Composition of matter in the heliosphere

The Sun is by far the largest reservoir of matter in the solar system and contains more than 99% of the mass of the solar system. Theories on the formation of the solar system maintain that the gravitational collapse is very efficient and that typically not more than one tenth from the solar nebula is lost during the formation process. Consequently, the Sun can be considered as a representative sample of interstellar matter taken from a well mixed reservoir 4.6 Gy ago, at about 8 kpc from the galactic center. At the same time, the Sun is also a faithful witness of the composition of matter at the beginning of the evolution of the solar system and the formation of planets, asteroids, and comets. Knowledge on the solar composition and a fair account of the related uncertainties is relevant for many fields in astrophysics, planetary sciences, cosmo- and geochemistry. Apart from the basic interest in the chemical evolution of the galaxy and the solar system, compositional studies have also led to many applications in space research, i.e., it has helped to distinguish between different components of diffuse heliospheric matter. The elemental, isotopic, and charge state composition of heliospheric particles (solar wind, interstellar neutrals, pickup ions) has been used for a multitude of applications, such as tracing the source material, constraining parameters for models of the acceleration processes, and of the transport through the interplanetary medium. It is important to realize, that the two mainstream applications, as outlined above - geochemistry and cosmochemistry on one side, and tracing of heliospheric processes on the other side - are not independent of each other. Understanding the physical processes, e.g., of the fractionation of the solar wind, is crucial for the interpretation of compositional data; on the other hand, reliable information on the source composition is the basis for putting constraints on models of the solar wind fractionatio

Minor ions in the solar wind

Ions heavier than 4He are treated as "minors” in the solar wind. This is justified for many applications since minor ions have no significant influence on the dynamics of the interplanetary plasma. However, minor ions carry information on many aspects of the formation, on the acceleration and on the transfer of solar plasma from the corona into the interplanetary space. This review concentrates on various aspects of minor ions as diagnostic tracers. The elemental abundance patterns of the solar wind are shaped in the chromosphere and in the lower transition region by processes, which are not fully understood at this moment. Despite this lack of detailed understanding, observed abundance patterns have been classified and are now commonly used to characterize the sources, and to trace back solar-wind flows to their origins in the solar atmosphere. Furthermore, the solar wind is the most important source of information for solar isotopic abundances and for solar abundances of volatile elements. In order to fully exploit this information, a comprehensive understanding of elemental and isotopic fractionation processes is required. We provide observational clues to distinguish different processes at wor

Unterseen. Die reformierte Pfarrkirche. Die Ergebnisse der archäologischen Forschungen von 1985 (mit Ergänzungen von 1998/2000)

Die Grabung 1985 in der Pfarrkirche von Unterseen, die aus dem 19. Jh. stammt, wurde durch die Innenrestaurierungen ausgelöst. Mit den Untersuchungen liess sich aufzeigen, dass die erste Kirche im 13./14. Jh. erbaut und gegen Ende des 15. Jh. umgebaut wurde. Die Publikation umfasst nach einer Einführung in den historischen Hintergrund eine detaillierte archäologische und anthropologische Auswertung der Baubefunde inklusive der Bestattungen, die in der Kirche zu Tage gekommen waren, sowie eine Fundvorlage (Keramik, Metallfunde, Münzen)

Noble gas elemental abundances in three solar wind regimes as recorded by the Genesis mission

We discuss elemental abundances of noble gases in targets exposed to the solar wind (SW) onboard the “Genesis” mission during the three different SW “regimes”: “Slow” (interstream, IS) wind, “Fast” (coronal hole, CH) wind and solar wind related to coronal mass ejections (CME). To this end we first present new Ar, Kr, and Xe elemental abundance data in Si targets sampling the different regimes. We also discuss He, Ne, and Ar elemental and isotopic abundances obtained on Genesis regime targets partly published previously. Average Kr/Ar ratios for all three regimes are identical to each other within their uncertainties of about 1% with one exception: the Fast SW has a 12% lower Xe/Ar ratio than do the other two regimes. In contrast, the He/Ar and Ne/Ar ratios in the CME targets are higher by more than 20% and 10%, respectively, than the corresponding Fast and Slow SW values, which among themselves vary by no more than 2–4%. Earlier observations on lunar samples and Genesis targets sampling bulk SW wind had shown that Xe, with a first ionisation potential (FIP) of ∼12 eV, is enriched by about a factor of two in the bulk solar wind over Ar and Kr compared to photospheric abundances, similar to many “low FIP” elements with a FIP less than ∼10 eV. This behaviour of the “high FIP” element Xe was not easily explained, also because it has a Coulomb drag factor suggesting a relatively inefficient feeding into the SW acceleration region and hence a depletion relative to other high FIP elements such as Kr and Ar. The about 12% lower enrichment of Xe in Genesis’ Fast SW regime observed here is, however, in line with the hypothesis that the depletion of Xe in the SW due to the Coulomb drag effect is overcompensated as a result of the relatively short ionisation time of Xe in the ion-neutral separation region in the solar chromosphere. We will also discuss the rather surprising fact that He and Ne in CME targets are quite substantially enriched (by 20% and 10%, respectively) relative to the other solar wind regimes, but that this enrichment is not accompanied by an isotopic fractionation. The Ne isotopic data in CMEs are consistent with a previous hypothesis that isotopic fractionation in the solar wind is mass-dependent

Schwarzenburg «Käppeli». Dorfkapelle. Die Ergebnisse der Bauforschung von 1987

Die Restaurierungen und insbesondere der Einbau einer Bodenheizung in der Kapelle von Schwarzenburg führten 1987 zu archäologischen Untersuchungen, deren Ergebnisse mit dieser Publikation vorliegen. Sie umfasst eine Analyse der Vorgängerbauten, eine umfassende, mit historischen Überlieferungen in Verbindung gebrachte Einführung in die Bauforschung sowie die anthropologischen Ergebnisse eines Kinderskelettes

Lauenen. Reformierte Pfarrkirche. Ergebnisse der Bauforschungen von 1983/84

Restaurierungsarbeiten an der Kirche von Lauenen veranlassten, in verschiedenen Etappen zwischen Sommer 1983 und Januar 1984 archäologische und baugeschichtliche Untersuchungen durchzuführen. Die Publikation umfasst die Ergebnisse zu den Funden und Befunden der Vorgängerkirche aus dem 16. Jh. und deren Veränderungen seit der Reformation. Es fügen sich die Auswertung der Münzen und ihrer Bedeutung für die Datierung sowie die Resultate der anthropologischen Untersuchungen an den Skeletten an

Worb, Pfarrkirche. Die Ergebnisse der Bauforschungen von 1983

Im Vorfeld der Gesamtrestaurierung der Pfarrkirche von Worb konnten in den Jahren 1983/84 die Baugeschichte der Kirche und ihrer Vorgänger erforscht werden. Es fanden sich Rest von insgesamt sieben Anlagen, die bis ins 7./8. Jh. zurückgehen. In der Publikation werden diese Bauten, die zugehörigen Gräber sowie einzelne Elemente der aktuellen Ausstattung (Wand- und Glasmalereien) präsentiert. Eine anthropologische Besonderheit sind die Gräber des 18. Jh. im Chor, die sich teils den auf den bereits bekannten Grabplatten genannten Angehörigen der Worber Herrschaftsfamilie zuweisen liessen. Die Publikation beleuchtet die Baugeschichte der Kirche, die erstmals 1236 schriftlich erwähnt wird, und präsentiert die Resultate der anthropologischen Untersuchungen