We study the formation and evolution of voids in the dark matter distribution using various simulations of the popular $\Lambda$ Cold Dark Matter Universe. We identify voids by requiring them to be spherical or elliptical regions of space with a mean overdensity of $-0.8$ or less. The distribution of void sizes in the different simulations shows good overlap. The size of a void is related to the depth of the smoothed density field at that position in the initial conditions. The rescaled mass profiles of voids in the different simulations agree remarkably well. We find a universal void mass profile of the form $\rho(\ltr)/\rho(r_{\rm eff}) \propto \exp[(r/r_{\rm eff})^\alpha]$ where $r_{\rm eff}$ is the effective void radius and $\alpha\sim 2$. The mass function of haloes in voids is steeper than that of haloes which populate denser regions.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

This paper reviews spectroscopic measurements relevant to the chemical modifications of Jupiter's atmosphere induced by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts. Such observations have been successful at all wavelength ranges from the UV to the centimeter. At the date this paper is written, newly detected or enhanced molecular species resulting from the impacts include H2O, CO, S2, CS2, CS, OCS, NH3, HCN and C2H4. There is also a tentative detection of enhanced PH3 and a controversial detection of H2S. All new and enhanced species were detected in Jupiter's stratosphere. With the exception of NH3 (and perhaps H2S and PH3), apparently present down to the 10-50 mbar level, the minor species are seen at pressures lower than 1 mbar or less, consistent with a formation during the plume splashback at 1-100 microbar. NH3 may result from upwelling associated with vertical mixing generated by the impacts. The main oxygen species is apparently CO, with a total mass of a few 1014 g for the largest impacts, consistent with that available in 400-700 m radius fragments. The observed O/S ratio is reasonably consistent with cometary abundances, but the O/N ratio (inferred from CO/HCN) is much larger, suggesting that another N species was formed but remained undetected, presumably N2. The time evolution of NH3, S2, CS2 shows evidence for photochemical activity taking place during and after the impact week.

Several meteorite types, distinct from the large chondrite groups (H, L, LL, E and carbonaceous), are known to also have chondritic compositions. These meteorites preserve information on conditions at additional formation locations in the early solar nebula. Silicate inclusions from group IAB iron meteorites are one such type. Evidence for their chondritic nature is given and their formation discussed.

We review the nearby debris disk structures revealed by multi-wavelength images from Spitzer and Herschel, and complemented with detailed spectral energy distribution modeling. Similar to the definition of habitable zones around stars, debris disk structures should be identified and characterized in terms of dust temperatures rather than physical distances so that the heating power of different spectral type of stars is taken into account and common features in disks can be discussed and compared directly. Common features, such as warm (~150 K) dust belts near the water-ice line and cold (~50 K) Kuiper-belt analogs, give rise to our emerging understanding of the levels of order in debris disk structures and illuminate various processes about the formation and evolution of exoplanetary systems. In light of the disk structures in the debris disk twins (Vega and Fomalhaut), and the current limits on the masses of planetary objects, we suggest that the large gap between the warm and cold dust belts is the best signpost for multiple (low-mass) planets beyond the water-ice line.

Differential Interferometry (DI) is the application of high angular resolution interferometric techniques to objects observed simultaneously at different wavelengths. When applied to unresolved double stars it makes it possible to measure the variation of the object photocenter with wavelength, which yields angular and spectral information well beyond the classical resolution limits. Signal–to–noise ratio analysis shows that, if DI experiments are limited by photon and speckle noise, the technique can be applied to a large number of double systems for the measurement of vectorial angular separations and of radial-velocity differences. With 4-m telescopes, there are a few tens of binary systems for which DI should permit the resolution and the measurement of the position angle of the rotation axis of at least one of the components. A preliminary experiment permitted a high SNR resolution of the double star Capella with a 1.52-m telescope and showed the current limitations of DI performances resulting from an imperfect correction of detector geometrical distortions.

The relations between the physical parameters of the RRab stars and the Fourier parameters of their light curves have been reanalyzed on the basis of new CCD data. We show that the absolute magnitude MV and the dereddened color indices (B − V)0, (V − I)0 are linear functions of the period and of the A1 Fourier amplitude of the V light curve. Due to the large datasets, we are able to test the consistency of the formulae on independent sets. The present results are in good or fair agreement with our previous studies, despite the fewer number of significant parameters entering in the revised formulae.

We present the first results from our next-generation microlensing survey, the SuperMACHO project. We are using the CTIO 4m Blanco telescope and the MOSAIC imager to carry out a search for microlensing toward the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We plan to ascertain the nature of the population responsible for the excess microlensing rate seen by the MACHO project. Our observing strategy is optimized to measure the differential microlensing rate across the face of the LMC. We find this derivative to be relatively insensitive to the details of the LMC's internal structure but a strong discriminant between Galactic halo and LMC self lensing. In December 2003 we completed our third year of survey operations. 2003 also marked the first year of real-time microlensing alerts and photometric and spectroscopic followup. We have extracted several dozen microlensing candidates, and we present some preliminary light curves and related information. Similar to the MACHO project, we find SNe behind the LMC to be a significant contaminant - this background has not been completely removed from our current single-color candidate sample. Our follow-up strategy is optimized to discriminate between SNe and true microlensing.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

New determination of the Earth orientation parameters (EOP), based on optical astrometry observations since the beginning of the century, is now under preparation by the Working group established by Commission 19 of the IAU. The Hipparcos catalog is to define the celestial reference frame in which the new series of EOP are to be described. The novelties of the prepared solution are the higher resolution (5 days) and more parameters estimated from the solution (celestial pole offsets, rheological parameters of the Earth, certain instrumental constants). The mathematical model of the solution is described, and the results based on the observations made with 46 instruments at 29 observatories and a preliminary Hipparcos catalog are presented.

The classical problem of determining the secular retardation of the Earth's rotation due to the effect of tides (oceanic and bodily) has an important geophysical value in determining the possible existence of processes inside the Earth, which lead to secular variations of rotation of the whole Earth or its external layers.

Using new cotidal charts of the world ocean calculated by Bogdanov for the main tidal waves M2, S2, K1 and O1 and using the method of moments of tidal forces the retarding moment was found to be 8.3 × 1023 dyn cm. This is twice the amount of previous evaluations. (This method is superior to the method of calculating the dissipation of energy or the moments of frictional forces). This amount corresponds to a retardation of 3.8 μs/century in the speed of the Earth's rotation. But the observations of the Sun give only 1.9 μs/century for the retardation. Thus, there seem to be nontidal and probably internal processes, which accelerate the Earth's rotation by about 2 μs/century. And this is without taking account of additional smaller effects of bodily tides. The search for these processes is an important problem.

The full text of the paper will be published in the magazine Physics of the Earth, No. 2, 1972.

Ionization models for NGC 6210, 7009, 3242 and II 2003 have been constructed from optical and IUE spectroscopic data. The CIV 155 nm resonance line is predicted about ten times stronger than observed. Radiative transfer calculations of the CIV lines in a spherical nebula, assuming partial frequency redistribution, were made to investigate the effects of dust absorption and an additional depopulation of the upper level.

The preliminary results of the analysis of more than 1000 spectra of cataclysmic variables in the archive of the International Ultraviolet Explorer were presented at the meeting. To characterize the slope of the spectra I use F = log(f1460Å/f2880Å). For most spectra F lies between 0.2 and 0.7. No correlation of F with orbital period, inclination, system type or (for dwarf novae) length of the interoutburst interval are found, apart from somewhat lower values of F for DQ Her type systems. Out of 16 dwarf novae for which spectra both at outburst maximum and minimum are available 11 show no large difference in F between maximum and minimum, and in 5 F declines with the flux level. Out of 6 dwarf novae 5 show very red spectra during the rise to maximum, and 1 shows slopes during rise similar to those during decline.

In the ultraviolet resonance lines, due to a wind from the disc, no correlation is found between inclination and terminal velocity.

The optical position of the short period eclipsing binary XY UMa, which shows large scale star spot activities, coincides within 2 minutes of arc with a radio source, listed in the 4C-, 4CP-, OK-catalogues, and the position obtained with the Effelsberg radio telescope. A fainter star, centered on the radio source position, is according its U-, B-, V-values a K main sequence star. The radio source is non-thermal, and has a spectral index α ~-0.85. If the radio source is identical with the binary, it would imply important consequences about the extragalactic nature of high latitude 4C-sources, the radio background and the high radio luminosity of the binary.

A summary is given of the presentations delivered at IAU Symposium 231.

We are finally on the threshold of obtaining a coherent morphological and physical picture for the local interstellar medium (LISM), especially the region within 300 pc of the Sun. The EUVE is playing a special role in revealing this picture. This instrument can provide direct measurements of the the radiation field that photoionizes both hydrogen and helium. It also can yield direct measurements of the column densities of hydrogen, but especially He I and He II toward nearby white dwarfs. These observations suggest that the ionization in the Local Cloud, the cloud in which the Sun is embedded, is not in equilibrium, but in a recombination phase. Heuristic calculations imply that the the present ionization is due to the passage of shocks, at times greater than 3 × 106 years ago. The origin of these shocks are probably linked to the supernova which was responsible for the expanding nebular complex of clouds know as the Loop I supernova remnant, of which the Local Cloud is a part, extreme- UV radiation field, that which ionizes both hydrogen and helium in the LISM. Of the ISM within 300 pc, the volume appears to be predominantly filled by hot (106 K) coronal gas. This gas is laced with six largescale shell structures with diameters ~100−150 pc including the long-recognized radio loops, Loop I−IV, as well as the Orion-Eridanus and Gum Nebulae are identified. An idea that has evolved in the literature for over two decades is that the kinematically-linked OB associations representing Gould’s Belt, plus the gas and dust of Lindblad’s Ring, require that previous supernova activity and stellar winds carved out a 400–600 pc diameter cavity some 3 to 6 × 107 yr ago. This activity produced a pre-existing low density region, into which the present young loop structures have expanded. The outer boundaries of the identified expanding loop structures, inside this preexisting cavity, delineate the periphery of the the mis-named “local interstellar bubble.” Thus, this picture naturally explains some of the problems often associated with the presence of this low density region exterior to Loop I.

A series of VLBI surveys of complete samples of radio sources selected at 5 GHz (Pearson & Readhead 1988, hereafter PR; Xu et al. 1995 and references therein) has revealed that ≃ 10% of the objects are “Compact Symmetric Objects” (CSOs), in which high-luminosity radio emission regions are seen on both sides of the center of activity on scales less than one kiloparsec (Phillips & Mutel 1982; Readhead et al. 1984; Conway et al. 1992; Wilkinson et al. 1994). In order to be sure that an object is a CSO, either the center of activity must be pinpointed (Taylor et al. 1996) or compelling morphological evidence of symmetric structure must be found.

Radio data of large irregular galaxies reveal some extended synchrotron emission with a substantial degree of polarization. In the case of NGC 4449 strong galaxy-scale regular magnetic fields were found, in spite of the lack of ordered rotation required for the conventional dynamo action. The rigidly rotating large irregular NGC 55 shows vertical polarized spurs connected with a network of ionized gas filaments. Small dwarf irregulars show only isolated polarized spots.

We have found from line-of-sight integration of scattered light and thermal emission that the appearance of a hump in the F-corona, which was observed in the near-infrared wavelengths by Peterson (1969) and MacQueen (1968), is very sensitive to the change of size distribution of circumsolar dust grains. Namely, the size distribution affects the balance of scattered sunlight and thermal emission. We suggest that a temporal variation in the size distribution of circumsolar dust grains is a potential origin of the temporal variation of the hump structure observed in the F-corona.