Sodium Abundances in Very Metal-poor Stars

Chemical composition of very metal-poor(VMP)stars can provide observational constraints on current models of nucleosynthesis and the chemical evolution of the Galaxy.It has been found that the scatter of[Na/Fe]versus[Fe/H]in VMP stars is very large in contrast with most other elements.Moreover,a negative slope in[Na/Fe]versus[Fe/H]was found for giants,which is very unlikely according to the theory of nucleosynthesis.For the sample of93 VMP stars in the metallicity range-4.25<[Fe/H]<-1.64 we obtained NLTE sodium abundances using the line profile fitting method by employing accurate atmospheric parameters determined when taking into account NLTE line formation for both FeⅠand FeⅡ.Originally selected from the LAMOST low-resolution spectral database,the spectra of stars were obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph of the Subaru Telescope.For 57turn-off stars in metallicity domain-3.04<[Fe/H]<-1.64,we obtained mean[Na/Fe]=-0.29±0.14 and positive slope 0.09±0.06.For 21 giants distributed over metallicity-3.59<[Fe/H]<-2.19,we found mean[Na/Fe]=-0.35±0.1 and positive slope 0.07±0.07.Our[Na/Fe]trend is lower by~0.2 dex,compared to the modern GCE model.We believe the GCE model should be adjusted,by considering the associated scatter.Twelve stars in our sample are found to be outliers,with too low or too high Na abundances.

Research Advances and Exploration Significance of Large-area Accumulation of Low and Medium Abundance Lithologic Reservoirs

In recent years, a series of large low and medium abundance oil and gas fields are discovered through exploration activities onshore China, which are commonly characterized by low porosity-permeability reservoirs, low oil/gas column height, multiple thin hydrocarbon layers, and distribution in overlapping and connection, and so on. The advantageous conditions for large-area accumulation of low-medium abundance hydrocarbon reservoirs include： （1） large （fan） delta sandbodies are developed in the hinterland of large flow-uncontrolled lake basins and they are alternated with source rocks extensively in a structure like ＂sandwiches＂; （2） effective hydrocarbon source kitchens are extensively distributed, offering maximum contact chances with various sandbodies and hydrocarbon source rocks; （3） oil and gas columns are low in height, hydrocarbon layers are mainly of normal-low pressure, and requirements for seal rock are low; （4） reservoirs have strong inheterogeneity and gas reservoirs are badly connected; （5） the hydrocarbon desorption and expulsion under uplifting and unloading environments cause widely distributed hydrocarbon source rocks of coal measures to form large-area reservoirs; （6） deep basin areas and synclinal areas possess reservoir-forming dynamics. The areas with great exploration potential include the Paleozoic and Mesozoic in the Ordos Basin, the Xujiahe Formation in Dachuanzhong in the Sichuan basin, deep basin areas in the Songliao basin etc. The core techniques of improving exploration efficiency consist of the sweetspot prediction technique that focuses on fine characterization of reservoirs, the hydrocarbon layer protecting and high-speed drilling technique, and the rework technique for enhancing productivity.

Abundances of 23 field RR Lyrae stars

We present stellar parameters and abundances of 15 elements （Na, Mg, A1, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Y and Ba） for 23 field RR Lyrae variables based on high-resolution （R ~ 60 000） and high signal-to-noise （S/N~ 200） spectra obtained using the High Dispersion Spectrograph on the Subaru Telescope. Six stars in the sample have more than one spectrum observed at different pulsation phases. The derived abundance ratios of [X/Fe] for 14 elements （except for Ba） do not vary during the pulsation cycle. An interesting curve of [Ba/Fe] versus phase is detected for the first time and it shows decreasing [Ba/Fe] with increasing temperature at a given metallicity. Combining with data in the literature, abundances of most RR Lyrae stars as a function of [Fe/H] follow the same trends as those of dwarf stars, but [Sc/Fe] and [Y/Fe] ratios of RR Lyrae stars at solar metallicity are lower than those of dwarf stars. The kinematics of RR Lyrae stars indicate that three comparatively metal-rich RR Lyrae stars might originate from the thick disk and they show higher [a/Fe] ratios than RR Lyrae stars with thin disk kinematics. Among 23 RR Lyrae stars, two special objects are found with abnormal abundances; TV Lib has high [a/Fe], [Sc/Fe], [Y/Fe] and [Ba/Fe] ratios while TW Her has solar [a/Fe] but significantly lower [Sc/Fe], [Y/Fe] and [Ba/Fe] ratios as compared with other RR Lyrae stars.

A PCA approach to stellar abundances I. testing of the method validity

The derivation of element abundances of stars is a key step in detailed spectroscopic analysis. A spectroscopic method may suffer from errors associated with model simplifications. We have developed a new method of deriving the various element abundances of stars based on the calibration established from a group of standard stars. We perform principal component analysis (PCA) on a homogeneous library of stellar spectra, and then use machine learning to calibrate the relationship between principal components and element abundances. By testing with spectral libraries S4N and MILES, we find that our procedure provides good consistency when spectra from a homogeneous set of observations are used, and it could be expanded to stars with quite a wide range of stellar parameters, with both dwarfs and giants. Moreover, we discuss the four key factors that have a significant impact on the results of derived element abundances, including the resolution of the spectra, wavelength range, the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of spectra and the number of principal components adopted.

A Statistical Model for Predicting the Average Abundance Patterns of Heavier Elements in Metal-Poor Stars

We have collected nearly all the available observed data of the elements from Ba to Dy in halo and disk stars in the metallicity range -4.0 <[Fe/H]< 0.5. Based on the observed data of Ba and Eu, we evaluated the least-squares regressions of [Ba/Fe] on [Fe/H], and [Eu/H] on [Ba/H]. Assuming that the heavy elements (heavier than Ba) are produced by a combination of the main components of s- and r-processes in metal-poor stars, and choosing Ba and Eu as respective representative elements of the main s- and the main r-processes, a statistical model for predicting the Galactic chemical evolution of the heavy elements is presented. With this model, we calculate the mean abundance trends of the heavy elements La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Dy with the metallicity. We compare our results with the observed data at various metallicities, showing that the predicted trends are in good agreement with the observed trends, at least for the metallicity range [Fe/H]≥ -2.5. Finally, we discuss our results and deduce some important information about the Galactic chemical evolution.

On the Identification of N-rich Metal-poor Field Stars with Future Chinese Space Station Telescope

During the long term evolution of globular clusters(GCs), some member stars are lost to the field. The recently found nitrogen-rich(N-rich) metal-poor field stars are promising candidates of these GC escapees, since N enhancement is the fingerprint of chemically enhanced populations in GCs. In this work, we discuss the possibility of identifying N-rich metal-poor field stars with the upcoming Chinese Space Station Telescope(CSST). We focus on the main survey camera with NUV, u, g, r, i, z, y filters and slitless spectrograph with a resolution about 200.The combination of UV sensitive equipment and prominent N-related molecular lines in the UV band bodes well for the identification: the color–color diagram of(u-g) versus(g-r) is capable of separating N-rich field stars from normal halo stars, if metallicity can be estimated without using the information on u-band photometry.Besides, the synthetic spectra show that a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 is sufficient to identify N-rich field stars. In the near future, a large sample of N-rich field stars found by CSST, combined with state-of-the-art N-body simulations will be crucial to deciphering GC-Galaxy co-evolution.

Study of Complex Nitrogen and Oxygen-bearing Molecules toward the High-mass Protostar IRAS 18089–1732

The observation of oxygen(O)-and nitrogen(N)-bearing molecules gives an idea about the complex prebiotic chemistry in the interstellar medium.Recent millimeter and submillimeter wavelength observations have shown the presence of complex O-and N-bearing molecules in the star formation regions.So,the investigation of those molecules is crucial to understanding the chemical complexity in the star-forming regions.In this article,we present the identification of the rotational emission lines of N-bearing molecules ethyl cyanide(C_(2)H_(5)CN)and cyanoacetylene(HC_(3)N),and O-bearing molecule methyl formate(CH_(3)OCHO)toward high-mass protostar IRAS18089–1732 using the Atacama Compact Array.We also detected the emission lines of both the N-and O-bearing molecule formamide(NH_(2)CHO)in the envelope of IRAS 18089–1732.We have detected the v=0 and 1 state rotational emission lines of CH_(3)OCHO.We also detected the two vibrationally excited states of HC_(3)N(v7=1 and v7=2).The estimated fractional abundances of C_(2)H_(5)CN,HC_(3)N(v7=1),HC_(3)N(v7=2),and NH_(2)CHO toward IRAS 18089–1732 are(1.40±0.5)×10^(-10),(7.5±0.7)×10^(-11),(3.1±0.4)×10^(-11),and(6.25±0.82)×10^(-11)respectively.Similarly,the estimated fractional abundances of CH_(3)OCHO(v=0)and CH_(3)OCHO(v=1)are(1.90±0.9)×10^(-9)and(8.90±0.8)×10^(-10),respectively.We also created the integrated emission maps of the detected molecules,and the observed molecules may have originated from the extended envelope of the protostar.We show that C_(2)H_(5)CNand HC_(3)N are most probably formed via the subsequential hydrogenation of the CH_(2)CHCNand the reaction between C_(2)H_(2)and CN on the grain surface of IRAS 18089–1732.We found that NH_(2)CHO is probably produced due to the reaction between NH_(2)and H_(2)CO in the gas phase.Similarly,CH_(3)OCHO is possibly created via the reaction between radical CH_(3)O and radical HCO on the grain surface of IRAS 18089–1732.

基于SDSS-DR8及2MASS数据的疏散星团NGC 6791的基本性质研究

利用斯隆数字巡天(SDSS)第8次释放数据(DR8)的恒星光谱数据及2MASS(Two Micro All Sky Survey)近红外点源测光数据研究著名的疏散星团NGC 6791,得到该星团的视向速度与金属丰度分别为V_r=-46.4±0.2 km·s^(-1)和[Fe/H]=0.32±0.11dex.利用星团中红团簇巨星作为理想"标准烛光",结合2MASS近红外点源测光数据计算了该星团的绝对距离模数为(m-M)_0=13.02±0.08 mag或4.02±0.15 kpc.与其他研究者给出的结果进行了比较,金属丰度、视向速度及绝对距离模数都符合得比较好.主要结论有3点:(1)NGC 6791是个极度富金属的星团;(2)在SDSS的光谱分辨能力以内,分离出的87颗团星之间不存在明显的金属丰度差异;(3)得到的距离模数对年龄、金属丰度及尘埃消光不敏感,是一种可靠的间接测量.

Application of hydroacoustics to investigate the distribution,diel movement,and abundance of fish on Zhubi Reef,Nansha Islands,South China Sea

A combination of traditional fish sampling methods(hand-line and gill net) and modern hydroacoustic techniques were used to study fish community structure,distribution,and diel movements of fish on Zhubi Reef to enhance understanding of the ecosystem.We collected 126 individuals from 29 species,20 genera,17 families,three orders,and two classes using traditional gear.Perciforms were the dominant group in terms of species richness and biomass.The acoustic data indicated that very small(target strength[TS],dB) <-60 dB) and small(-60 dB≤TS<-45 dB) fish contributed the most to abundance and species richness on the coral reef,and that the proportion of medium-sized(-45 dB≤TS<-35 dB) and largesized(-35 dB≤TS) fish increased gradually as depth increased.The single-target detection method revealed two distinct size classes during the day in the 12-16 and 16-20-m layers.One group consisted of very smallsized fish(TS<-60 dB) and the other consisted of medium and large-sized fish(TS>-55 dB).The number of single-target detections was significantly higher during the night than during the day(P<0.05).The singletarget TS frequency distribution during the day was significantly different than during the night at depths of4-8,8-12,12-16,and 16-20 m.Significant differences were observed among the 4-8,8-12,12-16,and16-20-m-depth layers during day and night.Diel vertical movement was evidenced as fish began to spread and move upward just before sunset and began to assemble and descend shortly(15 min) after sunrise.

LC-MS测定C^(13)尿素同位素丰度方法的建立

13C-尿素呼气试验(13C-UBT)是采用C13尿素在临床上诊断幽门螺杆菌(Hp)的一种无创性方法[1],具有高效、灵敏度高、特异性强和使用安全等特点,被认为是除组织培养以外的诊断Hp的"金标准",在临床上已被广泛应用[2].……

A search for strongly Mg-enhanced stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Strongly Mg-enhanced stars with [Mg/Fe] 〉 1.0 show peculiar abundance patterns and hence are of great interest for our understanding of stellar formation and chemical evolution of the Galaxy. A systematic search for strongly Mg-enhanced stars based on low-resolution （R≈2000） spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey （SDSS） is carried out by finding the synthetic spectrum that best matches the observed one in the region of Mg I b lines around λ5170 ,A via a profile matching method. The advantage of our method is that fitting parameters are refined by reproducing the [Mg/Fe] ratios of 47 stars from the very precise high-resolution spectroscopic （HRS） analysis by Nissen ＆ Schuster; and these parameters are crucial to the precision and validity of the derived Mg abundances. As a further check of our method, Mg abun- dances are estimated with our method for member stars in four Galactic globular clus- ters （M92, M 13, M3, M71） which cover the same metallicity range as our sample, and the results are in good agreement with those of HRS analysis in the literature. The val- idation of our method is also demonstrated by the agreement of [Mg/Fe] between our values and those of HRS analysis by Aoki et al. Finally, 33 candidates of strongly Mg- enhanced stars with [Mg/Fe]〉 1.0 are selected from 14 850 F and G stars. Follow-up observations will be carried out on these candidates with high-resolution spectroscopy by large telescopes in the near future, so as to check our selection procedure and to perform a precise and detailed abundance analysis and to explore the origins of these stars.

Automatic Normalization and Equivalent-Width Measurement of High-Resolution Stellar Spectra

It is well known that normalization, radial velocity correction and equivalent-width measurement of high-resolution stellar spectra are time-consuming work. In order to improve the efficiency we present an automatic method for these routines. The continuum is determined by fitting the ＇high points＇ in the spectrum. After continuum normalization, the program automatically searches for the position of the Ha line and obtains a rough radial velocity, then computes an accurate radial velocity by cross-correlation between the given spectrum and the solar spectrum. In this method, the equivalent-width is automatically measured using Gaussian fitting. A comparison between our results and those from traditional analysis shows that the typical error for equivalent width is around 3.8% in our method. Developing such automatic routines does not mean to replace the interactive reduction method： it is just for a quick extraction of information from the spectra, especially those obtained in large sky surveys.

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST)

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST, also called the Guo Shou Jing Telescope) is a special reflecting Schmidt telescope. LAMOST’s special design allows both a large aperture (effective aperture of 3.6 m–4.9 m) and a wide field of view (FOV) (5°). It has an innovative active reflecting Schmidt configuration which continuously changes the mirror’s surface that adjusts during the observation process and combines thin deformable mirror active optics with segmented active optics. Its primary mirror (6.67m×6.05 m) and active Schmidt mirror (5.74m×4.40 m) are both segmented, and composed of 37 and 24 hexagonal sub-mirrors respectively. By using a parallel controllable fiber positioning technique, the focal surface of 1.75 m in diameter can accommodate 4000 optical fibers. Also, LAMOST has 16 spectrographs with 32 CCD cameras. LAMOST will be the telescope with the highest rate of spectral acquisition. As a national large scientific project, the LAMOST project was formally proposed in 1996, and approved by the Chinese government in 1997. The construction started in 2001, was completed in 2008 and passed the official acceptance in June 2009. The LAMOST pilot survey was started in October 2011 and the spectroscopic survey will launch in September 2012. Up to now, LAMOST has released more than 480 000 spectra of objects. LAMOST will make an important contribution to the study of the large-scale structure of the Universe, structure and evolution of the Galaxy, and cross-identification of multiwaveband properties in celestial objects.

Optical fiber positioning based on four-quadrant detector with Gaussian fitting method

With the development of large-scale spectral surveys, fiber positioning technology has been developing rapidly. Because of the performance advantages of a four-quadrant（4Q） detector, a fiber positioning and real-time monitoring system based on the 4Q detector is proposed. The detection accuracy of this system is directly determined by the precision of the center of the spot. A Gaussian fitting algorithm based on the 4Q detector is studied and applied in the fiber positioning process to improve the calculated accuracy of the spot center. The relationship between the center position of the incident spot and the detector output signal is deduced. An experimental platform is built to complete the simulated experiment. Then we use the Gaussian fitting method to process experimental data, compare the fitting value with the theoretical one and calculate the corresponding error.

On the metallicity gradients of the Galactic disk as revealed by LSS-GAC red clump stars

Using a sample of over 70 000 red clump（RC） stars with 5%–10% distance accuracy selected from the LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey of the Galactic Anti-center（LSS-GAC）, we study the radial and vertical gradients of the Galactic disk（s） mainly in the anti-center direction, covering a significant volume of the disk in the range of projected Galactocentric radius 7 ≤ RGC ≤ 14 kpc and height from the Galactic midplane 0 ≤ ｜Z ｜ ≤ 3 kpc. Our analysis shows that both the radial and vertical metallicity gradients are negative across much of the volume of the disk that is probed, and they exhibit significant spatial variations. Near the solar circle（7 ≤ RGC ≤ 11.5 kpc）, the radial gradient has a moderately steep, negative slope of-0.08 dex kpc-1near the midplane（｜Z ｜ 〈 0.1 kpc）, and the slope flattens with increasing ｜Z ｜. In the outer disk（11.5 〈 RGC ≤ 14 kpc）, the radial gradients have an essentially constant, much less steep slope of-0.01 dex kpc-1at all heights above the plane, suggesting that the outer disk may have experienced an evolutionary path different from that of the inner disk. The vertical gradients are found to flatten largely with increasing RGC. However, the vertical gradient of the lower disk（0 ≤ ｜Z ｜ ≤ 1 kpc）is found to flatten with RGC quicker than that of the upper disk（1 〈 ｜Z ｜ ≤ 3 kpc）.Our results should provide strong constraints on the theory of disk formation and evolution, as well as the underlying physical processes that shape the disk（e.g. gas flows,radial migration, and internal and external perturbations）.

The evolution of stellar metallicity gradients of the Milky Way disk from LSS-GAC main sequence turn-off stars: a two-phase disk formation history?

Accurate measurements of stellar metallicity gradients in the radial and vertical directions of the disk and their temporal variations provide important constraints on the formation and evolution of the Milky Way disk. We use 297 042 main sequence turn-off stars selected from the LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey of the Galactic Anticenter（LSS-GAC） to determine the radial and vertical gradients of stellar metallicity,△[Fe/H]/△R and △[Fe/H]/△｜Z ｜ of the Milky Way disk in the direction of the anticenter. We determine ages of those turn-off stars by isochrone fitting and measure the temporal variations of metallicity gradients. We have carried out a detailed analysis of the selection effects resulting from the selection, observation and data reduction of LSS-GAC targets and the potential biases of a magnitude limited sample on the determinations of metallicity gradients. Our results show that the gradients, both in the radial and vertical directions, exhibit significant spatial and temporal variations. The radial gradients yielded by stars with the oldest ages（ 11 Gyr） are essentially zero at all heights from the disk midplane, while those given by younger stars are always negative. The vertical gradients deduced from stars with the oldest ages（ 11 Gyr）are negative and only show very weak variations with Galactocentric distance in the disk plane, R, while those yielded by younger stars show strong variations with R.After being essentially flat at the earliest epochs of disk formation, the radial gradients steepen as age decreases, reaching a maximum（steepest） at age 7–8 Gyr, and then they flatten again. Similar temporal trends are also found for the vertical gradients. We infer that the assembly of the Milky Way disk may have experienced at least two distinct phases. The earlier phase is probably related to a slow, pressure-supported collapse of gas, when the gas settles down to the disk mainly in the vertical direction. In the later phase, there are significant radial flows of gas in the disk, and the rate of gas inflow near the solar neighborhood reaches a maximum around a lookback time of 7–8 Gyr.The transition between the two phases occurs around a lookback time between 8 and11 Gyr. The two phases may be responsible for the formation of the Milky Way＇s thick and thin disks, respectively. Also, as a consequence, we recommend that stellar age is a natural, physical criterion to distinguish stars from the thin and thick disks. From an epoch earlier than 11 Gyr to one between 8 and 11 Gyr, there is an abrupt, significant change in magnitude of both the radial and vertical metallicity gradients, suggesting that stellar radial migration is unlikely to play an important role in the formation of the thick disk.

Stellar Abundance and Galactic Chemical Evolution through LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey

A project of a spectroscopic survey of Galactic structure and evolution with a Large sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope （LAMOST） is presented. The spectroscopic survey consists of two observational modes for various targets in our Galaxy. One is a major survey of the Milky Way aimed at a systematic study of the stellar abundance and Galactic chemical evolution through low resolution （R = 1000 2000） spectroscopy. Another is a follow-up observation with medium resolution （R = 10000） spectrographs aimed at detailed studies of the selected stars with different chemical composition, kinematics and dynamics.

An Approach of Tropospheric Correction for VLBI Phase-Referencing using GPS Data

The dominant source of error in VLBI phase-referencing is the troposphere at observing frequencies above 5 GHz. We compare the tropospheric zenith delays derived from VLBI and GPS data at VLBA stations collocated with GPS antennas. The systematic biases and standard deviations both are at the level of sub-centimeter. Based on this agreement, we suggest a new method of tropospheric correction in phase-referencing using combined VLBI and GPS data.

LAMOST CCD camera-control system based on RTS2

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope（LAMOST） is the largest existing spectroscopic survey telescope, having 32 scientific charge-coupled-device（CCD） cameras for acquiring spectra. Stability and automation of the camera-control software are essential, but cannot be provided by the existing system. The Remote Telescope System 2 nd Version（RTS2） is an open-source and automatic observatory-control system. However, all previous RTS2 applications were developed for small telescopes. This paper focuses on implementation of an RTS2-based camera-control system for the 32 CCDs of LAMOST. A virtual camera module inherited from the RTS2 camera module is built as a device component working on the RTS2 framework. To improve the controllability and robustness, a virtualized layer is designed using the master-slave software paradigm, and the virtual camera module is mapped to the 32 real cameras of LAMOST. The new system is deployed in the actual environment and experimentally tested. Finally, multiple observations are conducted using this new RTS2-frameworkbased control system. The new camera-control system is found to satisfy the requirements for automatic camera control in LAMOST. This is the first time that RTS2 has been applied to a large telescope, and provides a referential solution for full RTS2 introduction to the LAMOST observatory control system.

Abundance Gradient from Open Clusters and Implications for the Galactic Disk Evolution

We compile a new sample of 89 open clusters with ages, distances and metallicities available. We derive a radial iron gradient of about -0.099±0.008 dex kpc^(-1) (unweighted) for the whole sample, which is somewhat greater than the most recent determination of oxygen gradient from nebulae and young stars. By dividing the clusters into age groups, we show that the iron gradient was steeper in the past and has evolved slowly in time. Current data show a substantial scatter of the cluster metallicities indicating that the Galactic disk has undergone a very rapid, inhomogeneous enrichment. Also, based on a simple, but quite successful model of chemical evolution of the Milky Way disk, we make a detailed calculation of the iron abundance gradient and its time evolution. The predicted current iron gradient is about -0.072 dex kpc^(-1). The model also predicts a steady flattening of the iron gradient with time, which agrees with the result from our open cluster sample.