An auroral flare at Jupiter

Jupiter's aurora is the most powerful in the Solar System. It is powered largely by energy extracted from planetary rotation, although there seems also to be a contribution from the solar wind. This contrasts with Earth's aurora, which is generated through the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere. The major features of Jupiter's aurora (based on far-ultraviolet, near-infrared and visible-wavelength observations) include a main oval that generally corotates with the planet and a region of patchy, diffuse emission inside the oval on Jupiter's dusk side. Here we report the discovery of a rapidly evolving, very bright and localized emission poleward of the northern main oval, in a region connected magnetically to Jupiter's outer magnetosphere. The intensity of the emission increased by a factor of 30 within 70 s, and then decreased on a similar timescale, all captured during a single four-minute exposure. This type of flaring emission has not previously been reported for Jupiter (similar, but smaller, transient events have been observed at Earth), and it may be related directly to changes in the solar wind.     

An intense stratospheric jet on Jupiter

The Earth's equatorial stratosphere shows oscillations in which the east-west winds reverse direction and the temperatures change cyclically with a period of about two years. This phenomenon, called the quasi-biennial oscillation, also affects the dynamics of the mid- and high-latitude stratosphere and weather in the lower atmosphere. Ground-based observations have suggested that similar temperature oscillations (with a 4-5-yr cycle) occur on Jupiter, but these data suffer from poor vertical resolution and Jupiter's stratospheric wind velocities have not yet been determined. Here we report maps of temperatures and winds with high spatial resolution, obtained from spacecraft measurements of infrared spectra of Jupiter's stratosphere. We find an intense, high-altitude equatorial jet with a speed of approximately 140 m s(-1), whose spatial structure resembles that of a quasi-quadrennial oscillation. Wave activity in the stratosphere also appears analogous to that occurring on Earth. A strong interaction between Jupiter and its plasma environment produces hot spots in its upper atmosphere and stratosphere near its poles, and the temperature maps define the penetration of the hot spots into the stratosphere.     

An abundance of small exoplanets around stars with a wide range of metallicities

The abundance of heavy elements (metallicity) in the photospheres of stars similar to the Sun provides a 'fossil' record of the chemical composition of the initial protoplanetary disk. Metal-rich stars are much more likely to harbour gas giant planets, supporting the model that planets form by accumulation of dust and ice particles. Recent ground-based surveys suggest that this correlation is weakened for Neptunian-sized planets. However, how the relationship between size and metallicity extends into the regime of terrestrial-sized exoplanets is unknown. Here we report spectroscopic metallicities of the host stars of 226 small exoplanet candidates discovered by NASA's Kepler mission, including objects that are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets in the Solar System. We find that planets with radii less than four Earth radii form around host stars with a wide range of metallicities (but on average a metallicity close to that of the Sun), whereas large planets preferentially form around stars with higher metallicities. This observation suggests that terrestrial planets may be widespread in the disk of the Galaxy, with no special requirement of enhanced metallicity for their formation.     

小卫星轨道姿态控制系统仿真软件平台

提出了微小卫星轨道姿态控制系统仿真平台的设计思想,并将卫星轨道、姿态动力学与计算机图形学相结合,设计了基于三维实时动态显示技术的轨道姿态控制系统仿真软件平台,其中包括数据管理与分析、动力学计算、星上姿控程序接口和仿真结果的三维输出。平台用于卫星编队飞行的轨道设计和星上姿态控制程序的地面测试,可以动态仿真演示卫星在发射、测控和应用中的轨道和姿态运动。     

彗—木相撞辐射引力波的估算

选用一合理的模型，估算了１９９４年７月发生的彗（ＳＬ９）—木相撞辐射引力波的强度和功率．所得结果表明引力辐射强度远低于目前引力波检测装置所达到的灵敏度．计算过程与所得结果富有启发性     

一种非规则LDPC码的改进型UMPBP—Based译码算法

为了减小UMPBP—Based译码算法相对于LLR—BP译码算法的性能损失,提出了一种改进型UMPBP—Based译码算法,校验节点消息处理时,通过合理地设置校正因子与偏移因子2种参数,将NormalizedBP-Based和OffsetBP—Based2种译码算法进行有效的融合;变量节点消息处理时,引入了一种LLR—BP译码算法中的震荡补偿算法．仿真结果表明,针对非规则LDPC码,在一定范围内误码率相同的条件下,改进型UMPBP-Based译码算法与UMPBP—Based、NormalizedBP—Based和OffsetBP-Based3种译码算法相比较,译码性能得到明显的改善,可以更有效地逼近性能优异的LLR—BP译码算法．     

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.     

A nebula of gases from Io surrounding Jupiter

Several planetary missions have reported the presence of substantial numbers of energetic ions and electrons surrounding Jupiter; relativistic electrons are observable up to several astronomical units (au) from the planet. A population of energetic (>30[?]keV) neutral particles also has been reported, but the instrumentation was not able to determine the mass or charge state of the particles, which were subsequently labelled energetic neutral atoms. Although images showing the presence of the trace element sodium were obtained, the source and identity of the neutral atoms---and their overall significance relative to the loss of charged particles from Jupiter's magnetosphere---were unknown. Here we report the discovery by the Cassini spacecraft of a fast (>103[?]km[?]s-1) and hot magnetospheric neutral wind extending more than 0.5[?]au from Jupiter, and the presence of energetic neutral atoms (both hot and cold) that have been accelerated by the electric field in the solar wind. We suggest that these atoms originate in volcanic gases from Io, undergo significant evolution through various electromagnetic interactions, escape Jupiter's magnetosphere and then populate the environment around the planet. Thus a 'nebula' is created that extends outwards over hundreds of jovian radii.     

Prediction of a global climate change on Jupiter

Jupiter's atmosphere, as observed in the 1979 Voyager space craft images, is characterized by 12 zonal jet streams and about 80 vortices, the largest of which are the Great Red Spot and three White Ovals that had formed in the 1930s. The Great Red Spot has been observed continuously since 1665 and, given the dynamical similarities between the Great Red Spot and the White Ovals, the disappearance of two White Ovals in 1997-2000 was unexpected. Their longevity and sudden demise has been explained however, by the trapping of anticyclonic vortices in the troughs of Rossby waves, forcing them to merge. Here I propose that the disappearance of the White Ovals was not an isolated event, but part of a recurring climate cycle which will cause most of Jupiter's vortices to disappear within the next decade. In my numerical simulations, the loss of the vortices results in a global temperature change of about 10 K, which destabilizes the atmosphere and thereby leads to the formation of new vortices. After formation, the large vortices are eroded by turbulence over a time of approximately 60 years--consistent with observations of the White Ovals-until they disappear and the cycle begins again.     

Transient aurora on Jupiter from injections of magnetospheric electrons

Energetic electrons and ions that are trapped in Earth's magnetosphere can suddenly be accelerated towards the planet. Some dynamic features of Earth's aurora (the northern and southern lights) are created by the fraction of these injected particles that travels along magnetic field lines and hits the upper atmosphere. Jupiter's aurora appears similar to Earth's in some respects; both appear as large ovals circling the poles and both show transient events. But the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Earth are so different---particularly in the way they are powered---that it is not known whether the magnetospheric drivers of Earth's aurora also cause them on Jupiter. Here we show a direct relationship between Earth-like injections of electrons in Jupiter's magnetosphere and a transient auroral feature in Jupiter's polar region. This relationship is remarkably similar to what happens at Earth, and therefore suggests that despite the large differences between planetary magnetospheres, some processes that generate aurorae are the same throughout the Solar System.     

Chaos-assisted capture of irregular moons

It has been thought that the capture of irregular moons--with non-circular orbits--by giant planets occurs by a process in which they are first temporarily trapped by gravity inside the planet's Hill sphere (the region where planetary gravity dominates over solar tides). The capture of the moons is then made permanent by dissipative energy loss (for example, gas drag) or planetary growth. But the observed distributions of orbital inclinations, which now include numerous newly discovered moons, cannot be explained using current models. Here we show that irregular satellites are captured in a thin spatial region where orbits are chaotic, and that the resulting orbit is either prograde or retrograde depending on the initial energy. Dissipation then switches these long-lived chaotic orbits into nearby regular (non-chaotic) zones from which escape is impossible. The chaotic layer therefore dictates the final inclinations of the captured moons. We confirm this with three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations that include nebular drag, and find good agreement with the observed inclination distributions of irregular moons at Jupiter and Saturn. In particular, Saturn has more prograde irregular moons than Jupiter, which we can explain as a result of the chaotic prograde progenitors being more efficiently swept away from Jupiter by its galilean moons.     

彗星撞木星及其启示

较详尽地综述了１９９４年７月发生的苏梅克－列维彗星撞击木星的前因，全过程，激烈程度，初步观测成果及撞击的后果，以期有助于人们对彗星和木星木质的深入了解，对人类如何避免这类灾仅性天象在地球上重演提供了一些有益的启示。     

小行星轨道受木星的平均摄动研究

引进行星系统的基本作用量子η＝λＧＭ＊／ｃ≈９．２８×１０１４ｍ２ｓ－１和行星椭圆轨道的无量纲根数,推导以这种根数表示的小行星轨道受木星的平均摄动函数和三体摄动方程;再由摄动方程计算小行星轨道受木星的平均摄动;最后,给出了几颗特殊小行星轨道受木星的一阶平均摄动数值     

Discovery of two new satellites of Pluto

Pluto's first known satellite, Charon, was discovered in 1978. It has a diameter (approximately 1,200 km) about half that of Pluto, which makes it larger, relative to its primary, than any other moon in the Solar System. Previous searches for other satellites around Pluto have been unsuccessful, but they were not sensitive to objects less, similar150 km in diameter and there are no fundamental reasons why Pluto should not have more satellites. Here we report the discovery of two additional moons around Pluto, provisionally designated S/2005 P 1 (hereafter P1) and S/2005 P 2 (hereafter P2), which makes Pluto the first Kuiper belt object known to have multiple satellites. These new satellites are much smaller than Charon, with estimates of P1's diameter ranging from 60 km to 165 km, depending on the surface reflectivity; P2 is about 20 per cent smaller than P1. Although definitive orbits cannot be derived, both new satellites appear to be moving in circular orbits in the same orbital plane as Charon, with orbital periods of approximately 38 days (P1) and approximately 25 days (P2).     

An infrared ring around the magnetar SGR 1900+14

Magnetars are a special class of slowly rotating (period approximately 5-12 s) neutron stars with extremely strong magnetic fields (>10(14 )G)--at least an order of magnitude larger than those of the 'normal' radio pulsars. The potential evolutionary links and differences between these two types of object are still unknown; recent studies, however, have provided circumstantial evidence connecting magnetars with very massive progenitor stars. Here we report the discovery of an infrared elliptical ring or shell surrounding the magnetar SGR 1900+14. The appearance and energetics of the ring are difficult to interpret within the framework of the progenitor's stellar mass loss or the subsequent evolution of the supernova remnant. We suggest instead that a dust-free cavity was produced in the magnetar environment by the giant flare emitted by the source in August 1998. Considering the total energy released in the flare, the theoretical dust-destruction radius matches well with the observed dimensions of the ring. We conclude that SGR 1900+14 is unambiguously associated with a cluster of massive stars, thereby solidifying the link between magnetars and massive stars.     

An ancient nova shell around the dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis

Cataclysmic variables (classical novae and dwarf novae) are binary star systems in which a red dwarf transfers hydrogen-rich matter, by way of an accretion disk, to its white dwarf companion. In dwarf novae, an instability is believed to episodically dump much of the accretion disk onto the white dwarf. The liberation of gravitational potential energy then brightens these systems by up to 100-fold every few weeks or months. Thermonuclear-powered eruptions thousands of times more luminous occur in classical novae, accompanied by significant mass ejection and formation of clearly visible shells from the ejected material. Theory predicts that the white dwarfs in all dwarf novae must eventually accrete enough mass to undergo classical nova eruptions. Here we report a shell, an order of magnitude more extended than those detected around many classical novae, surrounding the prototypical dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis. The derived shell mass matches that of classical novae, and is inconsistent with the mass expected from a dwarf nova wind or a planetary nebula. The shell observationally links the prototypical dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis with an ancient nova eruption and the classical nova process.     

多星共位策略研究

分析了各种摄动力对静止卫星轨道根数的综合影响和共位多星相对距离与轨道根数的关系,提出并论证了多星共位策略．并对经度分离共位策略进行了定量研究,给出了同一窗口内共位卫星个数与控制周期及半长轴误差的数量关系,通过仿真计算验证了共位策略的可行性     

同步轨道卫星实时测定轨方法

同步轨道卫星由于其"静止"特性,用多台站时间比对技术精确测定地面站到卫星间的伪距。而在以伪距为观测量的测定轨中,观测方程和动力学方程都是非线性的。为了避免线性化方程带来的误差,并满足实时性要求,该文提出用无味Kalman滤波(unscented Kalman filtering,UKF)法。实验是用5个距离拉开的测轨站采集的实测数据,并通过计算机仿真验证,仿真结果表明UKF法测定轨结果随机误差明显减小,而且满足实时性要求。