An early extrasolar planetary system revealed by planetesimal belts in beta Pictoris

beta Pictoris (beta Pic) is a main-sequence star with an edge-on dust disk that might represent a state of the early Solar System. The dust does not seem to be a remnant from the original protoplanetary disk, but rather is thought to have been generated from large bodies like planetesimals and/or comets. The history and composition of the parent bodies can therefore be revealed by determining the spatial distribution, grain size, composition and crystallinity of the dust through high-resolution mid-infrared observations. Here we report that the sub-micrometre amorphous silicate grains around beta Pic have peaks in their distribution around 6, 16 and 30 au (1 au is the Sun-Earth distance), whereas the crystalline and micrometre-sized amorphous silicate grains are concentrated in the disk centre. As sub-micrometre grains are blown quickly out from the system by radiation pressure from the central star, the peaks indicate the locations of ongoing dust replenishment, which originates from ring-like distributions of planetesimals or 'planetesimal belts'.     

Characterization of extrasolar terrestrial planets from diurnal photometric variability

The detection of massive planets orbiting nearby stars has become almost routine, but current techniques are as yet unable to detect terrestrial planets with masses comparable to the Earth's. Future space-based observatories to detect Earth-like planets are being planned. Terrestrial planets orbiting in the habitable zones of stars-where planetary surface conditions are compatible with the presence of liquid water-are of enormous interest because they might have global environments similar to Earth's and even harbour life. The light scattered by such a planet will vary in intensity and colour as the planet rotates; the resulting light curve will contain information about the planet's surface and atmospheric properties. Here we report a model that predicts features that should be discernible in the light curve obtained by low-precision photometry. For extrasolar planets similar to Earth, we expect daily flux variations of up to hundreds of per cent, depending sensitively on ice and cloud cover as well as seasonal variations. This suggests that the meteorological variability, composition of the surface (for example, ocean versus land fraction) and rotation period of an Earth-like planet could be derived from photometric observations. Even signatures of Earth-like plant life could be constrained or possibly, with further study, even uniquely determined.     

Transiting extrasolar planetary candidates in the Galactic bulge

More than 200 extrasolar planets have been discovered around relatively nearby stars, primarily through the Doppler line shifts owing to reflex motions of their host stars, and more recently through transits of some planets across the faces of the host stars. The detection of planets with the shortest known periods, 1.2-2.5 days, has mainly resulted from transit surveys which have generally targeted stars more massive than 0.75 M(o), where M(o) is the mass of the Sun. Here we report the results from a planetary transit search performed in a rich stellar field towards the Galactic bulge. We discovered 16 candidates with orbital periods between 0.4 and 4.2 days, five of which orbit stars of masses in the range 0.44-0.75 M(o). In two cases, radial-velocity measurements support the planetary nature of the companions. Five candidates have orbital periods below 1.0 day, constituting a new class of ultra-short-period planets, which occur only around stars of less than 0.88 M(o). This indicates that those orbiting very close to more-luminous stars might be evaporatively destroyed or that jovian planets around stars of lower mass might migrate to smaller radii.     

A stability limit for the atmospheres of giant extrasolar planets

Recent observations of the planet HD209458b indicate that it is surrounded by an expanded atmosphere of atomic hydrogen that is escaping hydrodynamically. Theoretically, it has been shown that such escape is possible at least inside an orbit of 0.1 au (refs 4 and 5), and also that H3+ ions play a crucial role in cooling the upper atmosphere. Jupiter's atmosphere is stable, so somewhere between 5 and 0.1 au there must be a crossover between stability and instability. Here we show that there is a sharp breakdown in atmospheric stability between 0.14 and 0.16 au for a Jupiter-like planet orbiting a solar-type star. These results are in contrast to earlier modelling that implied much higher thermospheric temperatures and more significant evaporation farther from the star. (We use a three-dimensional, time-dependent coupled thermosphere-ionosphere model and properly include cooling by H3+ ions, allowing us to model globally the redistribution of heat and changes in molecular composition.) Between 0.2 and 0.16 au cooling by H3+ ions balances heating by the star, but inside 0.16 au molecular hydrogen dissociates thermally, suppressing the formation of H3+ and effectively shutting down that mode of cooling.     

An extrasolar giant planet in a close triple-star system

Hot Jupiters are gas-giant planets orbiting with periods of 3-9 days around Sun-like stars. They are believed to form in a disk of gas and condensed matter at or beyond approximately 2.7 astronomical units (au-the Sun-Earth distance) from their parent star. At such distances, there exists a sufficient amount of solid material to produce a core capable of capturing enough gas to form a giant planet. Subsequently, they migrate inward to their present close orbits. Here I report the detection of an unusual hot Jupiter orbiting the primary star of a triple stellar system, HD 188753. The planet has an orbital period of 3.35 days and a minimum mass of 1.14 times that of Jupiter. The primary star's mass is 1.06 times that of the Sun, 1.06 M(\circ). The secondary star, itself a binary stellar system, orbits the primary at an average distance of 12.3 au with an eccentricity of 0.50. The mass of the secondary pair is 1.63 M(\circ). Such a close and massive secondary would have truncated a disk around the primary to a radius of only approximately 1.3 AU (ref. 4) and might have heated it up to temperatures high enough to prohibit giant-planet formation, leaving the origin of this planet unclear.     

An extrasolar planet that transits the disk of its parent star

Planets orbiting other stars could in principle be found through the periodic dimming of starlight as a planet moves across--or 'transits'--the line of sight between the observer and the star. Depending on the size of the planet relative to the star, the dimming could reach a few per cent of the apparent brightness of the star. Despite many searches, no transiting planet has been discovered in this way; the one known transiting planet--HD209458b--was first discovered using precise measurements of the parent star's radial velocity and only subsequently detected photometrically. Here we report radial velocity measurements of the star OGLE-TR-56, which was previously found to exhibit a 1.2-day transit-like light curve in a survey looking for gravitational microlensing events. The velocity changes that we detect correlate with the light curve, from which we conclude that they are probably induced by an object of around 0.9 Jupiter masses in an orbit only 0.023 au from its star. We estimate the planetary radius to be around 1.3 Jupiter radii and its density to be about 0.5 g x cm(-3). This object is hotter than any known planet (approximately 1,900 K), but is still stable against long-term evaporation or tidal disruption.     

An extended upper atmosphere around the extrasolar planet HD209458b

The planet in the system HD209458 is the first one for which repeated transits across the stellar disk have been observed. Together with radial velocity measurements, this has led to a determination of the planet's radius and mass, confirming it to be a gas giant. But despite numerous searches for an atmospheric signature, only the dense lower atmosphere of HD209458b has been observed, through the detection of neutral sodium absorption. Here we report the detection of atomic hydrogen absorption in the stellar Lyman alpha line during three transits of HD209458b. An absorption of 15 +/- 4% (1sigma) is observed. Comparison with models shows that this absorption should take place beyond the Roche limit and therefore can be understood in terms of escaping hydrogen atoms.     

A compact system of small planets around a former red-giant star

Planets that orbit their parent star at less than about one astronomical unit (1?AU is the Earth-Sun distance) are expected to be engulfed when the star becomes a red giant. Previous observations have revealed the existence of post-red-giant host stars with giant planets orbiting as close as 0.116?AU or with brown dwarf companions in tight orbits, showing that these bodies can survive engulfment. What has remained unclear is whether planets can be dragged deeper into the red-giant envelope without being disrupted and whether the evolution of the parent star itself could be affected. Here we report the presence of two nearly Earth-sized bodies orbiting the post-red-giant, hot B subdwarf star KIC 05807616 at distances of 0.0060 and 0.0076?AU, with orbital periods of 5.7625 and 8.2293 hours, respectively. These bodies probably survived deep immersion in the former red-giant envelope. They may be the dense cores of evaporated giant planets that were transported closer to the star during the engulfment and triggered the mass loss necessary for the formation of the hot B subdwarf, which might also explain how some stars of this type did not form in binary systems.     

新型自减振行星传动系统动态特性分析

为了改善内、外部激励下机电传动系统的动态响应特性,提出一种新型自减振行星传动形式:TVD-PG(torsional vibration damper and planetary gear)传动系统,采用扭转减振装置取代传统行星齿轮中某一构件与箱体固连的方式.考虑传动轴扭转变形和行星齿轮时变啮合刚度,建立电机和适用于变速工况下的TVD-PG传动系统的耦合动力学模型.仿真分析了TVD-PG传动系统在启动和稳定工况时的动态响应特性,并与传统的行星齿轮传动方式进行对比.结果表明:在启动阶段,TVD-PG传动系统可快速减小电机电磁转矩波动,使电机和输出端转速快速平稳上升,同时改善了启动和稳定工况下行星齿轮系统的动态啮合力状况.由于机电耦合作用,在系统稳定时可清晰观察到齿轮系统内部激励参数对电机部分的影响.     

A closely packed system of low-mass, low-density planets transiting Kepler-11

When an extrasolar planet passes in front of (transits) its star, its radius can be measured from the decrease in starlight and its orbital period from the time between transits. Multiple planets transiting the same star reveal much more: period ratios determine stability and dynamics, mutual gravitational interactions reflect planet masses and orbital shapes, and the fraction of transiting planets observed as multiples has implications for the planarity of planetary systems. But few stars have more than one known transiting planet, and none has more than three. Here we report Kepler spacecraft observations of a single Sun-like star, which we call Kepler-11, that reveal six transiting planets, five with orbital periods between 10 and 47?days and a sixth planet with a longer period. The five inner planets are among the smallest for which mass and size have both been measured, and these measurements imply substantial envelopes of light gases. The degree of coplanarity and proximity of the planetary orbits imply energy dissipation near the end of planet formation.     

具有三种状态的可修排队系统

服务员的操作失误可能导致服务台故障而使其服务时间延长;或有一些服务台可能在工作一段时间后,其服务时间也会出现延长情况,对此提出一类新的可修排队系统,服务台具有正常工作、异常工作和故障三种状态．并通过L-变换、母函数以及补充变量法得出其排队指标和可靠性指标。     

盾构机双驱动大功率行星齿轮的传动原理及特性

在研究盾构机及行星齿轮机构的基础之上,针对盾构机刀盘驱动系统,提出一种新型盾构机双驱动大功率行星齿轮传动系统,分析了传动系统的原理及其结构;建立了新型传动系统的运动学模型,对该系统的传动特性进行了分析,获得了系统的传动比、系统内部的转速、扭矩的关系和变化规律;通过对比简化实验得到的结果与理论计算得到的结果,其变化规律基本一致,验证了数学模型及分析方法的正确性.双驱动大功率行星齿轮传动系统具有传动比大、承载能力强的特点,能实现低转速、大扭矩输出的功能,满足盾构机的基本工作要求,不仅可取代传统的多个电机同时驱动多个减速器的传动系统,还能实现3种不同型式的盾构机传动系统功能.     

超越离合-单行星传动系统的建模及非线性特性

在考虑间隙、时变啮合刚度和综合传动误差的基础上,建立了超越离合-单行星传动系统的非线性动力学模型,设计了评价该系统的综合性能指标;通过对系统分岔与混沌特性的研究,揭示了系统响应随激励频率变化时所经历的倍周期分岔、准周期分岔和阵发分岔等通向混沌分岔路径共存的复杂分岔路径,体现了超越离合-单行星传动系统非线性动力学行为的复杂性态;总结了离合器参数对系统各项性能指标的影响规律,为相关设计和优化提供了理论依据.     

A planetary system as the origin of structure in Fomalhaut's dust belt

The Sun and >15 per cent of nearby stars are surrounded by dusty disks that must be collisionally replenished by asteroids and comets, as the dust would otherwise be depleted on timescales <10(7) years (ref. 1). Theoretical studies show that the structure of a dusty disk can be modified by the gravitational influence of planets, but the observational evidence is incomplete, at least in part because maps of the thermal infrared emission from the disks have low linear resolution (35 au in the best case). Optical images provide higher resolution, but the closest examples (AU Mic and beta Pic) are edge-on, preventing the direct measurement of the azimuthal and radial disk structure that is required for fitting theoretical models of planetary perturbations. Here we report the detection of optical light reflected from the dust grains orbiting Fomalhaut (HD 216956). The system is inclined 24 degrees away from edge-on, enabling the measurement of disk structure around its entire circumference, at a linear resolution of 0.5 au. The dust is distributed in a belt 25 au wide, with a very sharp inner edge at a radial distance of 133 au, and we measure an offset of 15 au between the belt's geometric centre and Fomalhaut. Taken together, the sharp inner edge and offset demonstrate the presence of planetary-mass objects orbiting Fomalhaut.     

直齿行星传动齿轮修形优化设计方法

针对多个行星轮均布的大功率直齿行星传动系统,提出了优化齿轮修形参数的设计方法.取其中一路子系统建模,应用位移约束方程建立局部太阳轮边界位移协调关系,简化了有限元分析模型.为提高齿轮有限元模型的齿廓几何逼近精度,降低齿轮有限元规模,提高非线性接触分析的求解精度和效率,建立了齿轮接触区细化单元节点位移耦合模型.提出直齿轮修形齿面快速精确有限元建模方法,采用修形函数控制渐开线发生线长度修改齿面上的节点坐标,实现修形齿面快速精确重构,以齿面应力分布均匀为主要目标,迭代求解修形齿轮应力分布优化了齿轮修形参数.     

三种群阶段结构竞争系统的稳定性

本文用种群动力学的方法建立阶段结构的种群模型，得到阶段结构三种群竞争系统的全局渐近稳定性条件。