Limitation of the Press-Schechter Formalism

The Press-Schechter(PS) formalism for the mass function of the collapsed objects are reanalyzed. The factor of two in the Press-Schechter formalism is argued to be correct in the sharp $k$-space filter even when we use the another approach proposed by Jedamzik(1994) in the cloud-in-cloud problem, which is different from the previous approach by Peacock & Heavens(1990) and Bond et al.(1991). The spatial correlation of the density fluctuations, however, had been neglected in the cloud-in-cloud problem. The effects of this spatial correlation is analyzed by using the Jedamzik formalism and it is found that this effect alter the PS mass function especially on larger mass scales. Furthermore the exact formula of deriving mass function is shown. We also find that the probability of the overlap of the collapsed objects can be neglected on very small mass scales while it might not be neglected on other mass scales.Comment: 23 pages, uuencoded compressed Postscrip

Statistical Study of the Reconnection Rate in Solar Flares Observed with YOHKOH/SXT

We report a statistical study of flares observed with the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) onboard Yohkoh in the year of 2000. We measure physical parameters of 77 flares, such as the temporal scale, the size, and the magnetic flux density and find that the sizes of flares tend to be distributed more broadly as the GOES class becomes weaker and that there is a lower limit of magnetic flux density that depends on the GOES class. We also examine the relationship between these parameters and find weak correlation between temporal and spatial scales of flares. We estimate reconnection inflow velocity, coronal Alfven velocity, and reconnection rate using above observed values. The inflow velocities are distributed from a few km/s to several tens km/s and the Alfven velocities in the corona are in the range from 10^3 to 10^4 km/s. Hence the reconnection rate is 10^-3 - 10^-2. We find that the reconnection rate in a flare tends to decrease as the GOES class of the flare increases. This value is within one order of magnitude from the theoretical maximum value predicted by the Petschek model, although the dependence of the reconnection rate on the magnetic Reynolds number tends to be stronger than that in the Petschek model.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Baryonically Closed Galaxy Groups

Elliptical galaxies and their groups having the largest L_x/L_B lie close to the locus in the L_x,L_B diagram expected for closed systems with baryon fractions equal to the cosmic mean value, f_b = 0.16. The estimated baryon fractions for several of these galaxies/groups are also close to 0.16 when the gas density is extrapolated to the virial radius. Evidently they are the least massive baryonically closed systems. Gas retention in these groups implies that non-gravitational heating cannot exceed about 1 keV per particle, consistent with the heating required to produce the deviation of groups from the L_x - T correlation for more massive clusters. Isolated galaxies/groups with X-ray luminosities significantly lower than baryonically closed groups may have undermassive dark halos, overactive central AGNs, or higher star formation efficiencies. The virial mass and hot gas temperatures of nearly or completely closed groups correlate with the group X-ray luminosities and the optical luminosities of the group-centered elliptical galaxy, an expected consequence of their merging history. The ratio of halo mass to the mass of the central galaxy for X-ray luminous galaxy/groups is about 80.Comment: 7 pages; Accepted by ApJ Letter

Pickoff and spin-conversion quenchings of ortho-positronium in oxygen

The quenching processes of the thermalized ortho-positronium(o-Ps) on an oxygen molecule have been studied by the positron annihilation age-momentum correlation techinique(AMOC). The Doppler broadening spectrum of the 511 keV gamma-rays from the 2gamma annihilation of o-Ps in O_2 has been measured as a function of the o-Ps age. The rate of the quenching, consisting of the pickoff and the spin-conversion, is estimated from the positron lifetime spectrum. The ratio of the pickoff quenching rate to the spin-conversion rate is deduced from the Doppler broadening of the 511 keV gamma-rays from the annihilation of the o-Ps. The pickoff parameter ^1Z_eff, the effective number of the electrons per molecule which contribute to the pickoff quenching, for O_2 is determined to be 0.6 +- 0.4. The cross-section for the elastic spin-conversion quenching is determined to be (1.16 +- 0.01) * 10^{-19} cm^2.Comment: 4 pages with 5 eps figures, LaTeX2e(revtex4

Discovery of new mineral addibischoffite, Ca_2Al_6Al_6O_(20) ,IN A Ca-Al-Rich refractory inclusion from the Acfer 214 CH3 meteorite

Introduction: During a mineralogy investigation of the Acfer 214 CH3 carbonaceous chondrite, a new calcium aluminate mineral, named “addibischoffite”, Ca_2Al_6Al_6O_(20) with the P-1 aenigmatite structure, was identified in a Ca-Al-rich inclusion (CAI). Field-emission scanning electron microscope, electron back-scatter diffraction, electron microprobe and ion microprobe were used to characterize its chemical and oxygen-isotope compositions, structure, and associated phases. Synthetic CaAl_6O_(10) was reported but not fully characterized [e.g., 1]. Presented here is its first natural occurrence as a new refractory mineral in a primitive meteorite. The mineral has been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA 2015-006). The name is in honor of Addi Bischoff, a cosmochemist at Münster University, Germany, for his many contributions to research on CAIs in carbonaceous chondrites, including CH chondrites

Forsterite-Bearing Type B CAI with a Relict Eringaite-Bearing Ultra-Refractory CAI

Forsterite-bearing Type B (FoB) Ca,Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) are a rare type of coarse-grained igneous CAIs found almost exclusively in CV3 chondrites [1–5]. Here we describe the mineralogy, petrography, and oxygen-isotope compositions of a FoB CAI Al-2 from Allende containing a relict eringaite-bearing ultra-refractory (UR) inclusion. Eringaite is a Sc-rich garnet [Ca_3(Sc,Y,Ti)_2Si_3O_(12)] that has been recently identified in a cluster of UR inclusion fragments within an amoeboid olivine aggregate in Vigarano [6]

A perspective from extinct radionuclides on a Young Stellar Object: The Sun and its accretion disk

Meteorites, which are remnants of solar system formation, provide a direct glimpse into the dynamics and evolution of a young stellar object (YSO), namely our Sun. Much of our knowledge about the astrophysical context of the birth of the Sun, the chronology of planetary growth from micrometer-sized dust to terrestrial planets, and the activity of the young Sun comes from the study of extinct radionuclides such as 26Al (t1/2 = 0.717 Myr). Here we review how the signatures of extinct radionuclides (short-lived isotopes that were present when the solar system formed and that have now decayed below detection level) in planetary materials influence the current paradigm of solar system formation. Particular attention is given to tying meteorite measurements to remote astronomical observations of YSOs and modeling efforts. Some extinct radionuclides were inherited from the long-term chemical evolution of the Galaxy, others were injected into the solar system by a nearby supernova, and some were produced by particle irradiation from the T-Tauri Sun. The chronology inferred from extinct radionuclides reveals that dust agglomeration to form centimeter-sized particles in the inner part of the disk was very rapid (<50 kyr), planetesimal formation started early and spanned several million years, planetary embryos (possibly like Mars) were formed in a few million years, and terrestrial planets (like Earth) completed their growths several tens of million years after the birth of the Sun.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figures, 1 table. Uncorrected preprin