Gas cooling by dust during dynamical fragmentation     

A. P. Whitworth  H. M. J. Boffin  & N. Francis 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》1998,299(2):554-561

We suggest that the abrupt switch, from hierarchical clustering on scales ≳ 0.04 pc, to binary (and occasionally higher multiple) systems on smaller scales, which Larson has deduced from his analysis of the grouping of pre-main-sequence stars in Taurus, arises because pre-protostellar gas becomes thermally coupled to dust at sufficiently high densities. The resulting change — from gas cooling by molecular lines at low densities to gas cooling by dust at high densities — enables the matter to radiate much more efficiently, and hence to undergo dynamical fragmentation. We derive the domain in which gas cooling by dust facilitates dynamical fragmentation. Low-mass (∼ M⊙) clumps — those supported mainly by thermal pressure — can probably access this domain spontaneously, albeit rather quasi-statically, provided that they exist in a region in which external perturbations are few and far between. More massive clumps probably require an impulsive external perturbation, for instance a supersonic collision with another clump, in order for the gas to reach sufficiently high density to couple thermally to the dust. Impulsive external perturbations should promote fragmentation, by generating highly non-linear substructures which can then be amplified by gravity during the subsequent collapse.  相似文献   

Mid-infrared imaging of WL 16: the spatial distribution of the hydrocarbon emission features     

Moore  Emerson  Skinner  Meixner  Arens  & Jernigan 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》1998,299(4):1209-1214

We present arcsec-resolution images at 8.2, 10.0 and 11.3 μm of the unusual young object WL 16 in Ophiuchus, which has an extended envelope of fluorescing hydrocarbon molecules. To the limit of achieved sensitivity, the faint 10.0-μm continuum has a surface-brightness distribution that is not distinguishable from those at 8.2 and 11.3 μm, where the luminosity is known to be dominated by the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features. We conclude that the 10-μm continuum either arises from non-equilibrium heating of small dust grains that are well mixed with the hydrocarbons or is quasi-continuous emission from the PAH particles themselves, rather than thermal equilibrium emission from macroscopic dust grains, and that there is no significant silicate absorption variation across the source. The extended hydrocarbon emission may trace a flattened, equatorial distribution of circumstellar material or arise in bipolar lobes. The former case is slightly favoured, based on currently available data, and would imply that WL 16 is a relatively evolved Herbig Ae star, the equatorial plane of which has been almost cleared of normal dust, leaving only fluorescing hydrocarbons and larger coagulated particles as a possibly transient fossil of the original circumstellar disc.  相似文献   

Runoff and erosion processes and rates in the Zin valley badlands,northern Negev,Israel     

A. Yair  H. Lavee  R. B. Bryan  E. Adar 《地球表面变化过程与地形》1980,5(3):205-225

Badland areas are usually regarded as impermeable zones which generate high runoff and are very vulnerable to sheetwash and rainsplash. To test those considerations sprinkling experiments using two rainfall simulators were carried out on slopes of varying aspect in the northern Negev (Israel). For one unit 1·5 m² plots were used with rainfall of natural characteristics at 36 mm/hr intensity and 43–48 minute duration, runoff being recorded and water/sediment samples taken every 5 minutes. The second unit was used on 30–50 m² plots but rainfall energy production was below that of natural rainfall. Results show that due to the high stability and strong flocculation of clay-rich aggregates rainsplash is ineffective in surface sealing so that infiltration capacities remain high despite intense, prolonged rainfall. Aspect differences are reflected in variation of surface properties despite homogenous bed-rock, which cause marked differences in hydrological response. North-facing slopes respond more quickly, more frequently and produce more runoff than south-facing slopes. Non-uniform runoff generation is also seen within plots of one aspect reflecting subtle variations in surface properties. Comparison of rainfall intensity and duration used during the experiments with those prevailing under natural conditions shows that under present day conditions surface flow in the Zin valley badlands must be extremely infrequent and denudation rates very low.  相似文献   

Determination of predevelopment denudation rates of an agricultural watershed (Cayaguás River, Puerto Rico) using in-situ-produced Be in river-borne quartz     

Erik Thorson Brown  Robert F. Stallard  Matthew C. Larsen  Didier L. Bourls  Grant M. Raisbeck  Franoise Yiou 《Earth and Planetary Science Letters》1998,160(3-4):723-728

Accurate estimates of watershed denudation absent anthropogenic effects are required to develop strategies for mitigating accelerated physical erosion resulting from human activities, to model global geochemical cycles, and to examine interactions among climate, weathering, and uplift. We present a simple approach to estimate predevelopment denudation rates using in-situ-produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be in fluvial sediments. Denudation processes in an agricultural watershed (Cayaguás River Basin, Puerto Rico) and a matched undisturbed watershed (Icacos River Basin) were compared using ¹⁰Be concentrations in quartz for various size fractions of bed material. The coarse fractions in both watersheds bear the imprint of long subsurface residence times. Fine material from old shallow soils contributes little, however, to the present-day sediment output of the Cayaguás. This confirms the recent and presumably anthropogenic origin of the modern high denudation rate in the Cayaguás Basin and suggests that pre-agricultural erosional conditions were comparable to those of the present-day Icacos.  相似文献   

Hydrogen adsorption and diffusion on amorphous solid water ice     

A. Al-Halabi  E. F. van Dishoeck † 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2007,382(4):1648-1656

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Intrinsic spectra of the AXPs     

Martin Durant 《Astrophysics and Space Science》2007,308(1-4):641-645

Using direct measurements of photo-electric absorption edges, I derive the intrinsic spectra for the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars. In the past, the hydrogen column density, N _H had been found by fitting the X-ray spectra with a variety of simple continuum models. Since different models fit equally well, with different values of N _H, little is learned about the true column density or intrinsic spectra. Here, I measure the column densities in a model-independent way, and thus derive intrinsic spectra without first assuming what those spectra ought to look like. Particularly for the brightest source, 4U 0142+61, the column density can be determined accurately, and is a factor of 1.4 smaller that the typically N _H quoted. With this new value, the new intrinsic spectrum can be investigated anew, and shows a slight hint of a feature around 13 Å. To be emphasised, this is an empirical method with the minimum of assumptions, as is appropriate for these beguiling sources, the behaviour of which has mystifies astronomers for over a decade. This paper summarises the methods and conclusions to be published in the Astrophysical Journal by Durant and Van Kerkwijk (2006; see astro-ph/0606604).  相似文献   

Ultraviolet dust attenuation in spiral galaxies: the role of age-dependent extinction and the initial mass function     

P. Panuzzo  G. L. Granato  V. Buat  A. K. Inoue  L. Silva  J. Iglesias-Páramo  A. Bressan 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2007,375(2):640-648

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Rethinking the N(H₂)/I(CO) conversion factor     

W. F. Wall 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2007,379(2):674-688

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Variability of sediment diatom assemblages in an upland,wind-stressed lake (Loch Fleet,Galloway, S.W. Scotland)     

N. J. Anderson 《Journal of Paleolimnology》1990,4(1):43-59

The variability of diatom distribution in an acidified, upland wind-stressed lake (Loch Fleet, Galloway, S. W. Scotland) was assessed by analysis of 28 surface sediment samples and 11 cores. Correspondence analysis (CA) and cluster analysis were used to illustrate the variability of the surface sediment and core samples. There was reasonable uniformity of taxa in most of the surface sediment samples, although 7 samples, as indicated by both CA and cluster analyses were atypical. Most cores recorded clearly the acidification of the lake, although percentages of individual taxa varied up to 20% between cores. Two cores had old, preacidification diatom assemblages (of indeterminate age) close to the sediment surface. These old sediments were probably the source of the re-worked diatoms found in the atypical surface sediment assemblages. Diatom trends, as CA ordinations and pH profiles, were less variable than the surface sediment assemblages. It is argued that non-uniform sediment accumulation rates and diatom deposition cause variability in surface sediment diatom samples. This variability may be reduced in core profiles by homogenization during further resuspension/deposition cycles and burial. Cores, and the associated time component they offer, may be useful in assessing the variability of surface sediment assemblages.  相似文献   

Microbial life in martian ice: A biotic origin of methane on Mars?     

P. Buford Price 《Planetary and Space Science》2010,58(10):1199-1206

Despite the fact that microbial cells are unlikely to be found in the Martian soil in the near future, this paper is written on the assumption that some of the seasonally varying concentration of Martian methane is due to ongoing methanogenesis. It is first pointed out that life might have arisen on Mars first and been transported to Earth later. A case is made that an icy origin of life is more likely than a hot origin, especially if biomolecules take advantage of the high encounter rates and stability against hydrolysis, and that microorganisms feed on the ions that comprise eutectic solutions in ice. Although certain difficulties are avoided if RNA and DNA grow while adsorbed on clay grains, double strand-breaks of microbial DNA due to alpha radioactivity are a far greater threat to microbial survival on clay or other rock types than in ice. Developing a relation between the rate of microbial metabolism in ice and the experimentally determined rate of production of trapped gases of microbial origin, one can estimate the concentration of methanogens that could account for the methane production rate as a function of temperature of their habitat. The result, of order 1 cell cm⁻³ in the Martian subsurface, seems an attainable goal provided samples are taken from at least 1 or 2 m below the hostile surface of Mars. Instruments on NASA’s 2011 Mars Science Lab will measure stable isotopes for methane, water, and carbon dioxide, which on Earth served to distinguish abiotic, thermogenic, and microbial origins. Future measurements of chirality of biomolecules might also provide evidence for Martian life.  相似文献