11,691 research outputs found
Implications of Saito's coronal density model on the polar solar wind flow and heavy ion abundances
A comparison of polar solar wind proton flux upper limits derived using a coronal density model, with Lyman alpha measurements of the length of the neutral H tail of comet Bennet at high latitudes, shows that either extended heating beyond 2 solar radii is necessary some of the time or that the model's polar densities are too low. Whichever possibility is the case, the fact that the solar wind particle flux does not appear to decrease with increasing latitude indicates that the heavy element content of the high latitude wind may be similar to that observed in the ecliptic. It was then shown that solar wind heavy ion observations at high latitudes allow a determination of the electron temperature at heights which bracket the nominal location of the coronal temperature maximum thus providing information concerning the magnitude and extent of mechanical dissipation in the intermediate corona
Interstellar helium in interplanetary space
The velocity distribution function of He(+) in the solar wind at 1 AU is calculated with the assumption that the source is photoionization of a cold (T = 100 K), neutral interstellar wind. If the spiral magnetic field is noise free, the velocity distribution is diffuse and would not produce a peak at 4(E over Q) sub H in an E over Q particle spectrum. If the velocity of the interstellar wind with respect to the sun lies in the ecliptic, a large variation of the He(+) number density with respect to ecliptic longitude is expected
A Rigorous Proof of Fermi Liquid Behavior for Jellium Two-Dimensional Interacting Fermions
Using the method of continuous constructive renormalization group around the
Fermi surface, it is proved that a jellium two-dimensional interacting system
of Fermions at low temperature remains analytic in the coupling constant
for where is some numerical constant
and is the temperature. Furthermore in that range of parameters, the first
and second derivatives of the self-energy remain bounded, a behavior which is
that of Fermi liquids and in particular excludes Luttinger liquid behavior. Our
results prove also that in dimension two any transition temperature must be
non-perturbative in the coupling constant, a result expected on physical
grounds. The proof exploits the specific momentum conservation rules in two
dimensions.Comment: 4 pages, no figure
Testing the Unitarity of the CKM Matrix with a Space-Based Neutron Decay Experiment
If the Standard Model is correct, and fundamental fermions exist only in the
three generations, then the CKM matrix should be unitary. However, there
remains a question over a deviation from unitarity from the value of the
neutron lifetime. We discuss a simple space-based experiment that, at an orbit
height of 500 km above Earth, would measure the kinetic-energy, solid-angle,
flux spectrum of gravitationally bound neutrons (kinetic energy K<0.606 eV at
this altitude). The difference between the energy spectrum of neutrons that
come up from the Earth's atmosphere and that of the undecayed neutrons that
return back down to the Earth would yield a measurement of the neutron
lifetime. This measurement would be free of the systematics of laboratory
experiments. A package of mass kg could provide a 10^{-3} precision in
two years.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Revised and updated for publicatio
Reconnecting Magnetic Flux Tubes as a Source of In Situ Acceleration in Extragalactic Radio Sources
Many extended extragalactic radio sources require a local {\it in situ\/}
acceleration mechanism for electrons, in part because the synchrotron lifetimes
are shorter than the bulk travel time across the emitting regions. If the
magnetic field in these sources is localized in flux tubes, reconnection may
occur between regions of plasma \be (ratio of particle to magnetic pressure)
, even though averaged over the plasma volume may be \gsim 1.
Reconnection in low regions is most favorable to acceleration from
reconnection shocks. The reconnection X-point regions may provide the injection
electrons for their subsequent non-thermal shock acceleration to distributions
reasonably consistent with observed spectra. Flux tube reconnection might
therefore be able to provide acceleration required by large scale
jets and lobes.Comment: 14 pages, plain TeX, accepted to Ap.J.Let
On Collisionless Electron-Ion Temperature Equilibration in the Fast Solar Wind
We explore a mechanism, entirely new to the fast solar wind, of electron
heating by lower hybrid waves to explain the shift to higher charge states
observed in various elements in the fast wind at 1 A.U. relative to the
original coronal hole plasma. This process is a variation on that previously
discussed for two temperature accretion flows by Begelman & Chiueh. Lower
hybrid waves are generated by gyrating minor ions (mainly alpha-particles) and
become significant once strong ion cyclotron heating sets in beyond 1.5 R_sun.
In this way the model avoids conflict with SUMER electron temperature
diagnostic measurements between 1 and 1.5 R_sun. The principal requirement for
such a process to work is the existence of density gradients in the fast solar
wind, with scale length of similar order to the proton inertial length. Similar
size structures have previously been inferred by other authors from radio
scintillation observations and considerations of ion cyclotron wave generation
by global resonant MHD waves.Comment: 32 pages including 11 figures, 4 tables, accepted by Ap
Sources of magnetic fields in recurrent interplanetary streams
The sources of magnetic fields in recurrent streams were examined. Most fields and plasmas at 1 AU were related to coronal holes, and the magnetic field lines were open in those holes. Some of the magnetic fields and plasmas were related to open field line regions on the sun which were not associated with known coronal holes, indicating that open field lines are more basic than coronal holes as sources of the solar wind. Magnetic field intensities in five equatorial coronal holes ranged from 2G to 18G. Average measured photospheric magnetic fields along the footprints of the corresponding unipolar fields on circular equatorial arcs at 2.5 solar radii had a similar range and average, but in two cases the intensities were approximately three times higher than the projected intensities. The coronal footprints of the sector boundaries on the source surface at 2.5 solar radii, meandered between -45 deg and +45 deg latitude, and their inclination ranged from near zero to near ninety degrees
Combined Gamma Ray/neutron Spectroscopy for Mapping Lunar Resources
Some elements in the Moon can be resources, such as hydrogen and oxygen. Other elements, like Ti or the minerals in which they occur, such as ilmenite, could be used in processing lunar materials. Certain elements can also be used as tracers for other elements or lunar processes, such as hydrogen for mature regoliths with other solar-wind-implanted elements like helium, carbon, and nitrogen. A complete knowledge of the elemental composition of a lunar region is desirable both in identifying lunar resources and in lunar geochemical studies, which also helps in identifying and using lunar resources. The use of gamma ray and neutron spectroscopy together to determine abundances of many elements in the top few tens of centimeters of the lunar surface is discussed. To date, very few discussions of elemental mapping of planetary surfaces considered measurements of both gamma rays and the full range of neutron energies. The theories for gamma ray and neutron spectroscopy of the Moon and calculations of leakage fluxes are presented here with emphasis on why combined gamma ray/neutron spectroscopy is much more powerful than measuring either radiation alone
- …