The Determination of the `Diffusion Coefficients' and the Stellar Wind Velocities for X-Ray Binaries

The distribution of neutron stars (NS's) is determined by stationary solution of the Fokker-Planck equation. In this work using the observed period changes for four systems: Vela X-1, GX 301-2, Her X-1 and Cen X-3 we determined D, the 'diffusion coefficient',-parameter from the Fokker-Planck equation. Using strong dependence of D on the velocity for Vela X-1 and GX 301-2, systems accreting from a stellar wind, we determined the stellar wind velocity. For different assumptions for a turbulent velocity we obtained $V=(660-1440) km s ^{-1}$. It is in good agreement with the stellar wind velocity determined by other methods. We also determined the specific characteristic time scales for the 'diffusion processes' in X-ray pulsars. It is of order of 200 sec for wind-fed pulsars and 1000-10000 sec for the disk accreting systems.Comment: 8 pages, Latex, no figures, accepted for publication to Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions (1995). Admin note 20Feb2000: original (broken) version now paper.tex.orig in source; fixed version with two bad equations set in verbatim used for PS, paper.tex in sourc

Temporal properties of short and long gamma-ray bursts

A temporal analysis was performed on a sample of 100 bright short GRBs with T90 < 2s from the BATSE Current Catalog along with a similar analysis on 319 long bright GRBs with T90 > 2s from the same catalog. The short GRBs were denoised using a median filter and the long GRBs were denoised using a wavelet method. Both samples were subjected to an automated pulse selection algorithm to objectively determine the effects of neighbouring pulses. The rise times, fall times, FWHM, pulse amplitudes and areas were measured and their frequency distributions are presented. The time intervals between pulses were also measured. The frequency distributions of the pulse properties were found to be similar and consistent with lognormal distributions for both the short and long GRBs. The time intervals between the pulses and the pulse amplitudes of neighbouring pulses were found to be correlated with each other. The same emission mechanism can account for the two sub-classes of GRBs.Comment: 3 pages, 8 figures; Proceedings of "Gamma-Ray Burst and Afterglow Astronomy 2001", Woods Hol

Siderophile Element Profile Measurements in Iron Meteorites Using Laser Ablation ICP-MS

Understanding the behaviour of siderophile elements during cooling of iron meteorites can lead to insight into the general thermal histories of the meteorites as well as their respective parent bodies. Traditionally trace element analyses in meteorites have been done using techniques that only measure the average concentration in each phase. With these methods, all of the spatial information with respect to the distribution of an element within one phase is lost. Measuring concentration profiles of trace elements in meteorites is now possible, with the advent of high-resolution analytical techniques such as laser ablation, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) with spatial resolution <20 microns. [e.g. 1,2] and secondary ion mass spectrometry [3]. These profiles can give more insight into both the partitioning and diffusive behavior of siderophile elements in metal systems relevant to iron meteorites, as well as parent body cooling rates

Riemannian submersions from almost contact metric manifolds

In this paper we obtain the structure equation of a contact-complex Riemannian submersion and give some applications of this equation in the study of almost cosymplectic manifolds with Kaehler fibres.Comment: Abh. Math. Semin. Univ. Hamb., to appea

Subduction Duration and Slab Dip

The dip angles of slabs are among the clearest characteristics of subduction zones, but the factors that control them remain obscure. Here, slab dip angles and subduction parameters, including subduction duration, the nature of the overriding plate, slab age, and convergence rate, are determined for 153 transects along subduction zones for the present day. We present a comprehensive tabulation of subduction duration based on isotopic ages of arc initiation and stratigraphic, structural, plate tectonic and seismic indicators of subduction initiation. We present two ages for subduction zones, a long‐term age and a reinitiation age. Using cross correlation and multivariate regression, we find that (1) subduction duration is the primary parameter controlling slab dips with slabs tending to have shallower dips at subduction zones that have been in existence longer; (2) the long‐term age of subduction duration better explains variation of shallow dip than reinitiation age; (3) overriding plate nature could influence shallow dip angle, where slabs below continents tend to have shallower dips; (4) slab age contributes to slab dip, with younger slabs having steeper shallow dips; and (5) the relations between slab dip and subduction parameters are depth dependent, where the ability of subduction duration and overriding plate nature to explain observed variation decreases with depth. The analysis emphasizes the importance of subduction history and the long‐term regional state of a subduction zone in determining slab dip and is consistent with mechanical models of subduction

Detection of Earth-like Planets Using Apodized Telescopes

The mission of NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) is to find Earth-like planets orbiting other stars and characterize the atmospheres of these planets using spectroscopy. Because of the enormous brightness ratio between the star and the reflected light from the planet, techniques must be found to reduce the brightness of the star. The current favorite approach to doing this is with interferometry: interfering the light from two or more separated telescopes with a $\pi$ phase shift, nulling out the starlight. While this technique can, in principle, achieve the required dynamic range, building a space interferometer that has the necessary characteristics poses immense technical difficulties. In this paper, we suggest a much simpler approach to achieving the required dynamic range. By simply adjusting the transmissive shape of a telescope aperture, the intensity in large regions around the stellar image can be reduced nearly to zero. This approach could lead to construction of a TPF using conventional technologies, requiring space optics on a much smaller scale than the current TPF approach.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, 9 pages, 6 figure

Review of Chain Flail Delimbing-Debarking

Over 200 commercially built chain flail delimber-debarkers are now in operation worldwide. These units, teamed with in woods chippers, are producing chips acceptable for pulping from many species of hardwoods and softwoods. The flails can remove the bark as well as drum debarkers in the case of southern pine species. The chips produced by these portable operations have been shown to be equal in quality to the chips produced at mill and satellite wood yards. It has been estimated that the flail-chipper system will produce up to 2.9% more clean chips than are obtained with conventional longwood harvesting and handling systems. The flails have been used to remove rot, foliage, and charcoal in specialized applications. The rejects from the flail represent a readily recoverable source of energy material, but this debris must be reduced in size to facilitate handling. Developments for reducing the size of the rejects are ongoing, especially using modified agricultural tub grinders. Chains are a major cost in the operation of the flails. Strategies have been developed which can prolong the life of the chains, and tests are ongoing with improved materials in the manufacturing of the chains. The cost of delimbing and debarking with the portable flails has been estimated to be between $(US)0.60and$(US)3.30 per green tonne

Green's function for a Schroedinger operator and some related summation formulas

Summation formulas are obtained for products of associated Lagurre polynomials by means of the Green's function K for the Hamiltonian H = -{d^2\over dx^2} + x^2 + Ax^{-2}, A > 0. K is constructed by an application of a Mercer type theorem that arises in connection with integral equations. The new approach introduced in this paper may be useful for the construction of wider classes of generating function.Comment: 14 page