The ALMA-QUARKS Survey.Ⅰ.Survey Description and Data Reduction

This paper presents an overview of the QUARKS survey,which stands for Querying Underlying mechanisms of massive star formation with ALMA-Resolved gas Kinematics and Structures."The QUARKS survey is observing139 massive clumps covered by 156 pointings at Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array(ALMA)Band 6(λ~1.3 mm).In conjunction with data obtained from the ALMA-ATOMS survey at Band 3(λ~3 mm),QUARKS aims to carry out an unbiased statistical investigation of massive star formation process within protoclusters down to a scale of 1000 au.This overview paper describes the observations and data reduction of the QUARKS survey,and gives a first look at an exemplar source,the mini-starburst Sgr B2(M).The wide-b and width(7.5 GHz)and high-angular-resolution(~0."3)observations of the QUARKS survey allow for the resolution of much more compact cores than those could be done by the ATOMS survey,and to detect previously unrevealed fainter filamentary structures.The spectral windows cover transitions of species including CO,SO,N_(2)D^(+),SiO,H_(30)α,H_(2)CO,CH_(3)CN,and many other complex organic molecules,tracing gas components with different temperatures and spatial extents.QUARKS aims to deepen our understanding of several scientific topics of massive star formation,such as the mass transport within protoclusters by(hub-)filamentary structures,the existence of massive starless cores,the physical and chemical properties of dense cores within protoclusters,and the feedback from already formed high-mass young protostars.

Near-infrared studies of nova V5584 Sgr in the pre-maximum and early decline phase

We present near-infrared spectroscopic and photometric observations of nova V5584 Sgr taken during the first 12 d following its discovery on Oct. 26.439 UT2009. The evolution of the spectra is shown from the initial P Cygni phase to an emission line phase. The prominent carbon lines seen in the JHK spectra closely match those observed in an Fe II class nova outburst. The spectra show first-overtone CO bands in emission between 2.29–2.40 μm. By examining WISE and other publicly available data, we show that the nova underwent a pronounced dust formation phase between February- April 2010.

Development of technique to detect and classify small-scale magnetic flux cancellation and rapid blue-shifted excursions

We present a set of tools for detecting small-scale solar magnetic cancellations and the disk counterpart of type II spicules(the so-called Rapid Blueshifted Excursions(RBEs)), using line-of-sight photospheric magnetograms and chromospheric spectroscopic observations, respectively. For tracking magnetic cancellation,we improve the Southwest Automatic Magnetic Identification Suite(SWAMIS) so that it is able to detect certain obscure cancellations that can be easily missed. For detecting RBEs, we use a normalized reference profile to reduce false-positive detections caused by the non-uniform background and seeing condition. Similar to the magnetic feature tracking in SWAMIS, we apply a dual-threshold method to enhance the accuracy of RBE detection. These tools are employed to analyze our coordinated observations using the Interferometric BIdimensional Spectrometer at the Dunn Solar Telescope of the National Solar Observatory and Hinode. We present the statistical properties of magnetic cancellations and RBEs, and explore their correlation using this data set.

Is the filamentary dark cloud GF 6 a star forming region?--Stability analysis and infrared properties

We present the results of mapping observations and stability analyses toward the filamentary dark cloud GF 6. We investigate the internal structures of a typical filamentary dark cloud GF 6 to know whether the filamentary dark cloud will form stars. We perform radio observations with both ^(12)CO(J =1–0) and ^(13)CO(J =1–0) emission lines to examine the mass distribution and its evolutionary status.The ^(13)CO gas column density map shows eight subclumps in the GF 6 region with sizes on a sub-pc scale. The resulting local thermodynamic equilibrium masses of all the subclumps are too low to form stars against the turbulent dissipation. We also investigate the properties of embedded infrared point sources to know whether they are newly formed stars. The infrared properties also indicate that these point sources are not related to star forming activities associated with GF 6. Both radio and infrared properties indicate that the filamentary dark cloud GF 6 is too light to contract gravitationally and will eventually be dissipated away.

Interacting system NGC 7805/6(Arp 112)and its tidal dwarf galaxy candidate

We present results from our Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope(GMRT)HⅠ,Himalayan Chandra Telescope(HCT)Hα,1 m Sampurnanand Telescope(ST)and 1.3 m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope(DFOT)deep optical observations of the NGC 7805/6(Arp 112)system to test KUG 2359+311’s tidal dwarf galaxy(TDG)candidacy and explore the properties of the interacting system.Our GMRT HⅠmap shows no HⅠdetection associated with KUG 2359+311,nor any HⅠtail or bridge-like structure connecting KUG 2359+311 to the NGC 7805/6 system.Our HCT Hαimage,on the other hand,displays strong detections in KUG 2359+311,with net SFR0.035±0.009 M_(⊙)yr^(-1).The Hαdata constrain the redshift of KUG 2359+311 to 0.00≤z≤0.043,compared to the redshift of NGC 7806 of0.015.TDGs detected to date have all been HⅠrich,and displayed HⅠ,ionised gas and stellar tidal debris trails(bridges or tails)linking them to their parent systems.However,neither our HⅠdata nor our optical imaging,while three magnitudes deeper than SDSS,reveals a tidal trail connecting KUG 2359+311 to NGC 7805/6.Lack of HⅠ,presence of an old stellar population,ongoing star formation and reasonably high SFR compared to normal dwarf galaxies suggest that KUG 2359+311 may not be an Arp 112 TDG.It is most likely a case of a regular gas-rich dwarf galaxy undergoing a morphological transformation after having lost its entire gas content to an interaction with the Arp 112 system.Redshift and metallicity from future spectroscopic observations of KUG 2359+311 would help clarify the nature of this enigmatic structure.

Science Missions Using CubeSats

As the role of missions and experiments carried out in outer space becomes more and more essential in our understanding of many earthly problems,such as resource management,environmental problems,and disaster management,as well as space science questions,thanks to their lower cost and faster development process CubeSats can benefit humanity and therefore,young scientists and engineers have been motivated to research and develop new CubeSat missions.Not very long after their inception,CubeSats have evolved to become accepted platforms for scientific and commercial applications.The last couple of years showed that they are a feasible tool for conducting scientific experiments,not only in the Earth orbit but also in the interplanetary space.For many countries,a CubeSat mission could prompt the community and young teams around the world to build the national capacity to launch and operate national space missions.This paper presents an overview of the key scientific and engineering gateways opened up to the younger scientific community by the advent and adaptation of new technology into CubeSat missions.The role of cooperation and the opportunities for capacity-building and education are also explored.Thus,the present article also aims to provide useful recommendations to scientists,early-career researchers,engineers,students,and anyone who intends to explore the potential and opportunities offered by CubeSats and CubeSats-based missions.

Gaussianization of peculiar velocities and bulk flow measurement

The line-of-sight peculiar velocities are good indicators of the gravitational fluctuation of the density field.Techniques have been developed to extract cosmological information from the peculiar velocities in order to test cosmological models.These techniques include measuring cosmic flow,measuring two-point correlation and power spectrum of the peculiar velocity fields,and reconstructing the density field using peculiar velocities.However,some measurements from these techniques are biased due to the nonGaussianity of the estimated peculiar velocities.Therefore,we rely on the 2MTF survey to explore a power transform that can Gaussianize the estimated peculiar velocities.We find a tight linear relation between the transformation parameters and the measurement errors of log-distance ratio.To show an example for the implementation of Gaussianized peculiar velocities in cosmology,we develop a bulk flow estimator and estimate bulk flow from the Gaussianized peculiar velocities.We use 2MTF mocks to test the algorithm,and we find the algorithm yields unbiased measurements.We also find this technique gives smaller measurement errors compared to other techniques.In Galactic coordinates,at the depth of 30 h^(-1)Mpc,we measure a bulk flow of 332±27 km s^(-1) in the direction(l,b)=(293°±5°,13°±4°).The measurement is consistent with theΛCDM prediction.

Probing the Variation of Reverberation Lags along with X-Ray Flux in the AGN Mrk 704

Understanding the variation of lags with respect to the X-ray flux is important to explore the geometry of the inner region of the accretion disk in AGNs.We performed frequency-lag,energy–lag and spectral studies for two sets of observations,in order to investigate the variations in lags with respect to X-ray flux in the AGN source Mrk 704 using the XMM-Newton observatory.We divided one of the light curves into two sections which were noticed to exhibit a flux variation.The frequency-lag spectra in different energy domains revealed that reverberation(soft)lags varied along with the flux.For the first time,we show that the blurred reflection model can consistently explain the soft excess observed in the X-ray spectra for this source.The fluxes of soft(i.e.,reflection)and hard components were noted to vary by~18%and~9%respectively,across the sections.The soft lag amplitude was found to be larger at the high flux state than the amplitude at the low flux state.Most importantly,we found that both frequency-lag and energy–lag spectra do not display significant variation between two observational data sets despite a flux variation of 43%.This phenomenon cannot be explained by the reflection model because the soft lag amplitudes must be larger in the high flux state.The probable scenario is that,in the low flux state,the obscuring cloud delays the reflected soft photons which increases the soft lag amplitude.

用地基GPS观测资料映射三维电离层剖面

双频GPS接收机被广泛应用于监测电离层及其相关异常活动。过去通常利用地基GPS资料建立一个单层两维电离层格网模型进行应用,其最主要缺陷就是忽略了电离层垂直剖面信息。利用地基GPS资料通过乘积代数重建技术层析三维电离层电子密度剖面。与国际电离层参考模型(IRI2001)和电离层探测仪结果相比,地基GPS层析电离层电子密度剖面基本一致,但更接近于电离层探测仪观测结果。因此,高时空分辨率的地基GPS资料在监测三维电离层活动及其相关空间气候研究方面具有重要应用价值。

Observing the reconnection region in a transequatorial loop system

A vertical current sheet is a crucial element in many flare/coronal mass ejection (CME) models. For the first time, Liu et al. reported a vertical current sheet directly imaged during the flare rising phase with the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). As a follow-up study, here we present the comprehensive analysis and detailed physical interpretation of the observation. The current sheet formed due to the gradual rise of a transequatorial loop system. As the loop legs approached each other, plasma flew at ～ 6 km s-1 into a local area where a cusp-shaped flare loop subsequently formed and the current sheet was seen as a bright, collimated structure of global length (≥ 0.25 R⊙) and macroscopic width ((5-10)×103 km), extending from 50 Mm above the flaring loop to the border of the EIT field of view (FOV). The reconnection rate in terms of the Alfve′n Mach number is estimated to be only 0.005-0.009, albeit a halo CME was accelerated from ～ 400 km s-1 to ～ 1300 km s-1 within the coronagraph FOV. Drifting pulsating structures at metric frequencies were recorded during the impulsive phase, implying tearing of the current sheet in the high corona. A radio Type III burst occurred when the current sheet was clearly seen in EUV, indicative of accelerated electrons beaming upward from the upper tip of the current sheet. A cusp-shaped dimming region was observed to be located above the post-flare arcade during the decay phase in EIT; both the arcade and the dimming expanded with time. With the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) aboard SOHO, a clear signature of chromospheric evaporation was seen during the decay phase, i.e., the cusp-shaped dimming region was associated with plasma upflows detected with EUV hot emission lines, while the post-flare loop was associated with downflows detected with cold lines. This event provides a comprehensive view of the reconnection geometry and dynamics in the solar corona.

Photometric study of an eclipsing binary in Praesepe

We present CCD photometric observations of an eclipsing binary in the direction of the open cluster Praesepe using the 2 m telescope at IUCAA Girawali Observatory, India. Though the system was classified as an eclipsing binary by Pepper et al., detailed investigations have been lacking. The photometric solutions using the Wilson-Devinney code suggest that it is a W-type W UMa system and, interestingly, the system parameters are similar to another contact binary system SW Lac.

Photometric study of eclipsing binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud--I.W UMa type binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Eclipsing binaries are among the most important sources of information on stellar parameters like radii,masses,luminosities,etc.We present the analysis of six W UMa systems discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud using the Wilson-Devinney method.

Gas infall in the massive star formation core G192.16–3.84

Previous observations have revealed an accretion disk and outflow motion in the high-mass starforming region G192.16–3.84, but collapse has not been reported before. Here we present molecular line and continuum observations toward the massive core G192.16–3.84 with the Submillimeter Array. C18 O(2–1) and HCO+(3–2) lines show pronounced blue profiles, indicating gas infalling in this region. This is the first time that infall motion has been reported in the G192.16–3.84 core. Two-layer model fitting gives infall velocities of 2.0±0.2 and 2.8±0.1 km s-1. Assuming that the cloud core follows a power-law density profile(ρ∝ r1.5), the corresponding mass infall rates are(4.7±1.7)×10-3 and(6.6±2.1)×10-3 M⊙yr-1 for C18 O(2–1) and HCO+(3–2), respectively. The derived infall rates are in agreement with the turbulent core model and those in other high-mass star-forming regions, suggesting that high accretion rate is a general requirement for forming a massive star.

Earth rotation deceleration/acceleration due to semidiurnal oceanic/atmospheric tides:Revisited with new calculation

The global oceanic/atmospheric tides exert decelerating/accelerating secular torques on the Earth rotation. We developed new formulations to accurately calculate amounts of two kinds of secular tidal torques. After Melchior, we found that an additional factor 1+k-l = 1.216, which has been formerly neglected, must be multiplied unto the tidal torque integral. By using our refined formulations and the recent oceanic/atmospheric global tide models, we found that:(i) semidiurnal oceanic lunar/solar tides exert decelerating torques of about-4.462 × 10^(16)/-0.676 × 10^(16) Nm respectively and(ii) atmospheric S_2 tide exerts accelerating torque of 1.55 × 10^(15) Nm. Former estimates of the atmospheric S_2 tidal torque were twice as large as our estimate due to improper consideration of loading effect. We took the load Love number for atmospheric loading effect from Guo et al.(2004). For atmospheric loading of spherical harmonic degree two, the value of k′=-0.6031 is different from that for ocean loading as k′ =-0.3052,while the latter is currently used for both cases-ocean/atmospheric loading-without distinction. We discuss(i) the amount of solid Earth tidal dissipation(which has been left most uncertain) and(ii) secular changes of the dynamical state of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. Our estimate of the solid Earth tidal torque is-4.94×10^(15) Nm.

The Gas-to-Dust Relation in the Dark Cloud L1523-Observational Evidence for CO Gas Depletion

Correlation between gas and dust column density has been studied for the dark globule L1523.The 13CO(J=1→0) emission is used for tracing the gas,and the IR emissions,for tracing the dust constituent.In order to match the beam resolution between the images,a beam de-convolution algorithm based on the Maximum Correlation Method(MCM) was applied on the Infrared Astronomical Satellite(IRAS) data.The morphology of 13CO column density map shows a close correlation to that of 100 μm dust optical depth.The distribution of the optical depth at 100μm follows that of gas column density more closely than does the flux map at either 60 or 100 μm.The ratio of the 13CO column density to the 100μm optical depth shows a decreasing trend with increasing dust optical depth in the central part,indicating possible molecular gas condensation onto dust particles.The excessive decrease in the CO column density in the envelope may most probably be due to the photo-dissociation of CO molecules.

CCD photometry of W UMa-type contact binaries in the old open cluster Berkeley 39

We present the combined BVI multicolor photometric solutions of seven EW variables in the old open cluster Berkeley 39.The observations were carried out in the B and V passbands from the 2 m telescope at the IUCAA-Girawali Observatory in India.The analysis is done using the 2003 version of the Wilson-Devinney code and the fitted light curves are presented.The light curves appear to be symmetric in all the passbands.The photometric solutions suggest that the variables are W-type systems.The new ephemeris indicates that the orbital periods of the studied variables have not changed during the timespan of observations.Revised orbital period,absolute mass,radius and luminosity of the respective variables are presented.The absolute physical parameters of the variables follow the trend of field EW stars.Comparing the results obtained with the other theoretical works,we suggest that there is an excess loss of mass and angular momentum in these systems which may be due to their short period and relatively young age,possibly due to the presence of a third component or the initial detached period being less than 2 d.

Analysis of interval constants in calendars affiliated with the Shoushili

We study interval constants that are related to motions of the Sun and Moon,i.e., the Qi, Intercalation, Revolution and Crossing interval, in calendars affiliated with the Shoushi calendar(Shoushili), such as Datongli and Chiljeongsannaepyeon. It is known that these interval constants were newly introduced in the Shoushili calendar and revised afterward, except for the Qi interval constant, and the revised values were adopted in later calendars affiliated with the Shoushili. We first investigate the accuracy of these interval constants and then the accuracy of calendars affiliated with the Shoushili in terms of these constants by comparing times for the new moon and the maximum solar eclipse calculated by each calendar with modern methods of calculation. During our study, we found that the Qi and Intercalation interval constants used in the early Shoushili were well determined, whereas the Revolution and Crossing interval constants were relatively poorly measured. We also found that the interval constants used by the early Shoushili were better than those of the later one, and hence better than those of Datongli and Chiljeongsannaepyeon. On the other hand, we found that the early Shoushili is, in general, a worse calendar than Datongli for use in China but a better one than Chiljeongsannaepyeon for use in Korea in terms of times for the new moon and when a solar eclipse occurs, at least for the period 1281 – 1644.Finally, we verified that the times for sunrise and sunset in the Shoushili-Li-Cheng and Mingshi are those at Beijing and Nanjing, respectively.

Photometric analysis of V30 of open cluster NGC 7789

We present the photometric solutions of the variable star V30 that is in the foreground of intermediate open cluster NGC 7789.The observations were done in the V passband using the 2 m telescope at the IUCAA-Girawali Observatory in India.The analysis is done using the Wilson-Devinney Code (2003) and the fitted light curve is presented.The photometric solutions reveal a W-subtype contact configuration.The photometric mass ratio is found to be 0.395 and the absolute masses and radii for the components are deduced as 1.25M8 and 0.97R8 for the primary and 0.49M8 and 0.93Rs for the secondary,respectively.No signature of third light is found in the system.

Spatial Distribution of HOCN Around Sagittarius B2

HOCN and HNCO abundance ratio in molecular gas can tell us the information of their formation mechanism.We performed high-sensitivity mapping observations of HOCN,HNCO,and HNC^(18)O lines around Sagittarius B2(Sgr B2)with the IRAM 30 m telescope at the 3 mm wavelength.HNCO 4_(04)-3_(03)and HOCN 4_(04)-3_(03)are used to obtain the abundance ratio of HNCO to HOCN.The ratio of HNCO 4_(04)-3_(03)to HNC^(18)O 4;-3;is used to calculate the optical depth of HNCO 4_(04)-3_(03).The abundance ratio of HOCN and HNCO is observed to range from 0.4%to0.7%toward most positions,which agrees well with the gas-grain model.However,the relative abundance of HOCN is observed to be enhanced toward the direction of Sgr B2(S),with HOCN to HNCO abundance ratio of~0.9%.The reason for that still needs further investigation.Based on the intensity ratio of HNCO and HNC^(18)O lines,we updated the isotopic ratio of;O/;O to be 296±54 in Sgr B2.

Mapping HⅠ in the NGC 4636 Galaxy Group with FAST

This paper presents data from a 21 cm H I emission drift scan observation of a field partially covering the NGC 4636 galaxy group with the Five-hundred meter Aperture Radio Telescope(FAST). We construct a pipeline to reduce the data, and use So Fi A for source finding. When not contaminated by Radio Frequency Interference(RFI), the FAST observations are capable of detecting all of the galaxies previously detected by the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA(ALFALFA) survey in the same region. Comparing to ALFALFA for the detections in common, the FAST data show consistent integrated spectra when the H I disks are spatially unresolved, and capture more flux when the H I disks are resolved. The FAST data further reveal 10 new detections in the region mutually covered with ALFALFA, and 18 new detections beyond the footprint of ALFALFA. All of the new detections have the matching optical counterparts. For the member galaxies of the NGC 4636 group, the detection limit of FAST is deeper by 0.4 dex in H I mass than that of the ALFALFA data. After correcting for the incompleteness caused by RFI contamination, we show that the H I detection rate of galaxies rises steeply with radius out to the virial radius of the group, and flattens beyond that. We also examine four spatially resolved galaxy systems with potential tidal interaction features in detail. Considering that the data have been taken during the“shared-risk” period before a major source of local RFI was eliminated, the results highlight the power of FAST in detecting extragalactic H I.