3,280 research outputs found
Distinguishing Solar Flare Types by Differences in Reconnection Regions
Observations show that magnetic reconnection and its slow shocks occur in
solar flares. The basic magnetic structures are similar for long duration event
(LDE) flares and faster compact impulsive (CI) flares, but the former require
less non-thermal electrons than the latter. Slow shocks can produce the
required non-thermal electron spectrum for CI flares by Fermi acceleration if
electrons are injected with large enough energies to resonate with scattering
waves. The dissipation region may provide the injection electrons, so the
overall number of non-thermal electrons reaching the footpoints would depend on
the size of the dissipation region and its distance from the chromosphere. In
this picture, the LDE flares have converging inflows toward a dissipation
region that spans a smaller overall length fraction than for CI flares. Bright
loop-top X-ray spots in some CI flares can be attributed to particle trapping
at fast shocks in the downstream flow, the presence of which is determined by
the angle of the inflow field and velocity to the slow shocks.Comment: 15 pages TeX and 2 .eps figures, accepted to Ap.J.Let
A Connection between Star Formation in Nuclear Rings and their Host Galaxies
We present results from a photometric H-alpha survey of 22 nuclear rings,
aiming to provide insight into their star formation properties, including age
distribution, dynamical timescales, star formation rates, and galactic bar
influence. We find a clear relationship between the position angles and
ellipticities of the rings and those of their host galaxies, which indicates
the rings are in the same plane as the disk and circular. We use population
synthesis models to estimate ages of each H-alpha emitting HII region, which
range from 1 Myr to 10 Myrs throughout the rings. We find that approximately
half of the rings contain azimuthal age gradients that encompass at least 25%
of the ring, although there is no apparent relationship between the presence or
absence of age gradients and the morphology of the rings or their host
galaxies. NGC1343, NGC1530, and NGC4321 show clear bipolar age gradients, where
the youngest HII regions are located near the two contact points of the bar and
ring. We speculate in these cases that the gradients are related to an
increased mass inflow rate and/or an overall higher gas density in the ring,
which would allow for massive star formation to occur on short timescales,
after which the galactic rotation would transport the HII regions around the
ring as they age. Two-thirds of the barred galaxies show correlation between
the locations of the youngest HII region(s) in the ring and the location of the
contact points, which is consistent with predictions from numerical modeling.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures (7 color), 23 tables, accepted for publication
in ApJS (Feb 08); NASA-GSFC, IAC, University of Maryland, STSc
Axial morphology along the Southern Chile Rise
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2012. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Geology 315-318 (2012): 58-63, doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2012.06.001.Morphology of four spreading segments on the southern Chile Rise is described based on
multi-beam bathymetric data collected along the axial zones. The distribution of axial volcanoes,
the character of rift valley scarps, and the average depths vary between Segment 1 in the south,
terminating at the Chile Triple Junction, and Segment 4 in the north, which are separated by
three intervening transform faults. Despite this general variability, there is a consistent pattern of
clockwise rotation of the southern-most axial volcanic ridge within each of Segments 2, 3, and 4,
relative to the overall trend of the rift valley. A combination of local ridge-transform intersection
stresses and regional tectonics may influence spreading axis evolution in this sense.This work was
supported by NOAA/OE grant NA08OAR4600757 and University of California Ship Funds
The azimuth structure of nuclear collisions -- I
We describe azimuth structure commonly associated with elliptic and directed
flow in the context of 2D angular autocorrelations for the purpose of precise
separation of so-called nonflow (mainly minijets) from flow. We extend the
Fourier-transform description of azimuth structure to include power spectra and
autocorrelations related by the Wiener-Khintchine theorem. We analyze several
examples of conventional flow analysis in that context and question the
relevance of reaction plane estimation to flow analysis. We introduce the 2D
angular autocorrelation with examples from data analysis and describe a
simulation exercise which demonstrates precise separation of flow and nonflow
using the 2D autocorrelation method. We show that an alternative correlation
measure based on Pearson's normalized covariance provides a more intuitive
measure of azimuth structure.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figure
Simple, sensitive and species-specific assays for detecting quagga and zebra mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis and D. polymorpha) using environmental DNA
Early detection is paramount for attempts to remove invasive non-native species (INNS). Traditional methods rely on physical sampling and morphological identification, which can be problematic when species are in low densities and/or are cryptic. The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a monitoring tool in freshwater systems is becoming increasingly acceptable and widely used for the detection of single species. Here we demonstrate the development and application of standard PCR primers for the detection of two freshwater invasive species which are high priority for monitoring in the UK and elsewhere: the Dreissenid mussels; Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov, 1987) and D. polymorpha (Pallas, 1771). We carried out a rigorous validation process for testing the new primers, including DNA detection and degradation experiments in mesocosms, and a field comparison with traditional monitoring protocols. eDNA from single individuals of both mussel species could be detected within four hours of the start of the mesocosm experiment. In field trials, the two mussel species were detected at all sites where the species are known to be present, and eDNA consistently outperformed traditional kick-net sampling for species detection. These results demonstrate the applicability of standard PCR for eDNA detection of freshwater invasive species
Accretion Disks and Dynamos: Toward a Unified Mean Field Theory
Conversion of gravitational energy into radiation in accretion discs and the
origin of large scale magnetic fields in astrophysical rotators have often been
distinct topics of research. In semi-analytic work on both problems it has been
useful to presume large scale symmetries, necessarily resulting in mean field
theories. MHD turbulence makes the underlying systems locally asymmetric and
nonlinear. Synergy between theory and simulations should aim for the
development of practical mean field models that capture essential physics and
can be used for observational modeling. Mean field dynamo (MFD) theory and
alpha-viscosity accretion theory exemplify such ongoing pursuits. 21st century
MFD theory has more nonlinear predictive power compared to 20th century MFD
theory, whereas accretion theory is still in a 20th century state. In fact,
insights from MFD theory are applicable to accretion theory and the two are
artificially separated pieces of what should be a single theory. I discuss
pieces of progress that provide clues toward a unified theory. A key concept is
that large scale magnetic fields can be sustained via local or global magnetic
helicity fluxes or via relaxation of small scale magnetic fluctuations, without
the kinetic helicity driver of 20th century textbooks. These concepts may help
explain the formation of large scale fields that supply non-local angular
momentum transport via coronae and jets in a unified theory of accretion and
dynamos. In diagnosing the role of helicities and helicity fluxes in disk
simulations, each disk hemisphere should be studied separately to avoid being
misled by cancelation that occurs as a result of reflection asymmetry. The
fraction of helical field energy in disks is expected to be small compared to
the total field in each hemisphere as a result of shear, but can still be
essential for large scale dynamo action.Comment: For the Proceedings of the Third International Conference and
Advanced School "Turbulent Mixing and Beyond," TMB-2011 held on 21 - 28
August 2011 at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics,
Trieste, http://users.ictp.it/~tmb/index2011.html Italy, To Appear in Physica
Scripta (corrected small items to match version in print
Dimensionless Measures of Turbulent Magnetohydrodynamic Dissipation Rates
The magnetic Reynolds number R_M, is defined as the product of a
characteristic scale and associated flow speed divided by the microphysical
magnetic diffusivity. For laminar flows, R_M also approximates the ratio of
advective to dissipative terms in the total magnetic energy equation, but for
turbulent flows this latter ratio depends on the energy spectra and approaches
unity in a steady state. To generalize for flows of arbitrary spectra we define
an effective magnetic dissipation number, R_{M,e}, as the ratio of the
advection to microphysical dissipation terms in the total magnetic energy
equation, incorporating the full spectrum of scales, arbitrary magnetic Prandtl
numbers, and distinct pairs of inner and outer scales for magnetic and kinetic
spectra. As expected, for a substantial parameter range R_{M,e}\sim {O}(1) <<
R_M. We also distinguish R_{M,e} from {\tilde R}_{M,e} where the latter is an
effective magnetic Reynolds number for the mean magnetic field equation when a
turbulent diffusivity is explicitly imposed as a closure. That R_{M,e} and
{\tilde R}_{M,e} approach unity even if R_M>>1 highlights that, just as in
hydrodynamic turbulence,energy dissipation of large scale structures in
turbulent flows via a cascade can be much faster than the dissipation of large
scale structures in laminar flows. This illustrates that the rate of energy
dissipation by magnetic reconnection is much faster in turbulent flows, and
much less sensitive to microphysical reconnection rates compared to laminar
flows.Comment: 14 pages (including 2 figs), accepted by MNRA
On the Stability and the Approximation of Branching Distribution Flows, with Applications to Nonlinear Multiple Target Filtering
We analyse the exponential stability properties of a class of measure-valued
equations arising in nonlinear multi-target filtering problems. We also prove
the uniform convergence properties w.r.t. the time parameter of a rather
general class of stochastic filtering algorithms, including sequential Monte
Carlo type models and mean eld particle interpretation models. We illustrate
these results in the context of the Bernoulli and the Probability Hypothesis
Density filter, yielding what seems to be the first results of this kind in
this subject
Turbulence driven by outflow-blown cavities in the molecular cloud of NGC 1333
Outflows from young stellar objects have been identified as a possible source
of turbulence in molecular clouds. To investigate the relationship between
outflows, cloud dynamics and turbulence, we compare the kinematics of the
molecular gas associated with NGC 1333, traced in 13CO(1-0), with the
distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs) within. We find a velocity
dispersion of ~ 1-1.6 km/s in 13CO that does not significantly vary across the
cloud, and is uncorrelated with the number of nearby young stellar outflows
identified from optical and submillimeter observations. However, from velocity
channel maps we identify about 20 cavities or depressions in the 13CO intensity
of scales > 0.1-0.2 pc and velocity widths 1-3 km/s. The cavities exhibit limb
brightened rims in both individual velocity channel maps and position velocity
diagrams, suggesting that they are slowly expanding. We interpret these
cavities to be remnants of past YSO outflow activity: If these cavities are
presently empty, they would fill in on time scales of a million years. This can
exceed the lifetime of a YSO outflow phase, or the transit time of the central
star through the cavity, explaining the the absence of any clear correlation
between the cavities and YSO outflows. We find that the momentum and energy
deposition associated with the expansion of the cavities is sufficient to power
the turbulence in the cloud. In this way we conclude that the cavities are an
important intermediary step between the conversion of YSO outflow energy and
momentum into cloud turbulent motions.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Check out
http://astro.pas.rochester.edu/~aquillen/coolpics.html for channel map and
PosVel movies of N133
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