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A model is discussed for determining gamma ray absorption from NP0532 by estimating the effect of beaming as indicated by the pulsations. The main absorption process is considered to be that of pair production in the intense photon field which occurs during the pulse. The results indicate that for this model, absorption does not occur below 10 GeV.
The variation in solar heating due to the resonance rotation of Mercury produces periodic elastic deformations on the surface of the planet. The thermal stress and strain fields under Mercury's surface are calculated after certain simplifications. It is shown that deformations penetrate to a greater depth than the variation of solar heating, and that the thermal strain on the surface of the planet pulsates with an amplitude of 0.004 and a period of 176 days.
Data from a balloon flight experiment using an Na I scintillation spectrometer were analyzed for gamma ray pulsation. The payload was carried to a nominal atmospheric depth of 3.5 g/cm2. A superposed epoch analysis was performed on a 12,000 second portion of the data spanning a total time interval of 16,700 seconds at float altitude. A positive pulsed contribution was observed at the expected apparent frequency of NP 0532 having the typical double pulse structure. The results indicate a time-averaged pulse photon flux of 0.00144 + or - 0.00057 photons/sq cm/sec in the energy interval from 250 keV to 2.3 MeV. This represents a time-averaged pulsed power of 0.000649 + or - 0.000257 keV/sq cm/sec/keV. The ratio of interpulse to main pulse was found to be 2.4 + or - 1.9. The analysis indicates a positive photon flux from 250 keV to 725 keV of 0.00120 + or - 0.00052 photons/sq cm/sec.
The C III 1909 A emission line in gamma 2 Velorum was observed over a period of 24 hours in an attempt to find short period time variability. Analysis of this data found no periods in the range of 0.5 to 200 minutes, and placed an upper limit of 3% on the amplitude of the stellar pulsations. Improved spectral resolution data for this line was obtained by offsetting the OAO-2 pointing in steps of 15 seconds of arc. The line profile derived by combining this offset data with the slit function shows a definite asymmetry. Although the improved resolution gives results which are barely sufficient for comparison with the prediction from model envelopes, some information concerning the abundance of carbon and the physical conditions of the envelope can be gained.
The class of early B variable stars known as beta Cephei stars are characterized by short-period radial velocity and light variations. The coolest stars of this group have an effective temperature of about 20,000 K and the hottest, about 28,000 K. These stars are not related to the classical Cepheids whose temperatures are of the order of 6000 K. The amplitude of the radial velocity variation beta Cephei stars is in the tens of kilometers per second and the light variation is less than 0.2 mag, that is, less than 10 percent. The fastest pulsation interval is 3 hr and the slowest is 6 hr. The prototype beta Cephei has a period of 4 hr 34 min. Ultraviolet observations were taken using OAO 2 to investigate the relationship between the visual and the ultraviolet variations.
Liquid-base foams are highly effective sound absorbers. A better understanding of the mechanisms of sound absorption in foams was sought by exploration of a mathematical model of bubble pulsation and coupling and the development of a distributed-parameter mechanical analog. A solution by electric-circuit analogy was thus obtained and transmission-line theory was used to relate the physical properties of the foams to the characteristic impedance and propagation constants of the analog transmission line. Comparison of measured physical properties of the foam with values obtained from measured acoustic impedance and propagation constants and the transmission-line theory showed good agreement. We may therefore conclude that the sound propagation and absorption mechanisms in foam are accurately described by the resonant response of individual bubbles coupled to neighboring bubbles.
Correlation of several magnetoionospheric wave and particle phenomena previously linked observationally to magnetospheric substorms and inferred to involve convection electric fields with whistler measurements of convection activity during two relatively isolated substorms. The events occurred at about 0600 UT on July 15, 1965, and about 0500 UT on Oct. 13, 1965. The correlated phenomena include cross-L inward plasma drifts near midnight within the plasmaphere, diffuse auroral radar echoes observed near the dusk meridian, IPDP micropulsations (intervals of pulsations of diminishing period) in the premidnight sector, apparent contractions and expansions of the plasma sheet at about 20 earth radii in the magnetotail, and Pc 1/Pi 1 micropulsation events near or before midnight. Two new vlf phenomena occurred during the October 13 event - a noise band within the plasmasphere associated with a convecting whistler path, and ?hisslers,' falling-tone auroral-hiss forms repeated at intervals of about 2 sec.
The model involves an assessment of the effect of beaming as indicated by the pulsations themselves rather than by assuming gamma-ray absorption by interaction with an isotropic photon field. The chief absorption process to be taken into account is that of pair production in the intense photon field. Most important is the pair production in the intense photon field which occurs during the pulse.
Experimental investigations of combustion in rotating (swirling) flow have shown that the mixing and combustion processes were accelerated, flame length and noise levels significantly decreased, and flame stability increased relative to that obtained without rotation. Unsteady burning accompanied by a pulsating flame, violent fluctuating jet, and intense noise present in straight flow burning were not present in rotating flow burning. Correlations between theory and experiment show good agreement. Such effects due to rotating flows could lead to suppressing jet noise, improving combustion, reducing pollution, and decreasing aircraft engine size. Quantitative analysis of the aero-acoustic relationship and noise source characteristics are needed.-
The earth's collisionless plasma bow shock has, overall, a nonuniform structure whose magnetic profile is simultaneously that of a monotonic or laminar perpendicular shock and of a multigradient oblique shock, depending on the local orientation of the interplanetary field to the nominal shock surface. A 'pulsation index' Ip has been devised from empirical results to provide a simple convenient means of assessing the probable local character of the shock's structure; Ip = 0 or 1, according to whether local field geometry favors perpendicular or oblique structure, respectively, at a chosen point of observation on the nominal shock surface.
Information about the physical parameters of neutron stars is obtained from pulsar observations. The energy balance of the Crab nebula and the Vela X remnant allows derivation of limits for the masses of the Crab and Vela pulsars. Glitch observations provide further clues on the masses of these two pulsars. The degree of confidence in the derived numbers is pointed out. The possibility of observing neutron stars in binary systems as pulsating X-ray sources is discussed. The importance of observing redshifted gamma ray lines from the surface of neutron stars, and thus directly measuring either individual or statistical properties of these objects is pointed out.
Observations were made at meter wave-lengths using very long base-line interferometry techniques. At 196.5 MHz no resolution of the pulsar are observed; all the pulse shapes observed with the interferometers are similar to single dish profiles, and all the power pulsates. At 111.5 MHz besides the pulsing power there is always a steady component, presumably due to interstellar scattering. The pulsar is slightly resolved at 111.5 MHz with an apparent angular diameter of 0.07 sec ? 0.01 sec. A 50 percent linear polarization of the time-averaged power is noted at 196.5 MHz; at 111.5 MHz, 20 percent of the total time-averaged power is polarized, 35 percent of the pulsing power is polarized, and the steady component is unpolarized.
The Greenstadt-type criterion for distinguishing between laminar and pulsating (i.e., irregular) bow shock crossings can be expressed as a critical angle between the shock normal and the magnetic field. When the field is more tangent to the shock plane than this critical angle, the shock is laminar. More importantly, the requirement of Galilean invariance of the physics underlying such a criterion reveals that the Greenstadt p index must vary inversely as the solar wind velcoity.
The PPN formalism which encompasses the post-Newtonian limit of nearly every metric theory of gravity is used to analyze stellar stability. This analysis enables one to infer, for any given gravitation theory, the extent to which post-Newtonian effects induce instabilities in white dwarfs, in neutron stars, and in supermassive stars. It also reveals the extent to which our current empirical knowledge of post-Newtonian gravity (based on solar-system experiments) actually guarantees that relativistic instabilities exist. In particular, it shows that: (1) for conservative theories of gravity, current solar-system experiments guarantee that the critical adiabatic index, for the stability of stars against radial pulsations exceeds the Newtonian value of 4/3 and (2) for nonconservative theories, current experiments do not permit any firm conclusion about the sign of the critical adiabatic index, and (3) in the PPN approximation to every metric theory, the standard Schwarzschild criterion for convection is valid.
The variation in solar heating due to the resonance rotation of Mercury produces periodic elastic deformations on the surface of the planet. The thermal stress and strain fields under Mercury's surface are calculated after certain simplifications. It is found that deformations penetrate to a greater depth than the variation of solar heating, and that the thermal strain on the surface of the planet pulsates with an amplitude of .004 and a period of 176 days.
The X-ray source Her X-1, identified as a pulsating, eclipsing X-ray source, was observed by the UCSD X-ray telescope on the OSO-7 satellite. A three-point spectrum for Her X-1 was determined on the basis of data obtained when the source was in its high-intensity state. Errors in the UCSD result due to uncertainties in the gain and in converting counts per second to photon flux are about 20%.
The X-ray source in the Small Magellanic Cloud SMC X-1 was observed by Uhuru on numerous occasions from December 1970 through April 1972. As previously reported by Leong et al. (1971), the source was seen to be variable. It was found that SMC X-1 occults with a period of 3.8927 days. The energy spectrum is cut off at low energies and flat. There is no large-amplitude periodic pulsation. The luminosity observed makes the binary source SMC X-1 comparable in strength to both the stronger galactic sources and the discrete sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Aspects of normal stellar evolution are discussed together with evolution near the main sequence, stellar evolution from main sequence to white dwarf or carbon ignition, the structure of massive main-sequence stars, and problems of stellar stability and stellar pulsation. Other subjects considered include variable stars, white dwarfs, close binaries, novae, early supernova luminosity, neutron stars, the photometry of field horizontal-branch stars, and stellar opacity. Transport mechanisms in stars are examined together with thermonuclear reactions and nucleosynthesis, the instability problem in nuclear burning shells, stellar coalescence, and intense magnetic fields in astrophysics. Individual items are announced in this issue.