HⅠ emission from the red giant Y CVn with the VLA and FAST

Imaging studies with the Very Large Array（VLA） have revealed H I emission associated with the extended circumstellar shells of red giants. We analyze the spectral map obtained on Y CVn, a J-type carbon star on the Asymptotic Giant Branch. The H I line profiles can be interpreted with a model of a detached shell resulting from the interaction of a stellar outflow with the local interstellar medium.We reproduce the spectral map by introducing a distortion along a direction corresponding to the star＇s motion in space. We then use this fitting to simulate observations expected from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope（FAST）, and discuss its potential for improving our description of the outer regions of circumstellar shells.

Ionospheric longitudinal variations at midlatitudes: Incoherent scatter radar observation at Millstone Hill

Incoherent scatter radar (ISR) extra-wide coverage experiments during the period of 1978-2011 at Millstone Hill are used to investigate longitudinal differences in electron density. This work is motivated by a recent finding of the US east-west coast difference in TEC suggesting a combined effect of changing geomagnetic declination and zonal winds. The current study provides strong supporting evidence of the longitudinal change and the plausible mechanism by examining the climatology of electron density Ne on both east and west sides of the radar with a longitude separation of up to 40o for different heights within 300-450 km. Main findings include: 1) The east-west difference can be up to 60% and varies over the course of the day, being positive (East side Ne > West side Ne) in the late evening, and negative (West side Ne > East side Ne) in the pre-noon. 2) The east-west difference exists throughout the year. The positive (relative) difference is most pronounced in winter; the negative (relative) difference is most pronounced in early spring and later summer. 3) The east-west difference tends to enhance toward decreasing solar activity, however, with some seasonal dependence; the enhancements in the positive and negative differences do not take place simultaneously. 4) Both times of largest positive and largest negative east-west differences in Ne are earlier in summer and later in winter. The two times differ by 12-13 h, which remains constant throughout the year. 5) Variations at different heights from 300-450 km are similar. Zonal wind climatology above Millstone Hill is found to be perfectly consistent with what is expected based on the electron density difference between the east and west sides of the site. The magnetic declination-zonal wind mechanism is true for other longitude sectors as well, and may be used to understand longitudinal variations elsewhere. It may also be used to derive thermospheric zonal winds.

国际子午圈计划的科学挑战和观测系统

随着科技发展,人类活动对地面基础设施、空间系统和太空飞行器等高科技设施的依赖性日益增强.然而,这些高科技设施却常常遭受着来自太阳活动、地震、大气和气候变化、地磁场变化,以及全球电场波动等多种危害的威胁.监测和了解这些危害,并减轻其影响,是21世纪重要的科学挑战之一.这些危害尽管形式不同,但是有一个共同之处是会在电离层和中高层大气这个地球空间环境的关键圈层留下自己的印记.国际子午圈计划是一项由中国科学院牵头的国际大科学计划,其目标是整合、部署和运行一个全球研究和监测网络,充分利用电离层和中高层大气的"显示屏"效果来追踪这些日地空间危害的踪迹.文章展示了国际子午圈计划全球观测系统所需的位置分布,即优先沿120°E~60°W大子午圈部署监测设备,实现对主要地理和地磁纬度变化的最佳覆盖,继而辅之以30°E~150°W的第二个子午圈来捕捉经度变化.而后简单地描述了中国子午工程,以及横跨中国、俄罗斯和美洲的一些国家在内的120°E~60°W大子午圈上的监测台站和设备.

Observations of the step-like accelerating processes of cold ions in the reconnection layer at the dayside magnetopause

Cold ions of plasmaspheric origin have been observed to abundantly appear in the magnetospheric side of the Earth's magnetopause. These cold ions could affect the magnetic reconnection processes at the magnetopause by changing the Alfvén velocity and the reconnection rate, while they could also be heated in the reconnection layer during the ongoing reconnections. We report in situ observations from a partially crossing of a reconnection layer near the subsolar magnetopause. During this crossing, step-like accelerating processes of the cold ions were clearly observed, suggesting that the inflow cold ions may be separately accelerated by the rotation discontinuity and slow shock inside the reconnection layer.

Scientific challenges and instrumentation for the International Meridian Circle Program

Earth’s ecosystems and human activities are threatened by a broad spectrum of hazards of major importance for the safety of ground infrastructures,space systems and space flight:solar activity,earthquakes,atmospheric and climatic disturbances,changes in the geomagnetic field,fluctuations of the global electric circuit.Monitoring and understanding these major hazards to better predict and mitigate their effects is one of the greatest scientific and operational challenges of the 21st century.Though diverse,these hazards share one feature in common:they all leave their characteristic imprints on a critical layer of the Earth’s environment:its ionosphere,middle and upper atmosphere(IMUA).The objective of the International Meridian Circle Program(IMCP),a major international program led by the Chines Academy of Sciences(CAS),is to deploy,integrate and operate a global network of research and monitoring instruments to use the IMUA as a screen on which to detect these imprints.In this article,we first show that the geometry required for the IMCP global observation system leads to a deployment of instruments in priority along the 120°E-60°W great meridian circle,which will cover in an optimal way both the dominant geographic and geomagnetic latitude variations,possibly complemented by a second Great Circle along the 30°E-150°W meridians to capture longitude variations.Then,starting from the Chinese Meridian Project(CMP)network and using it as a template,we give a preliminary and promising description of the instruments to be integrated and deployed along the 120°E-60°W great circle running across China,Australia and the Americas.