Quick Ultra-VIolet Kilonova surveyor (QUVIK)

We present a near-UV space telescope on a ~70kg micro-satellite with a moderately fast repointing capability and a near real-time alert communication system that has been proposed in response to a call for an ambitious Czech national mission. The mission, which has recently been approved for Phase 0, A, and B1 study shall measure the brightness evolution of kilonovae, resulting from mergers of neutron stars in the near-UV band and thus it shall distinguish between different explosion scenarios. Between the observations of transient sources, the satellite shall perform observations of other targets of interest, a large part of which will be chosen in open competition.Comment: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentatio

Science with a small two-band UV-photometry mission II: Observations of stars and stellar systems

We outline the impact of a small two-band UV-photometry satellite mission on the field of stellar physics, magnetospheres of stars, binaries, stellar clusters, interstellar matter, and exoplanets. On specific examples of different types of stars and stellar systems, we discuss particular requirements for such satellite missions in terms of specific mission parameters such as bandpass, precision, cadence, and mission duration. We show that such a mission may provide crucial data not only for hot stars that emit most of their light in UV, but also for cool stars, where UV traces their activity. This is important, for instance, for exoplanetary studies, because the level of stellar activity influences habitability. While the main asset of the two-band UV mission rests in time-domain astronomy, an example of open clusters proves that such a mission would be important also for the study of stellar populations. Properties of the interstellar dust are best explored when combining optical and IR information with observations in UV. It is well known that dust absorbs UV radiation efficiently. Consequently, we outline how such a UV mission can be used to detect eclipses of sufficiently hot stars by various dusty objects and study disks, rings, clouds, disintegrating exoplanets or exoasteroids. Furthermore, UV radiation can be used to study the cooling of neutron stars providing information about the extreme states of matter in the interiors of neutron stars and used for mapping heated spots on their surfaces.Comment: Submitted to Space Science Review

Political risk and foreign direct investment: How do they get along in various European countries? Political risk and foreign direct investment: How do they get along in various European countries?

Abstract This paper examines theoretically and empirically the extent to which the decision by foreign firms to invest in a group of countries is influenced by economic in contrast to risk factors, specifically, political risk and institutional performance. We consider their importance as drivers of foreign direct investment (FDI) for 32 European countries (subsequently divided into three pooled clusters) by means of panel regression techniques in two specifications over the 1995-2008 period. Our results suggest that risk and institutional factors considered in both static and dynamic perspectives significantly influence the behaviour of investors. Policies and institutions that vary widely between countries modify the decision-making of investors to such an extent that the coefficients related to purely economic factors have different statistical significance and impacts on the intensity of FDI, as was revealed by clustering countries into three groups at different levels of their economic maturity. Additionally, not all definitions of risk can be negatively associated, if associated at all, with FDI decisions in particular groups of countries. We do, however, find that monetary discipline, low regulation, effective government and good education as measures of political risk prove to be highly significant and positive variables for all country groupings, all of which reduce political risk and positively affect the level of FDI

Temperature dependent growth rates of the upper-hybrid waves and solar radio zebra patterns

Context. The zebra patterns observed in solar radio emission are very important for flare plasma diagnostics. The most promising model of these patterns is based on double plasma resonance instability, which generates upper-hybrid waves, which can be then transformed into the zebra emission. Aims. We aim to study in detail the double plasma resonance instability of hot electrons, together with a much denser thermal background plasma. In particular, we analyse how the growth rate of the instability depends on the temperature of both the hot plasma and background plasma components. Methods. We numerically integrated the analysed model equations, using Python and Wolfram Mathematica. Results. We found that the growth-rate maxima of the upper-hybrid waves for non-zero temperatures of both the hot and background plasma are shifted towards lower frequencies comparing to the zero temperature case. This shift increases with an increase of the harmonic number s of the electron cyclotron frequency and temperatures of both hot and background plasma components. We show how this shift changes values of the magnetic field strength estimated from observed zebras. We confirmed that for a relatively low hot electron temperature, the dependence of growth rate vs. both the ratio of the electron plasma and electron cyclotron frequencies expresse distinct peaks, and by increasing this temperature these peaks become smoothed. We found that in some cases, the values of wave number vector components for the upper-hybrid wave for the maximal growth rate strongly deviate from their analytical estimations. We confirmed the validity of the assumptions used when deriving model equations

Science with a small two-band UV-photometry mission I: Mission description and follow-up observations of stellar transients

This is the first in a collection of three papers introducing the science with an ultra-violet (UV) space telescope on an approximately 100 kg small satellite with a moderately fast re-pointing capability and a real-time alert communication system that is being studied for a Czech national space mission. The mission, called Quick Ultra-Violet Kilonova surveyor - QUVIK, will provide key follow-up capabilities to increase the discovery potential of gravitational wave observatories and future wide-field multi-wavelength surveys. The primary objective of the mission is the measurement of the UV brightness evolution of kilonovae, resulting from mergers of neutron stars, to distinguish between different explosion scenarios. The mission, which is designed to be complementary to the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite - ULTRASAT, will also provide unique follow-up capabilities for other transients both in the near- and far-UV bands. Between the observations of transients, the satellite will target other objects described in this collection of papers, which demonstrates that a small and relatively affordable dedicated UV-space telescope can be transformative for many fields of astrophysics

Science with a small two-band UV-photometry mission I: Mission description and follow-up observations of stellar transients

This is the first in a collection of three papers introducing the science with an ultra-violet (UV) space telescope on an approximately 100 kg small satellite with a moderately fast re-pointing capability and a real-time alert communication system that is being studied for a Czech national space mission. The mission, called Quick Ultra-Violet Kilonova surveyor - QUVIK, will provide key follow-up capabilities to increase the discovery potential of gravitational wave observatories and future wide-field multi-wavelength surveys. The primary objective of the mission is the measurement of the UV brightness evolution of kilonovae, resulting from mergers of neutron stars, to distinguish between different explosion scenarios. The mission, which is designed to be complementary to the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite - ULTRASAT, will also provide unique follow-up capabilities for other transients both in the near- and far-UV bands. Between the observations of transients, the satellite will target other objects described in this collection of papers, which demonstrates that a small and relatively affordable dedicated UV-space telescope can be transformative for many fields of astrophysics.Comment: Submitted to Space Science Review