It is well known that the ionosphere has significant influences on the radio wave propagation, for example, can result in radio signal scintillation. In general, the scintillations in the low latitude ionosphere are considered as signatures of equatorial plasma bubbles (depletions). However, some authors considered that the scintillations may also be associated with plasma blobs (enhancements), but it needs further observation to be confirmed. We performed a case study on concurrent observation of ionospheric plasma blob with in-situ measurements by satellite ROCSAT-1 and of radio signal amplitude scintillations with GPS receiver at low latitude Hainan station (19.5°N, 109.1°E, Mag 8.9°N) on March 8, 2004. The ionospheric plasma blob in the F-layer measured in-situ had extend distance of about 375 km along the orbit. The ion density inside the blobs was very high and severely disturbed. The concurrently observed GPS signal amplitude scintillations were with S 4 > 0.2 over the same station. There was no plasma bubble observed while the plasma blob appearing. Therefore, we can conclude that radio signal amplitude scintillations in this case were associated with the plasma blob. It confirms that the amplitude scintillations can also be caused by the plasma blob at low latitude.

Based on vertical sounding data from nine ionosondes located at 19–66°N, 100–130°E we investigated the latitude-temporal dynamics of ionospheric disturbances during the 17–19 March 2015 severe two-step geomagnetic storm, and compared it with temporal dynamics of total electron content (TEC) profiles along 120°E. The phenomena that accompanied the main and early recovery storm phases were in particular focused on in this study. The distinct storm-related ionospheric disturbances began 2.5, 4 and 5h after onset of the storm main phase at subauroral, middle and low latitudes, respectively. To clarify the main mechanisms causing the disturbances at different latitudes we compared the changes in ionospheric parameters and TEC profiles with changes in the northern polar cap index and geomagnetic field in the vicinity of 120°E. The equatorward shift of the main ionospheric trough (MIT) and diffuse precipitations zone accompanied by an increase in precipitating particle flux was found to have a substantial influence on the subauroral ionosphere during the main and early recovery phases. The thermosphere Joule heating due to westward and polarized jets led to an increase in neutral wind velocity and generation of disturbed dynamo electric field. The strengthened wind was the main reason of the positive ionospheric disturbance observed at middle latitudes in the evening on 17 March. The further enhancement of magnetospheric convection caused the displacement of MIT and its associated negative ionospheric disturbance to middle latitudes. At low latitudes superposition of prompt penetration and disturbed dynamo electric fields play the decisive role in the ionosphere behavior till the end of the early recovery phase.

In this paper, the data from DPS-4 digisonde at high latitude stations Zhigansk and Yakutsk in 2006 are used to study the occurrence time and the seasonal variations of four types of ionospheric SF. The results show that the frequency spread-F (FSF) and mixed spread-F (MSF) are the main types over Zhigansk and Yakutsk. The FSF occurrence time has significant seasonal variations over both two stations, while MSF almost occurs during 18:00-06:00LT in all seasons. The high latitude ionospheric trough may be the main reason of the FSF occurrence, the precipitation particles and Joule heating in night-side magnetosphere may be the principal cause of MSF. © 2013 by Editorial Department of Chinese Journal of Radio Science.

astronomer, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and Director of the P K Shternberg State Institute of Astronomy of Moscow State University (GAISh MGU in Russ. abbr.) celebrated his 70th birthday on 7 July 2010. Anatolii Mikhailovich was born in Syzran on 7 July 1940. His mother worked as nurse at the Syzran division of emergency medical service. His father, a lieutenant in the artillery, was killed in action in 1941, at the very outset of the Great Patriotic war with Nazi Germany. Anatolii Mikhailovich's professional progress was outstanding: from amateur astronomer at a Syzran school to professor and director of the largest astronomy institute at Moscow State University (MGU). In half a century of active research he obtained results that made him well known to the international community working on the physics of stars, close binary stellar systems, relativistic objects, and active galactic nuclei. In 1972±1973, at the dawn of the era of X-ray astronomy, A M Cherepashchuk and his coworkers carried out groundbreaking work studying the optical variability of X-ray binaries. He proposed the currently widely used method for evaluating the orbital inclination of an X-ray binary system from the observed ellipticity effect of the optical star, and gave one of the first estimates of the mass of the black hole in the Cygnus X-1 system. He discovered the optical eclipses of a unique object SS433Ð `the puzzle of the century'Ðand gave evidence that this object represents a massive X-ray binary system at an advanced stage of evolution and has a supercritical accretion disk precessing around the black hole. The investigation of SS433 carried out byAMCherepashchuk led to the identification of a new class of galactic objects, now known as microquasars. He developed effective methods of calculating the light curves, line profiles, and radial velocity curves of X-ray binaries in the framework of complex, nontraditional models; he developed methods for the interpretation of radial velocity curves that still have no analogues anywhere in the world. A M Cherepashchuk, together with disciples of Academician A N Tikhonov, developed methods for solving inverse problems in astronomy. Applying these methods, A M Cherepashchuk suggested reliable estimates of the masses of a number of black holes and neutron stars in X-ray binaries. In 1971, in collaboration with V M Lyutyi, he discovered the retardation effect of changes in the profile of broad emission lines relative to the variability of the continuous spectrum of active galactic nuclei. The measurement of this retardation provided an opportunity to estimate the distance from the central black hole to the enveloping gas clouds. A search for the retardation effects in many galaxies was later added to the program of the NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Now the study of the variability of the lines and the search for retardation effects have evolved into a new research field in studying the structure of the nuclei of active galaxies and determining the masses of supermassive black holes by the echo mapping technique. This method was used to determine the masses of dozens of black holes in galactic nuclei whose masses fall within 10 ÿ 10 solar masses. Dozens of masses of stellar black holes and neutron stars in binary systems were measured in the same way. This gave rise to a new area of relativistic astrophysicsÐ the demography of stellar black holesÐwhich studies statistical relationships between black holes, stars, and galaxies of different types. Professor A M Cherepashchuk does a great deal of teaching. For many years now he has presented a special course `Close binary stellar systems' at Moscow State University. About twenty of his students have earned CandSc degrees, and four have earned DSc degrees. He has published over 300 scientific papers and several monographs. Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk 180 (8) 895 ± 896 (2010) DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0180.201008o.0895 Translated by V I Kisin PERSONALIA PACS number: 01.60.+q

The temporal variations of the low latitude nighttime spread F (SF) observed by DPS-4 digisonde at low latitude Hainan station (geog. 19.5° N, 109.1° E, dip lat. 9.5° N) during the declining solar cycle 23 from March 2002 to February 2008 are studied. The spread F measured by the digisonde were classified into four types, i.e., frequency SF (FSF), range SF (RSF), mixed SF (MSF), and strong range SF (SSF). The statistical results show that MSF and SSF are the outstanding irregularities in Hainan, MSF mainly occurs during summer and low solar activity years, whereas SSF mainly occurs during equinoxes and high solar activity years. The SSF has a diurnal peak before midnight and usually appears during 20:00–02:00 LT, whereas MSF peaks nearly or after midnight and occurs during 22:00–06:00 LT. The time of maximum occurrence of SSF is later in summer than in equinoxes and this time delay can be caused by the later reversal time of the E×B drift in summer. The SunSpot Number (SSN) dependence of each type SF is different during different season. The FSF is independent of SSN during each season; RSF with SSN is positive relation during equinoxes and summer and is no relationship during the winter; MSF is significant dependence on SSN during the summer and winter, and does not relate to SSN during the equinoxes; SSF is clearly increasing with SSN during equinoxes and summer, while it is independent of SSN during the winter. The occurrence numbers of each type SF and total SF have the same trend, i.e., increasing as Kp increases from 0 to 1, and then decreasing as increasing Kp. The correlation with Kp is negative for RSF, MSF, SSF and total SF, but is vague for the FSF.

A new model of solar activity influence on the parameters of the terrestrial climate system is discussed. The main points of the model of solar activity effect on the terrestrial climate system are presented. The key conception of this model is the influence of heliogeophysical disturbances on the terrestrial climate system parameters controlling the energy flux going from the Earth to the space in polar regions. The model is based on the physical mechanism of the influence of heliogeophysical factors on climate characteristics and atmospheric circulation in high-latitude troposphere through atmospheric electricity. According to this model, the growth of solar activity results in the decrease of radiative cooling in high-latitude regions, increase of temperature of lower and middle troposphere, reorganization of the thermobaric field, decrease of the mean meridional gradient of temperature between polar and equatorial regions, which determine the meridional transportation of heat. The decrease of heat flow-out from low-latitude regions results in temperature increase in lower and middle latitude regions, and increase of heat content of the ocean and climate system. Some observational data are presented that confirm the proposed model. © 2009 BBSCS RN SWS. All rights reserved.

Гермоген Филиппович Крымский (к 70-летию со дня рождения), Бережко Е.Г., Гуревич А.В., Железняков В.В., Жеребцов Г.А., Скринский А.Н., Сюняев Р.А., Черепащук А.М., Ширков Д.В.

ing theoretical physicist, had his 70th birthday on 18 November 2007. He was born in Olekminsk of the Yakutsk Autonomous Republic into a family of workers, F V Krymsky and N N Krymskaya. G F Krymsky's main field of interest came to the fore in the first years of his work at the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy (IKFIA in Russ. abbr.) of the Siberian Branch (SB) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) (the Institute operated at the time under the auspices of the Yakutsk affiliate of the SB of the USSR Academy of Sciences). G F Krymsky started working there in 1959 after graduating from the Physics Department of Yakutsk State University. From his very first days of working in IKFIA under the guidance of Professor A I Kuz'min, he took active part in the creation of the then-unique complex of underground spectrograph for recording high-energy cosmic rays. Rich experimental data was accumulated with this facility as early as the beginning of the 1960s; it played an important role in clarifying the physical nature of the interaction of cosmic rays with interplanetary media. The capabilities of experimental setups recording high-energy cosmic rays (10 ± 10 eV) were extended substantially owing to a method proposed and implemented by G F Krymsky: the global survey for which the global network of ground-based stations acted as a unified multidirectional instrument. The application of this method made it possible to achieve appreciable advances in the experimental investigation of intensity fluctuations in cosmic rays. At the stage when a conceptual basis was being built in the first half of 1960s in the physics of interaction between cosmic rays and the interplanetary medium, decisive progress was achieved through theoretical work done by G F Krymsky. In 1964, he gave an exhaustive explanation of the so-called diurnal variation in the intensity of cosmic rays. It was shown that this phenomenon essentially consists in the formation of the anisotropy of angular distribution of cosmic rays by a modulating action of solar wind, and that the unusual direction of anisotropy is caused by the effect of the interplanetary magnetic field. The quantitative description of this and of a number of other phenomena became possible through the diffusive cosmic-ray transport equation introduced by G FKrymsky in 1964. This equation lies at the foundation of the modern theory of propagation and acceleration of cosmic rays in interplanetary and interstellar media. At the beginning of the 1970s, G F Krymsky started the study of the mechanisms of acceleration (generation) of cosmic rays. He was able to achieve important progress in 1977 when he established theoretically the reality of the process of regular acceleration of charged particles by shock waves. As with any other breakthrough idea, the discovery of regular acceleration gave rise to an entire research area in the physics of cosmic rays. Numerous experiments carried out in space leave us in no doubt that the process of regular acceleration plays an important role in forming the spectrum of high-energy particles in outer space. We have every reason to believe that the main part of observed galactic cosmic rays are generated in the supernova remnants by regular acceleration. A detailed theory of acceleration of cosmic rays in supernova remnants, developed by G F Krymsky and his disciples, allows one to generate predictions that permit direct experimental testing. In all cases of young, not too distant supernova remnants for which we have detailed measurements of nonthermal radiation produced by cosmic rays in different spectral bands, including high-energy gamma radiation, the predictions of the theory are in good agreement with experimental data. This fact confirms that cosmic rays are efficiently produced in supernova remnants. Energetic progress in gamma-ray astronomy allows us to anticipate the emergence in near future of new conclusive evidence that the main part of cosmic rays is indeed generated in supernova remnants, and the role played by Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk 177 (11) 1255 ± 1256 (2007) DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0177.200711i.1255 Translated by V I Kisin PERSONALIA PACS number: 01.60.+q

Possible mechanisms of solar-climatic connections, which may be of importance as over short and long time intervals, are discussed. The variations of energetic balance of Earth’s climatic system for the last fifty years are estimated. It is ascertained that the disbalance between the flux of solar energy that comes to the Earth and radiates to space is of 0.1% for the last ten years. The suggested mechanism makes it possible to explain not only the observed variation of the enthalpy of the Earth’s climatic system for the period 1910-1980, but also the climate anomalies during last thousand years: the climate optimum in 12 century, and "small glacial period" in 16-17 centuries.

In the Institute of Solar-Terrest rial Physics (Irkutsk, Russia), a radio instrument network has been created for investigation of the upper atmosphere. The network includes the Irkutsk incoherent scatter (IS) radar, the multi-position chirp-ionosonde for investigating the ionosphere using the methods of vertical, oblique-incidence and backscatter sounding includes 1 receiving station and 3 transmitting stations located at Norilsk, Magadan, and near the IS radar. Continuous observations of the ionosphere are made with the Digisondes at Norilsk and Irkutsk. This paper presents the network description and some examples of comprehensive investigations of in the ionosphere during years of high and moderate solar activity, including the events from October 2003.

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of the sun's global magnetic structure, solar wind parameters, the interplanetary magnetic field and geomagnetic activity during fast global changes of magnetic fields on the Sun.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html