the Earth of Gutenberg and Richter. In this paper, the real quality of M_s(GR) is critically re-evaluated by using independent sets of data. It is found that M_s(GR) for the period 1904–1909 is considerably overestimated. The average excess from the real M_s is 0.5 units for 1904–1906, 0.4 for 1907, 0.3 for 1908–1909 and 0.0 for 1910–1912. This overestimation is so systematic and large that the previous results are all redetermined. The average effective gain of Milne instruments is revised to be 21.9; previously, the gain depended on M_s. This revision results in systematic reduction in the previously assigned magnitudes. The revised values of M_s for 264 shallow earthquakes, with M_s=6.8 and over in the period 1897–1912 inclusive, are listed. The present revision is large enough to preclude the possibility of the high activity of large shallow earthquakes around the turn of the century. The present results have a direct effect on all the magnitude catalogues of shallow earthquakes which occurred prior to 1909.     

Thermal alteration of hydrated minerals during hypervelocity capture to silica aerogel at the flyby speed of Stardust

Abstract— Outside the Earth's atmosphere, silica aerogel is one of the best materials to capture finegrained extraterrestrial particles in impacts at hypervelocities. Because silica aerogel is a superior insulator, captured grains are inevitably influenced by frictional heat. Therefore, we performed laboratory simulations of hypervelocity capture by using light‐gas guns to impact into aerogels finegrained powders of serpentine, cronstedtite, and Murchison CM2 meteorite. The samples were shot at >6 km s^?1 similar to the flyby speed at comet P/Wild‐2 in the Stardust mission. We investigated mineralogical changes of each captured particle by using synchrotron radiation X‐ray diffraction (SR‐XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE‐SEM). SR‐XRD of each grain showed that the majority of the bulk grains keep their original mineralogy. In particular, SR‐XRD and TEM investigations clearly exemplified the presence of tochilinite whose decomposition temperature is about 300 °C in the interior of the captured Murchison powder. However, TEM study of these grains also revealed that all the samples experienced melting and vesiculation on the surface. The cronstedtite and the Murchison meteorite powder show remarkable fracturing, disaggregation, melting, and vesiculation. Steep thermal gradients, about 2500 °C/μm were estimated near the surface of the grains (<2 μm thick) by TEM observation. Our data suggests that the interior of >4 μm across residual grains containing abundant materials that inhibit temperature rise would have not experienced >300 °C at the center.     

Properties of solar wind turbulence from radio occultation experiments with the NOZOMI spacecraft

Radio-sounding experiments using signals from the Japanese NOZOMI spacecraft to probe the circum solar plasma were performed from December 2000 through January 2001. They can be used to obtain information about the properties of the solar wind plasma in the region where it is accelerated at heliocentric distances of 12.8–36.9R _s (where R _s is the radius of the Sun). Measurements of the intensity and frequency of the received signals were carried out with high time resolution (～0.05 s for the frequency and ～0.0064 s for the intensity), making it possible to investigate the anisotropy of inhomogeneities and the spatial spectrum of the turbulence of the circum solar plasma. Analysis of these radio-sounding data has shown that the scintillation index and intensity of the frequency fluctuations decrease approximately according to a power law with increasing distance of the line of sight from the Sun. Measurements of the amplitude fluctuations and estimates of the solar wind velocity derived from spatially separated observations indicate the presence of small-scale inhomogeneities with sizes of the order of 50 km at heliocentric distances less than 25R _s , which are elongated in the radial direction with anisotropy coefficients from 2.3 to 3.0. The inhomogeneities at heliocentric distances exceeding 30R _s become close to isotropic.     

Global shearing modes of galactic disks

A new scheme has been devised to calculate discrete unstable global shearing spiral modes of gaseous disk models of galaxies. The scheme makes use of the Legendre expansion of eigen functions and the problem of stability analysis is reduced to an eigenvalue problem of an infinite matrix. The spiral patterns of these shearing wave solutions of linearized equations change their form in the course of time due to the differential rotation of the equilibrium disk. These shearing wave solutions are presumed to have intermediate characteristics between so-called density-waves and material arms. Comparison between these shearing modes and the non-shearing normal modes for a series of disk models is presented.