ALBERT

Description: In April 2002 the IVS (International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry) set up the Pilot Project - Tropospheric Parameters, and the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics (IGG), Vienna, was put in charge of coordinating the project. Seven IVS Analysis Centers have joined the project and regularly submitted their estimates of tropospheric parameters (wet and total zenith delays, horizontal gradients) for all IVS-R1 mid IVS-R4 sessions since January 1st, 2002. The individual submissions are combined by a two-step procedure to obtain stable, robust and highly accurate tropospheric parameter time series with one hour resolution (internal accuracy: 2-4 ram). Starting with July 2003, the combined tropospheric estimates became operational IVS products. In the second half of October 2002 the VLBI campaign CONT02 was observed with 8 stations participating around the globe. At four of them (Gilmore Creek, U.S.A.; Hartebeesthoek, South Africa; Kokee Park, U.S.A.; Ny-Alesund, Norway) also total zenith delays from DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite) are available and these estimates are compared with those from the IGS (International GPS Service) and the IVS. The distance from the DORIS beacons to the co-located GPS and VLBI stations is around 2 km or less for the four sites mentioned above.

Description: Aiming at a better understanding of the mechanisms heating the chromospheres, transition regions, and coronae of cool stars, we study ultraviolet, low-resolution Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra of Hyades main-sequence F stars. We study the B-V dependence(s) of the chromospheric and transition layer emission line fluxes and their dependences on rotational velocities. We find that the transition layer emission line fluxes and also those of strong chromospheric lines decrease steeply between B-V = 0.42 and 0.45, i.e., at spectral type F5, for which the rotational velocities also decrease steeply. The magnitude of the line-flux decrease increases for lines of ions with increasing degree of ionization. This shows that the line-flux decrease is not due to a change in the surface filling factor but rather due to a change of the relative importance of different heating mechanisms. For early F stars with B-V 〈 0.42 we find for the transition layer emission lines increasing fluxes for increasing v sin i, indicating magnetohydrodynamic heating. The v sin i dependence is strongest for the high-ionization lines. On the other hand, the low chromospheric lines show no dependence on v sin i, indicating acoustic shock heating for these layers. This also contributes to the heating of the transition layers. The Mg II and Ca II lines show decreasing fluxes for increasing v sin i, as long as v sin i is less than approx. 40 km/s. The coronal X-ray emission also decreases for increasing v sin i, except for v sin i larger than approx. 100 km/s. We have at present no explanation for this behavior. For late F stars the chromospheric lines show v sin i dependences similar to those observed for early F stars, again indicating acoustic heating for these layers. We were unable to determine the v sin i dependence of the transition layer lines because of too few single star targets. The decrease of emission line fluxes at the spectral type F5, with steeply decreasing v sin i, indicates, however, a decreasing contribution of magnetohydrodynamic heating for the late F stars. The X-ray emission for the late F stars increases for increasing v sin i, indicating magnetohydrodynamic heating for the coronae of the late F stars, different from the early F stars.