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The derivation of the magnetic monopole is entirely related to the symmetry of space-time manifold and the theory of gauge transformation that decouples the vector potential fields to charge. The mathematical details regarding the monopole and its quantum gauge transformation are being addressed in this paper.

The Earth’s carbon and hydrologic cycles are intimately coupled by gas exchange through plant stomata. However, uncertainties in the magnitude and consequences of the physiological responses of plants to elevated CO2in natural environments hinders modelling of terrestrial water cycling and carbon storage. Here we use annually resolved long-term δ13C tree-ring measurements across a European forest network to reconstruct the physiologically driven response of intercellular CO2(Ci) caused by atmospheric CO2(Ca) trends. When removing meteorological signals from the δ13C measurements, we find that trees across Europe regulated gas exchange so that for one ppmv atmospheric CO2increase, Ciincreased by ∼0.76 ppmv, most consistent with moderate control towards a constant Ci/Caratio. This response corresponds to twentieth-century intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) increases of 14 ± 10 and 22 ± 6% at broadleaf and coniferous sites, respectively. An ensemble of process-based global vegetation models shows similar CO2effects on iWUE trends. Yet, when operating these models with climate drivers reintroduced, despite decreased stomatal opening, 5% increases in European forest transpiration are calculated over the twentieth century. This counterintuitive result arises from lengthened growing seasons, enhanced evaporative demand in a warming climate, and increased leaf area, which together oppose effects of CO2-induced stomatal closure. Our study questions changes to the hydrological cycle, such as reductions in transpiration and air humidity, hypothesized to result from plant responses to anthropogenic emissions.

Abstract: The climatic variability in the past on the time scales from several tens to several hundreds of million years has been analyzed based on the paleoclimatic data with a time resolution of several years (the variations in the fossil tree ring widths, varve). The revealed periodicity in the climatic parameters correlates with the observed solar activity cyclicity, which indicates that this periodicity effectively influences climate changes independently of differences in the climatic conditions in the considered interval.

Abstract: The response of the nonlinear oscillatory system to an insignificant external disturbance has been considered as applied to the effect of solar activity on climatic processes. Based on a simplified model, it has been indicated that the response of a nonlinear oscillator to a weak disturbing impact can be substantial. The oscillator fluctuation spectrum can decrease under the action of a disturbing factor. This means that the effect of an even weak solar or cosmophysical signal to the Earth’s climatic system can lead to significant climate variations if this system is nonlinear. However, it will be rather difficult to identify the solar—climatic nature of these variations because a linear relation between the cause and response is absent.

Abstract: Paleoclimatological reconstructions of temperature of the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere for the last thousand years have been studied using the up-to-date methods of statistical analysis. It has bee indicated that the quasisecular (a period of 60–130 years) cyclicity, which is observed in the climate of the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, has a bimodal structure, i.e., being composed of the 60–85 and 85–130 year periodicities. The possible relation of the quasisecular climatic rhythm to the corresponding Gleissberg solar cycle has been studied using the solar activity reconstructions performed with the help of the solar paleoastrophysics methods.

Abstract: The most reliable data on a change in the intensity of cosmic rays and geomagnetic field on large time scales have been analyzed, and the relations between changes in these processes and climate during the last 1.5 Myr have been studied. An analysis indicated that the climate of the Earth is affected by changes in the Earth’s orbit parameters and geomagnetic dipole values; however, the climate responds to these changes with a delay of 10 kyr and immediately, respectively. In this case about two thirds of the effect of eccentricity on 18O is implemented via an intermediate chain: virtual axial dipole moment, changes in which can be related to changes in eccentricity. Thus, an analysis of the accumulated data on the processes, proceeding in the Earth’s atmosphere during the interaction with cosmic rays on the scales of several years to several hundreds of thousand years, indicates that the cosmophysical factor of influence on climate cannot be rejected. To make the conclusion more convincing, it is necessary to collect data for the studied time interval in a much wider region, to more accurately date samples, and to study the response of the climatic system to the external influence.

Abstract: A joint analysis of paleodata on variations in cosmic ray fluxes, solar activity, geomagnetic field, and climate during the period from ∼10000 to ∼100000 years ago has been performed. Data on the time variations in the concentration of 14C and 10Be cosmogenic isotopes, which are generated in the Earth’s atmosphere under the action of cosmic ray fluxes modulated by solar activity and geomagnetic field variations, were used to detect variations in solar activity and the geomagnetic dipole. Information about climate changes has been obtained mainly from variations in the concentration of stable isotopes in the natural archives. A performed analysis indicates that the variations in cosmic ray fluxes under the action of variations in the geomagnetic field and solar activity are apparently one of the most effective natural factors of long-term climate changeability on a large time scale.

Direct and indirect data on variations in cosmic rays, solar activity, geomagnetic dipole moment, and climate from the present to 10–12ka ago (the Holocene Epoch), registered in different natural archives (tree rings, ice layers, etc.), have been analyzed. The concentration of cosmogenic isotopes, generated in the Earth’s atmosphere under the action of cosmic ray fluxes and coming into the Earth archives, makes it possible to obtain valuable information about variations in a number of natural processes. The cosmogenic isotopes 14C in tree rings and 10Be in ice layers, as well as cosmic rays, are modulated by solar activity and geomagnetic field variations, and time variations in these concentrations gives information about past solar and geomagnetic activities. Since the characteristics of natural reservoirs with cosmogenic 14C and 10Be vary with climate changes, the concentrations of these isotopes also inform about climate changes in the past. A performed analysis indicates that cosmic ray flux variations are apparently the most effective natural factor of climate changes on a large time scale.

Different records of solar activity (Wolf and group sunspot number, data on cosmogenic isotopes, historic data) were analyzed by means of modern statistical methods, including one especially developed for this purpose. It was confirmed that two long-term variations in solar activity – the cycles of Gleissberg and Suess – can be distinguished at least during the last millennium. The results also show that the century-type cycle of Gleissberg has a wide frequency band with a double structure consisting of 50–80 years and 90–140 year periodicities. The structure of the Suess cycle is less complex showing a variation with a period of 170–260 years. Strong variability in Gleissberg and Suess frequency bands was found in northern hemisphere temperature multiproxy that confirms the existence of a long-term relationship between solar activity and terrestial climate.

AbstractStill active Sub-Andean foreland deformation is suggested to have syndepositionally modified the fluvial depositional environments in the Peruvian Amazonian foreland basin throughout Neogene-Quaternary time. Modern fluvial aggradation continues to proceed on a large scale (c. 120 000 km2) in two differing depositional systems. Firstly, various multistoried floodbasin deposits are derived from the meandering and anastomosing rivers within the subsiding intraforeland basins. Secondly, in the northern part of the Pastaza-Mara?on basin the largest known Holocene alluvial fan-like formation (c. 60 000 km2) composed of reworked, volcaniclastic debris derived from active Ecuadorian volcanoes, has been identified.The widespread, poorly known, dissected surface alluvium (terra firme) which covers the main part of the Peruvian Amazonian foreland basin shows further evidence of long-term foreland deformation, and terraces indicate both the effects of tectonism and Pleistocene climatic oscillations. In northern Peru, the surface alluvium was deposited by a Tertiary fluvial system with palaeocurrents to the west and northwest into the Andean foreland basin. In southern Peru, the respective surficial alluvium was part of a post-Miocene fluvial system flowing northeast into the main Amazon basin. Both systems were gradually abandoned when the eastward migrating Andean foreland deformation led to the more distinctive partitioning of the intraforeland basins, and the modern drainage system was created.

In the assessment of dose received from a nuclear accident, considerable attention has been paid to retrospective dosimetry using heated materials such as household ceramics and bricks. However, unheated materials such as mortar and concrete are more commonly found in industrial sites and particularly in nuclear installations. These materials contain natural dosemeters such as quartz, which usually is less sensitive than its heated counterpart. The potential of quartz extracted from mortar is a wall of a low-level radioactive-waste storage facility containing distributed sources of 60Co and 137Cs has been investigated. Dose-depth profiles based on small aliquots and single grains from the quartz extracted from the mortar samples are reported here. These are compared with results from heated quartz and polymineral fine grains extracted from an adjacent brick, and the integrated dose recorded by environmental TLDs.

Systematic tests were made in order to determine the neutron and gamma response characteristics of LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors MCP-7s (TLD Niewiadomski) for use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The results of the tests showed that: (1) the shapes and glow peak structures of glow curves after mixed neutron-gamma irradiations differed considerably between test samples selected from two production batches; (2) all response characteristics repeated well among detectors of the same batch; and (3) sufficiently long pre-irradiation annealing at 260(C (>3 min) regenerated the detectors to a stable ground state (original distribution of detector sensitivities among the sample) much better than annealing at 240(C. It was concluded that comprehensive quality control tests must be made and that the optimum TLD process must be planned for each production batch of 7LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors intended for use in BNCT dosimetry.

Luminescence properties of a microline from the Baikal region in Russia were investigated. Special attention was paid to the effect of UV bleaching on TL and IRSL. Based on the observations a model including two electron traps corresponding to the low and high temperature peaks in the TL glow curve, and one luminescence centre is proposed.

As part of our continuing work on assessing the usefulness of natural and artificial dosemeters in retrospective accident dosimetry, the natural photon dose rates within bricks have been measured using the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) from Al2O3:C single crystal dosemeters. These were placed in bricks in house walls for two weeks to integrate the environmental dose rates after which their OSL signals were measured. These results were compared with (1) OSL measurements of quartz samples extracted from the bricks and (2) dose rates determined from laboratory measurements of the natural radio-nuclide concentrations. It is concluded that the excellent OSL characteristics of Al2O3:C are attractive for use in short-term evaluations of the environmental dose rates. Depth dose profiles were also measured in bricks, after irradiation in the laboratory with 137Cs gamma rays, using (1) Al2O3C single crystals distributed in holes across a brick section and (2) quartz (extracted from the matrix of the brick) taken across the same section. These were compared with typical depth dose profiles found in bricks collected in the Chernobyl accident area and demonstrate retrospectively that the average energy of the initial accident radiation was lower than that of 137Cs gamma rays.

The construction of a unit for measuring optically stimulated luminescence from quartz and fledspar is described. The light sources used for stimulation are infrared diodes for feldspar and green light from a halogen lamp (obtained with a system of filters) for both quartz and feldspar. The unit can be mounted on the Riso TL reader thus allowing combined TL and OSL measurements. The apparatus was used for studies of (1) the relation between TL and OSL signals, (2) the luminescence of quartz samples annealed at different temperatures and (3) anomalous fading of the latent luminescence signal in feldspar.

Environmental materials including bricks, tiles porcelain fixtures and a variety of other ceramic objects were collected in July, 1990, and August, 1991, from indoor and outdoor locations in the town of Pripyat, situated 3 km NW of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The samples were distributed to a number of laboratories to investigate their suitability for thermoluminescence dosimetry and for measurement of gamma ray doses with samples deemed suitable, using pre-dose, fine-grain and quartz inclusion thermoluminescence techniques. In the most heavily exposed region of Pripyat, values ranged from near background (" 0.1 Gy) in the most shielded interior locations of apartment buildings to a maximum of 0.6 Gy directly behind closed windows, while exterior values ranged from 1.7 to 2.3 Gy for samples located at least 1 m above ground level.

When applied to porcelain products, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) is a potentially viable method for use in dose reconstruction following contamination from nuclear accidents. However, dose sensitivities are highly variable, depending on what type of porcelain is being measured. This appears to arise from the fact that OSL is potentially stimulated in a variety of component phases of the ceramic, and these phases vary from sample to sample. This article reports an initial attempt at characterising the luminescence properties of widely available porcelain wares manufactured under a variety of conditions, in order to establish the principal luminescent components of the material. Correlation of the luminescence properties is then made with the OSL dose sensitivities. It is shown that where alumina or zircon have been added as raw ingredient of the porcelain, the end products tend to have the highest sensitivities to radiation dose. Moreover, the presence of these phases is easily identifiable by characteristic signatures in the luminescence emission spectra.