EUV lines observed with EIS/Hinode in a solar prominence

<b>Context</b>. During a multi-wavelength observation campaign with Hinode and ground-based instruments, a solar prominence was observed for three consecutive days as it crossed the western limb of the Sun in April 2007.<p></p> <b>Aims.</b> We report on observations obtained on 26 April 2007 using EIS (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer) on Hinode. They are analysed to provide a qualitative diagnostic of the plasma in different parts of the prominence.<p></p> <b>Methods</b>. After correcting for instrumental effects, the rasters at different wavelengths are presented. Several regions within the same prominence are identified for further analysis. Selected profiles for lines with formation temperatures between log (T) = 4.7 and log (T) = 6.3, as well as their integrated intensities, are given. The profiles of coronal, transition region, and He ii lines are discussed. We pay special attention to the He ii line, which is blended with coronal lines.<p></p> <b>Results.</b> Some quantitative results are obtained by analysing the line profiles. They confirm that depression in EUV lines can be interpreted in terms of two mechanisms: absorption of coronal radiation by the hydrogen and neutral helium resonance continua, and emissivity blocking. We present estimates of the He ii line integrated intensity in different parts of the prominence according to different scenarios for the relative contribution of absorption and emissivity blocking to the coronal lines blended with the He ii line. We estimate the contribution of the He ii 256.32 Å line to the He ii raster image to vary between ∼44% and 70% of the raster’s total intensity in the prominence according to the different models used to take into account the blending coronal lines. The inferred integrated intensities of the He ii 256 Å line are consistent with the theoretical intensities obtained with previous 1D non-LTE radiative transfer calculations, yielding a preliminary estimate of the central temperature of 8700 K, a central pressure of 0.33 dyn cm<sup>-2</sup>, and a column mass of 2.5 × 10<sup>-4</sup> g cm<sup>-2</sup>. The corresponding theoretical hydrogen column density (10<sup>20</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>) is about two orders of magnitude higher than those inferred from the opacity estimates at 195 Å. The non-LTE calculations indicate that the He ii 256.32 Å line is essentially formed in the prominence-to-corona transition region by resonant scattering of the incident radiation.<p></p&gt

Large Scale Analysis of Offensive Performance in Football - Using Synchronized Positional and Event Data to Quantify Offensive Actions, Tactics, and Strategies

Offensive performances in football have always been of great focus for fans and clubs alike as evidenced by the fact that nearly all Ballon d’Or winners have been forwards or midfielders. With the increase in availability of granular data, evaluating these performances on a deeper level than just goals scored or gut instinct has become possible. The domain of sports analytics has recently emerged, exploring how applying data science techniques or other statistical methods to sports data can improve decision making within sporting organizations. This thesis follows the footsteps of other sports like baseball or basketball where, at first, offensive performances were analyzed. It consists of four studies exploring various levels of offensive performance, ranging from basic actions to team-level strategy. For that, it uses a dataset part of larger research program that also explores the automatic detection of tactical patterns. This dataset mainly consists of positional and event data from eight seasons of the German Bundesliga and German Bundesliga 2 between the seasons 2013/2014 and 2020/2021. In total this amounts to 4, 896 matches, with highly accurate player and ball positions for every moment of the match and detailed logs of every action that occurred, thus making it one of the largest football datasets to be analyzed at this level of granularity. In a first step, this thesis shows how the two different data sources can be synchronized. With this synchronized data it is possible to better quantify individual basic actions like shots or passes. For both actions new metrics (Expected Goals and Expected Passes) were developed, that use the contextual information to quantify the chance quality and passing difficulty. Using this improved quantification of individual actions, the subsequent studies evaluate offensive performance on a tactical pattern level (how goals are scored) and on a strategy level (what team formations are particular effective offensively). Besides their usage on the performance side, these metrics have also been adapted from broadcasters to enhance their data story telling: Expected goals and expected passes are shown during every Bundesliga match to a worldwide audience, thus bringing the field of sports analytics to millions of fans

Quiescent prominences in the era of ALMA : simulated observations using 3D whole-prominence fine structure model

We use the detailed 3D whole-prominence fine structure model to produce the first simulated high-resolution ALMA observations of a modeled quiescent solar prominence. The synthetic brightness temperature and optical thickness maps shown in the present paper are produced using a visualization method for the sub-millimeter/millimeter radio continua synthesis. We have obtained the simulated observations of both the prominence at the limb and the filament on the disk at wavelengths covering a broad range which encompasses the full potential of ALMA.We demonstrate here to what extent the small-scale and large-scale prominence and filament structures will be visible in the ALMA observations spanning both the optically thin and thick regimes. We analyze the relationship between the brightness and kinetic temperature of the prominence plasma. We also illustrate the opportunities ALMA will provide for studying the thermal structure of the prominence plasma from the cool prominence fine structure cores to the prominence-corona transition region. In addition, we show that the detailed 3D modeling of entire prominences with their numerous fine structures will be important for the correct interpretation of future ALMA prominence observations.PostprintPeer reviewe

On the nature of prominence emission observed by SDO/AIA

The Prominence-Corona Transition Region (PCTR) plays a key role in the thermal and pressure equilibrium of solar prominences. Our knowledge of this interface is limited and several major issues remain open, including the thermal structure and, in particular, the maximum temperature of the detectable plasma. The high signal-to-noise ratio of images obtained by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory clearly show that prominences are often seen in emission in the 171 and 131 bands. We investigate the temperature sensitivity of these AIA bands for prominence observation, in order to infer the temperature content in an effort to explain the emission. Using the CHIANTI atomic database and previously determined prominence differential emission measure distributions, we build synthetic spectra to establish the main emission-line contributors in the AIA bands. We find that the Fe IX line always dominates the 171 band, even in the absence of plasma at > 10^6 K temperatures, while the 131 band is dominated by Fe VIII. We conclude that the PCTR has sufficient plasma emitting at > 4 10^5 K to be detected by AIA.Comment: accepted Ap

Quiescent prominences in the era of ALMA. II. Kinetic temperature diagnostics

Funding: UK STFC, the Leverhulme Trust, and NASA (D.H.M.)We provide the theoretical background for diagnostics of the thermal properties of solar prominences observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). To do this, we employ the 3D Whole-Prominence Fine Structure (WPFS) model that produces synthetic ALMA-like observations of a complex simulated prominence. We use synthetic observations derived at two different submillimeter/millimeter (SMM) wavelengths—one at a wavelength at which the simulated prominence is completely optically thin and another at a wavelength at which a significant portion of the simulated prominence is optically thick—as if these were the actual ALMA observations. This allows us to develop a technique for an analysis of the prominence plasma thermal properties from such a pair of simultaneous high-resolution ALMA observations. The 3D WPFS model also provides detailed information about the distribution of the kinetic temperature and the optical thickness along any line of sight. We can thus assess whether the measure of the kinetic temperature derived from observations accurately represents the actual kinetic temperature properties of the observed plasma. We demonstrate here that in a given pixel the optical thickness at the wavelength at which the prominence plasma is optically thick needs to be above unity or even larger to achieve a sufficient accuracy of the derived information about the kinetic temperature of the analyzed plasma. Information about the optical thickness cannot be directly discerned from observations at the SMM wavelengths alone. However, we show that a criterion that can identify those pixels in which the derived kinetic temperature values correspond well to the actual thermal properties in which the observed prominence can be established.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Cell membrane stability- an important criterion for selection of heat tolerant genotypes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Cell membrane stability, grain filling rate, grain filling duration, canopy temperature and grain yield were used to evaluate performance of 100 diverse bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes under timely sown and late sown heat stress conditions for two cropping season. The genotypes differed significantly for all the traits show-ing considerable variation for improvement of characters. The genotypes WH1165 had significant high grain yield (14.6* g and 11.4g) and (11.3* g and 11.4* g) followed by cell membrane stability under timely sown and heat stress conditions, respectively indicating potential tolerance against heat stress. Correlation coefficients revealed that cell membrane stability (0.451**) and (0.639**) in timely sown and in late sown conditions, respectively were the most important trait followed by grain filling rate (0.882** and 0.744**) under timely sown and late sown conditions respec-tively. Results revealed that bread wheat genotypes which had high value of cell membrane stability had high grain yield showed potential photorespiration and high grain filling rate under heat stress condition. Twenty two genotypes WH1021, WH1155, VL803, WH787, NW1014, Raj3765, HD1869, 2042, WH1124, HD2285, WH1133, HUW234, 4066, Sonak, UP2425, UP2473, PBW503, PBW373, PBW533, SGP13, HD2643 and WH789 were identified as heat tolerant genotypes based on their relative performance in yield components, grain yield and heat susceptibility indi-ces. These genotypes were found to be ideal candidates to be used in developing heat tolerant wheat varieties. Canopy temperature, membrane thermostability and grain filling rate have also shown strong correlation with grain yield. Because of this association, these traits constitute the best available ‘tool’ for genetic improvement of wheat suitable for cultivation under heat stressed environments. Thus, these could be used as indirect selection criteria for developing heat tolerant wheat genotypes that would provide sufficient yields to meet the ever increasing wheat demand

Warping and Precession of Accretion Disks Around Magnetic Stars: Nonlinear Evolution

The inner region of the accretion disk around a magnetized star (T Tauri star, white dwarf or neutron star) is subjected to magnetic torques that induce warping and precession of the disk. These torques arise from the interaction between the stellar field and the induced electric currents in the disk. We carry out numerical simulations of the nonlinear evolution of warped, viscous accretion disks driven by the magnetic torques. We show that the disk can develop into a highly warped steady state in which the disk attains a fixed (warped) shape and precesses rigidly. The warp is most pronounced at the disk inner radius (near the magnetosphere boundary). As the system parameters (such as accretion rate) change, the disk can switch between a completely flat state (warping stable) and a highly warped state. The precession of warped disks may be responsible for a variety of quasi-periodic oscillations or radiation flux variabilities observed in many different systems, including young stellar objects and X-ray binaries.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures; extended parameter searches, changes in discussion; accepted for publication in Ap

Making The Difference for Infants And Toddlers Who Are Visually Impaired: The Effect Of Professional Learning Opportunities for Early Intervention Practitioners

Blindness and visual impairments (BVI) are physical disabilities that can contribute to longstanding impacts on the developmental and life-long achievement of young children identified with vision loss. Early intervention services for this population demonstrate the potential to increase the meaningful and longstanding impact on the trajectory of a child and their caregiver. According to researchers Ely and Ostrosky (2017), there is a significant deficit in access to early childhood intervention practitioners with the expertise and skillset needed to address the unique needs to support this population. A needs assessment study revealed that early intervention practitioners valued working with families of children who have BVI and recognized their perspective. However, practitioner respondents held limited knowledge specific to visual impairment and the potential impacts on a child's development. This mixed methods study investigated whether participation in professional learning affected early intervention practitioners' perception of their role and potential application of intervention practices (i.e., evaluation and assessment). The study focused on strengthening participants' knowledge specific to aspects of vision impairment and increasing practices employed through service delivery. Seventeen participants participated over five months. The online intervention was provided across three synchronous and two asynchronous sessions. Findings revealed that participants demonstrated increased knowledge about BVI content and the ability to facilitate service delivery on topics specific to the field following the intervention. The personal learning goals created by participants focused on BVI, and they all achieved their goal(s). Participants indicated that they considered the professional development program a critical step to support their work with infants and toddlers who have BVI and their families