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At least 451 records · Page 25

Solar flare forecasts based on mm-wavelength measurements

Solar radio temperature contour maps at a wavelength of 3.3 mm are analyzed to develop a method of forecasting solar flares of classes 1N and 1B. Fundamental to the analysis is the demonstration that most of the radio sources associated with the sunspot-plage systems are not spatially resolved by the radio telescope and, hence, only the peak temperature enhancements due to these local radio sources are employed. Evidence is presented indicating that flare-prone plage regions, which belong to recurrent families of flare-productive regions, exhibit a relationship between flare production and radio temperature characteristics considerably unlike that exhibited by virgin plage regions. The results are interpreted by means of graphs which permit the inference of class 1B or 1N flare probabilities based on the peak temperature enhancements measured at 3.3 mm. In particular, the forecast obtained is the probability that a given flare-prone plage region will produce a class 1B or 1N flare (two quoted probabilities) during the period of its disk transit.

White, K. P., III↗

Radio and visible light observations of matter ejected from the sun

An initial set of visible light and radio observations of a coronal transient made with the Coronagraph/Polarimeter experiment on SMM and the radioheliograph at Culgoora, Australia is presented. It is noted that an enormous loop-shaped transient observed on April 7, 1980, exhibited bright material having whiplike, nonradial motions, as well as moving and stationary radio sources. The data make it possible to establish that a moving type IV radio source was located on or very close to the fast-moving loop. The thermal, kinetic, and magnetic energies in the transient are estimated and, for the first time, compared with the radiative energy of the associated flare.

Wagner, W. J.↗

ROSAT observations and correlated X-ray, radio, and optical features in cluster cooling flows

Images from the Rosat high resolution imager (HRI) of the central regions of cluster cooling flows are compared to optical continuum and radio continuum images. The radio sources associated with cooling flows show two distinct morphologies. In most sources, the jets appear to be inflating distinct lobes of radio plasma. These sources show strong Faraday rotation, radio pressures in agreement with the X-ray gas pressure, and a radio X-ray spatial anti-correlation. A few cooling sources are seen to have amorphous radio morphologies, Faraday depolarization, low radio pressure and a possible radio-X-ray spatial correlation. These properties suggest that the radio jets are disrupted and that the radio plasma is mixed with the thermal X-ray plasma. Blue continuum lobes are seen in several cooling flow central galaxies. These could be due to star formation induced by the hydrodynamical effects of the radio source or due to the scattered light from beamed emission from the active galactic nucleus.

Sarazin, C. L.↗

Very-long-baseline radio interferometry - The Mark III system for geodesy, astrometry, and aperture synthesis

Up to 112 megabit/sec from each radio telescope of an interferometric array can be recorded and processed by the Mark III VLBI system. Sample results are given for baseline lengths between three antennas in the U.S. and three in Europe, as well as for the arc lengths between the positions of six extragalactic radio sources. No significant change is detected in any of these quantities. Signals of a given polarization or of pairs of orthogonal polarizations may be recorded in up to 28 contiguous bands, each nearly 2 MHz wide, for mapping the brightness distribution of compact radio sources. The demonstrated ability to record large bandwidths, and to link many large radio telescopes, allows compact sources with flux densities below 1 millijansky to be detected and studied.

Rogers, A. E. E.↗

Measurements of antenna polar diagrams and efficiencies using a phase-switched interferometer

It is desirable to know antenna polar patterns and efficiencies accurately. In the past, calibration measurements have been made using balloons and aircraft and more recently satellites. These techniques are usually very expensive. It is shown that under certain circumstances it is possible to use a simpler and inexpensive technique by connecting together the antenna under test with another antenna to form a phase switched interferometer as first described by Ryle (1952). The technique does require a suitable radio source which gives measurable powers when using small antennas and since dipoles have broad patterns, radio sources with similar right ascensions but different declinations to the primary source can be a problem. These problems can partly be overcome by filtering the interference pattern.

Vincent, R. A.↗

12 and 20 micron imaging of the starburst galaxy NGC 253

The study presents 12- and 20-micron imaging of the starburst galaxy NGC 253 with a spatial resolution of 0.8 arcsec. A positional uncertainty of 1.6 arcsec in these images is estimated on the basis of previous ground-based mid-IR studies to determine the absolute position of the images. It is concluded that the proposed 'nucleus' of NGC 253, i.e., the dominant, bright, flat-spectrum radio source identified by Turner & Ho (1985) (TH 2), is not associated with the mid-IR peak, but rather is located 2.2 arcsec to the northeast. The mid-IR peak, IRS 1, is placed midway between TH 6 and TH 7. Several coincidences with the present 12-micron image are found: IRS 1 falls within 1 arcsec of the 2-micron peak; a second significantly weaker IR source, IRS 2, coincides with TH 2; and the brightest steep-spectrum 6-cm radio source, TH 9, coincides with a 'tongue' of emission extending to the southwest of IRS 1.

Pina, R. K.↗

Multiband observations of Cygnus A: A study of pressure balance in the core of a powerful radio galaxy

Cygnus A is a powerful double radio source associated with a giant elliptical galaxy at the center of a poor cluster of galaxies. The radio source also sits within the core radius of a dense, cooling flow, x ray emitting cluster gas. Optical spectroscopy and narrow band imaging have revealed copious amounts of narrow line emission from the inner 20 kpc of the associated galaxy. Researchers assume H sub o = 75 km sec (-1) Mpc(-1). Discussed here are the pressures in the three components of the Interstellar Medium (ISM) (i.e., the radio, x ray, and line emitting fluids) within a radius of about 15 kpc of the active nucleus of the Cygnus A galaxy.

Carilli, Chris↗

Spacecraft Radio Scintillation and Solar System Exploration

When a wave propagates through a turbulent medium, scattering by the random refractive index inhomogeneities can lead to a wide variety of phenomena that have been the subject of extensive study. The observed scattering effects include amplitude or intensity scintillation, phase scintillation, angular broadening, and spectral broadening, among others. In this paper, I will refer to these scattering effects collectively as scintillation. Although the most familiar example is probably the twinkling of stars (light wave intensity scintillation by turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere), scintillation has been encountered and investigated in such diverse fields as ionospheric physics, oceanography, radio astronomy, and radio and optical communications. Ever since planetary spacecraft began exploring the solar system, scintillation has appeared during the propagation of spacecraft radio signals through planetary atmospheres, planetary ionospheres, and the solar wind. Early studies of these phenomena were motivated by the potential adverse effects on communications and navigation, and on experiments that use the radio link to conduct scientific investigations. Examples of the latter are radio occultation measurements (described below) of planetary atmospheres to deduce temperature profiles, and the search for gravitational waves. However,these concerns soon gave way to the emergence of spacecraft radio scintillation as a new scientific tool for exploring small-scale dynamics in planetary atmospheres and structure in the solar wind, complementing in situ and other remote sensing spacecraft measurements, as well as scintillation measurements using natural (celestial) radio sources. The purpose of this paper is to briefly describe and review the solar system spacecraft radio scintillation observations, to summarize the salient features of wave propagation analyses employed in interpreting them, to underscore the unique remote sensing capabilities and scientific relevance of the scintillation measurements, and to highlight some of the scientific results obtained to date. Special emphasis is placed on comparing the remote sensing features of planetary and terrestrial scintillation measurements, and on contrasting spacecraft and natural radio source scintillation measurements. I will first discuss planetary atmospheres and ionospheres, and then the solar wind.

Woo, Richard↗

Neptune high-latitude emission: Dependence of angle on frequency

Smooth broadband radio emission reached a maximum and then cut off as Voyager approached the north magnetic pole of Neptune. The time of each event depends on frequency, yielding information on radio source location, and emission angle. In a preliminary analysis L-shell and magnetic longitude define radio-source locations in a dipole field. The emission angle at each frequency is identified with the angle between the magnetic-field direction at the source and the line of sight to Voyager 2 at the time of emission maximum. At each value of L in the range 6 less than L less than 9, there is one source longitude for which emission angle varies smoothly from greater or equal to 90 deg at 40 kHz to as low as 20 deg at 462 kHz. A more complex magnetic-field model can give a qualitatively different result.

Sawyer, Constance↗

The radio emission of Seyfert galaxies

This paper reviews developments over the last decade in our understanding of the radio emission of Seyfert galaxies. After summarizing the characteristics and selection criteria of radio surveys. Properties of the integrated radio emission - radio luminosity functions, correlations of radio power with other properties, and spectra, are described. Radio structures are then discussed with emphasis on the different kinds of morphologies seen. Linear radio sources are morphologically and kinematically closely associated with the narrow line regions, and models attempting to account for this association are described. Diffuse radio sources are fuelled by circumnuclear star formation. The review concludes with some remarks on the implications of radio properties for unified models of type 1 and type 2 Seyferts.

Wilson, Andrew S.↗

A 1.49 GHz atlas of the IRAS Bright Galaxy Sample

The VLA has been used in its A-, B-, C-, and D-configurations to make 1.49 GHz maps of sources in both the original and revised IRAS Bright Galaxy Samples of strong extragalactic sources selected at a wavelength of 60 microns. Integrated 1.49 GHz flux densities were obtained from the lowest resolution maps, and maps were made with higher resolution so that nearly all of the radio sources have been at least partially resolved. Only NGC 1377 was not detected at 1.49 GHz. An atlas of contour maps, a table of total flux densities plus other radio source parameters, and references to published radio maps are given. Since the infrared and radio continuum brightness distributions of IR-selected galaxies are usually similar, these high-resolution radio maps can be used as substitutes for the unavailable IR maps to indicate the sizes and precise locations of the IR-emitting regions.

Condon, J. J.↗

An unusually strong radio outburst in Algol - VLBI observations

For 8 hours during a strong radio flare on Jan. 15, 16, 1975, the close binary system Beta Persei (Algol) was observed with a three-station VLBI array operating at 7850 MHz. The size of the radio source was estimated to have been about 1.7 milliarcsec (0.05 AU), based on a model of a uniformly bright disk. The corresponding brightness temperature was nearly 10 billion K, indicating that the emission was probably nonthermal. There was no evidence for expansion of the source; the upper limit on the rate of any expansion was 100 km/s. The position of the Algol radio source with respect to an extragalactic reference frame was also determined from these observations with an uncertainty of about 0.1 arcsec in each coordinate.

Clark, T. A.↗

TRISCAN Antenna-Positioning Algorithm

TRISCAN scanning algorithm improves alinement between boresight of radar antenna and target. Algorithm originally developed for digitally pointed antennas in deep-space network; however, is possibly used in locating radio sources on Earth. TRISCAN estimates coordinate errors in hour angle and declination between predicted and true locations of radio source.

Bunce, R. C.↗

3-D multilateration for measurement of earth crustal deformation and network densification

Discussion of how range and range-difference data types can make possible precise three-dimensional measurement of ground station positions and the position of an artificial signal source, without explicit dependence upon the signal source trajectory. An effective strategy for such measurement is to combine the multilateration approach with a VLBI system using natural radio sources. The VLBI methods would provide a coarse grid of three-dimensional benchmark locations on a regional and global scale. Multilateration stations would then occupy these coarse grid locations and provide a means for highly portable, relatively low-cost units to then densify networks on a regional and local scale. Because a multilateration approach can make use of strong artificial radio sources, it makes possible the use of relatively low-cost, highly mobile stations. Such mobile stations are virtually essential for three dimensional surveying in heavily urbanized areas or in rugged terrain.

Ong, K. M.↗

X-ray emission from poor clusters of galaxies

The X-ray, optical, and radio properties of a sample of 25 poor clusters of galaxies were investigated on the basis of published observations. The X-ray emission from poor clusters was classified into morphological types depending on whether they contain a dominant galaxy or not, as was done by Jones and Forman (1984) for rich clusters. It was found that 13 of the clusters could be classified as D-type clusters, where the peak coincides with a dominant galaxy. For the five T-type clusters in this group, it was found that radio sources are detected almost three times as often as in D-type clusters, indicating that the production of radio sources in poor clusters may be dependent on the shape of the cluster potential well. The optical properties of seven clusters that were not detected at X-ray wavelengths are indistinguishable from those of the X-ray detected clusters, indicating that all poor clusters have a hot intracluster medium.

Price, Rob↗

Inverse Compton X-Ray Halos Around High-z Radio Galaxies: A Feedback Mechanism Powered by Far-Infrared Starbursts or the Cosmic Microwave Background?

We report the detection of extended X-ray emission around two powerful radio galaxies at z approx. 3.6 (4C 03.24 and 4C 19.71) and use these to investigate the origin of extended, inverse Compton (IC) powered X-ray halos at high redshifts. The halos have X-ray luminosities of L(sub X) approx. 3 x 10(exp 44) erg/s and sizes of approx.60 kpc. Their morphologies are broadly similar to the approx.60 kpc long radio lobes around these galaxies suggesting they are formed from IC scattering by relativistic electrons in the radio lobes, of either cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons or far-infrared photons from the dust-obscured starbursts in these galaxies. These observations double the number of z > 3 radio galaxies with X-ray-detected IC halos. We compare the IC X-ray-to-radio luminosity ratios for the two new detections to the two previously detected z approx. 3.8 radio galaxies. Given the similar redshifts, we would expect comparable X-ray IC luminosities if millimeter photons from the CMB are the dominant seed field for the IC emission (assuming all four galaxies have similar ages and jet powers). Instead we see that the two z approx. 3.6 radio galaxies, which are 4 fainter in the far-infrared than those at z 3.8, also have approx.4x fainter X-ray IC emission. Including data for a further six z > or approx. 2 radio sources with detected IC X-ray halos from the literature, we suggest that in the more compact, majority of radio sources, those with lobe sizes < or approx.100-200 kpc, the bulk of the IC emission may be driven by scattering of locally produced far-infrared photons from luminous, dust-obscured starbursts within these galaxies, rather than millimeter photons from the CMB. The resulting X-ray emission appears sufficient to ionize the gas on approx.100-200 kpc scales around these systems and thus helps form the extended, kinematically quiescent Ly(alpha) emission line halos found around some of these systems. The starburst and active galactic nucleus activity in these galaxies are thus combining to produce an even more effective and widespread "feedback" process, acting on the long-term gas reservoir for the galaxy, than either individually could achieve. If episodic radio activity and co-eval starbursts are common in massive, high-redshift galaxies, then this IC-feedback mechanism may play a role in affecting the star formation histories of the most massive galaxies at the present day.

Small, Ian↗