The WEBT BL Lacertae Campaign 2001 and its extension : Optical light curves and colour analysis 1994–2002

BL Lacertae has been the target of four observing campaigns by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) collaboration. In this paper we present UBVRI light curves obtained by theWEBT from 1994 to 2002, including the last, extended BL Lac 2001 campaign. A total of about 7500 optical observations performed by 31 telescopes from Japan to Mexico have been collected, to be added to the ∼15 600 observations of the BL Lac Campaign 2000. All these data allow one to follow the source optical emission behaviour with unprecedented detail. The analysis of the colour indices reveals that the flux variability can be interpreted in terms of two components: longer-term variations occurring on a fewday time scale appear as mildly-chromatic events, while a strong bluer-when-brighter chromatism characterizes very fast (intraday) flares. By decoupling the two components, we quantify the degree of chromatism inferring that longer-term flux changes imply moving along a ∼0.1 bluerwhen- brighter slope in the B − R versus R plane; a steeper slope of ∼0.4 would distinguish the shorter-term variations. This means that, when considering the long-term trend, the B-band flux level is related to the R-band one according to a power law of index ∼1.1. Doppler factor variations on a “convex” spectrum could be the mechanism accounting for both the long-term variations and their slight chromatism.Reig Torres, Pablo, [email protected]

Ocean acoustic models for low frequency propagation in 2D and 3D environments

In this paper we are mainly concerned with the development of efficient computer models capable of accurately predicting the propagation of low-to-middle frequency sound in the sea, in axially symmetric (2D) and in fully 3D environments. The major physical features of the problem, i.e. a variable bottom topography, elastic properties of the subbottom structure, volume attenuation and other range inhomogeneities are efficiently treated. The computer models presented are based on normal mode solutions of the Helmholtz equation on the one hand, and on various types of numerical schemes for parabolic approximations of the Helmholtz equation on the other. A new coupled mode code is introduced to model sound propagation in range-dependent ocean environments with variable bottom topography, where the effects of an elastic bottom, of volume attenuation, surface and bottom roughness are taken into account. New computer models based on finite difference and finite element techniques for the numerical solution of parabolic approximations are also presented. They include an efficient modeling of the bottom influence via impedance boundary conditions, they cover wide angle propagation, elastic bottom effects, variable bottom topography and reverberation effects. All the models are validated on several benchmark problems and versus experimental data. Results thus obtained were compared with analogous results from standard codes in the literature

Valores genéticos de linhas puras de soja preditos com o uso do método de Papadakis

O método de Papadakis na estimação dos valores genéticos, em programas de melhoramento de soja, ainda é pouco usado. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as alterações do erro experimental e das estimativas dos valores genéticos causadas pelo método de Papadakis na análise estatística de experimentos de avaliação de linhas puras de soja. Foram usados os dados de produtividade de grãos de soja referentes a 216 ensaios de avaliação de linhas puras em diferentes estágios de melhoramento e de diferentes ciclos. Foi adotado o delineamento em blocos completos ao acaso e as unidades experimentais foram compostas por quatro fileiras de 6 m de comprimento, espaçadas a 0,4 m. Em cada ensaio foram obtidas as estimativas da média geral, das variâncias ambiental, genética e fenotípica média, dos coeficientes de variação, dos erros experimental e genético, do coeficiente de herdabilidade e da acurácia seletiva. As mesmas estimativas foram obtidas com o uso do método de Papadakis. As estimativas do coeficiente de variação genético, do coeficiente de herdabilidade média e da acurácia seletiva são mais elevadas com o uso do método de Papadakis, tanto em ensaios de cultivares de soja de ciclo precoce, médio e tardio, como nas misturas de ciclos. O método de Papadakis é recomendado nos programas de melhoramento de soja, pois permite estimativa de maior ganho na seleção entre linhagens avançadas

Coordinated Multiwavelength Observations of BL Lacertae in 2000

BL Lacertae (BL Lac) was the target of an extensive multiwavelength monitoring campaign in the second half of 2000. Simultaneous or quasi-simultaneous observations were taken at radio (University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory and Metsähovi Radio Telescope) and optical (Whole Earth Blazar Telescope [WEBT] collaboration) frequencies, in X-rays (BeppoSAX and RXTE), and at very high energy gamma rays (HEGRA). The WEBT optical campaign achieved an unprecedented time coverage, virtually continuous over several 10–20 hr segments. It revealed intraday variability on timescales of ∼1.5 hr and evidence for spectral hardening associated with increasing optical flux. During the campaign, BL Lac underwent a major transition from a rather quiescent state prior to 2000 September, to a flaring state for the rest of the year. This was also evident in the X-ray activity of the source. BeppoSAX observations on July 26–27 revealed a rather low X-ray flux and a hard spectrum, while a BeppoSAX pointing on 2000 October 31–November 2 indicated significant variability on timescales of ≲a few hours and provided evidence for the synchrotron spectrum extending out to ∼10 keV during that time. During the July 26–27 observation, there is a tantalizing, although not statistically significant, indication of a time delay of ∼4–5 hr between the BeppoSAX and the R-band light curves. Also, a low-significance detection of a time delay of 15 days between the 14.5 and 22 GHz radio light curves is reported. Several independent methods to estimate the comoving magnetic field in the source are presented, suggesting a value of ∼2e G, where eB is the magnetic field equipartition factor with respect to the electron energy density in the jet