386 research outputs found
Models and Observations of Sunspot Penumbrae
The mysteries of sunspot penumbrae have been under an intense scrutiny for
the past 10 years. During this time, some models have been proposed and
refuted, while the surviving ones had to be modified, adapted and evolved to
explain the ever-increasing array of observational constraints. In this
contribution I will review two of the present models, emphasizing their
contributions to this field, but also pinpointing some of their inadequacies to
explain a number of recent observations at very high spatial resolution. To
help explaining these new observations I propose some modifications to each of
them. These modifications bring those two seemingly opposite models closer
together into a general picture that agrees well with recent 3D
magneto-hydrodynamic simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 1 color figure. Review talk to appear in the proceedings of
the International Workshop of 2008 Solar Total Eclipse: Solar Magnetism,
Corona and Space Weather--Chinese Space Solar Telescope Scienc
Against mass media trends: Minority growth in cultural globalization
We investigate the collective behavior of a globalized society under the influence of endogenous mass media trends. The mass media trend is a global field corresponding to the statistical mode of the states of the agents in the system. The interaction dynamics is based on Axelrod’s rules for the dissemination of culture. We find situations where the largest minority group, possessing a cultural state different from that of the predominant trend transmitted by the mass media, can grow to almost half of the size of the population. We show that this phenomenon occurs when a critical number of long-range connections are present in the underlying network of interactions. We have numerically characterized four phases on the space of parameters of the system: an ordered phase; a semi-ordered phase where almost half of the population consists of the largest minority in a state different from that of the mass media; a disordered phase; and a chimera-like phase where one large domain coexists with many very small domains
High-Field Pauli-Limiting Behavior and Strongly Enhanced Upper Critical Magnetic Fields near the Transition Temperature of an Arsenic-Deficient LaO_0.9F_0.1FeAs_(1-\delta) Superconductor
We report upper critical field B_c2(T) data for disordered
(arsenic-deficient) LaO_0.9F_0.1FeAs_(1-delta) in a wide temperature and
magnetic field range up to 47 T. Because of the large linear slope of Bc2 about
-5.4 T/K to -6.6 T/K near Tc = 28.5 K the T-dependence of the in-plane Bc2(T)
shows a flattening near 23 K above 30 T which points to Pauli-limited behavior
with Bc2(0) about 63-68 T. Our results are discussed in terms of disorder
effects within conventional and unconventional superconducting pairings.Comment: Change of the title as suggested by the Editors, one author added,
typos corrected, references updated, final published versio
Fine structure, magnetic field and heating of sunspot penumbrae
We interpret penumbral filaments as due to convection in field-free, radially
aligned gaps just below the visible surface of the penumbra, intruding into a
nearly potential field above. This solves the classical discrepancy between the
large heat flux and the low vertical velocities observed in the penumbra. The
presence of the gaps causes strong small-scale fluctuations in inclination,
azimuth angle and field strength, but without strong forces acting on the gas.
The field is nearly horizontal in a region around the cusp-shaped top of the
gap, thereby providing an environment for Evershed flows. We identify this
region with the recently discovered dark penumbral cores. Its darkness has the
same cause as the dark lanes in umbral light-bridges, reproduced in numerical
simulations by Nordlund and Stein (2005). We predict that the large vertical
and horizontal gradients of the magnetic field inclination and azimuth in the
potential field model will produce the net circular polarization seen in
observations. The model also explains the significant elevation of bright
filaments above their surroundings. It predicts that dark areas in the penumbra
are of two different kinds: dark filament cores containing the most inclined
(horizontal) fields, and regions between bright filaments, containing the least
inclined field lines.Comment: submitted to A&
Universal linear-temperature dependence of static magnetic susceptibility in iron-pnictides
A universal linear-temperature dependence of the uniform magnetic
susceptibility has been observed in the nonmagnetic normal state of
iron-pnictides. This non-Pauli and non-Curie-Weiss-like paramagnetic behavior
cannot be understood within a pure itinerant picture. We argue that it results
from the existence of a wide antiferromagnetic fluctuation window in which the
local spin-density-wave correlations exist but the global directional order has
not been established yet.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
L'éboulement et le tsunami local du 13 septembre 1999 à Fatu Hiva (îles Marquises ; Polynésie française)
The multi-component field topology of sunspot penumbrae - A diagnostic tool for spectropolarimetric measurements
Context: Sunspot penumbrae harbor highly structured magnetic fields and
flows. The moving flux tube model offers an explanation for several observed
phenomena, e.g. the Evershed effect and bright penumbral grains.
Aims: A wealth of information can be extracted from spectropolarimetric
observations. In order to deduce the structure of the magnetic field in sunspot
penumbrae, detailed forward modeling is necessary. On the one hand, it gives
insight into the sensitivity of various spectral lines to different physical
scenarios. On the other hand, it is a very useful tool to guide inversion
techniques. In this work, we present a generalized 3D geometrical model that
embeds an arbitrarily shaped flux tube in a stratified magnetized atmosphere.
Methods: The new semi-analytical geometric model serves as a frontend for a
polarized radiative transfer code. The advantage of this model is that it
preserves the discontinuities of the physical parameters across the flux tube
boundaries. This is important for the detailed shape of the emerging Stokes
Profiles and the resulting net circular polarization (NCP).
Results: (a) The inclination of downflows in the outer penumbra must be
shallower than approximately 15 degrees. (b) Observing the limb-side NCP of
sunspots in the Fe I 1564.8 nm line offers a promising way to identify a
reduced magnetic field strength in flow channels. (c) The choice of the
background atmosphere can significantly influence the shape of the Stokes
profiles, but does not change the global characteristics of the resulting NCP
curves for the tested atmospheric models.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figure
Rare earth magnetism in CeFeAsO: A single crystal study
Single crystals of CeFeAsO, large enough to study the anisotropy of the
magnetic properties, were grown by an optimized Sn-flux technique. The high
quality of our single crystals is apparent from the highest residual
resistivity ratio, RRR = 12, reported among undoped RFeAsO compounds (R=rare
earth) as well as sharp anomalies in resistivity, specific heat, C(T), and
thermal expansion at the different phase transitions. The magnetic
susceptibility chi(T) presents a large easy-plane anisotropy consistent with
the lowest crystal electric field doublet having a dominant Gamma_6 character.
Curie-Weiss like susceptibilities for magnetic field parallel and perpendicular
to the crystallographic c-axis do not reveal an influence of a staggered field
on the Ce site induced by magnetic ordering of the Fe. Furthermore, the
standard signatures for antiferromagnetic order of Ce at T_N = 3.7 K observed
in chi(T) and C(T) are incompatible with a Zeeman splitting Delta = 10 K of the
CEF ground state doublet at low temperature due to the Fe-magnetic order as
previously proposed. Our results can be reconciled with the earlier observation
by assuming a comparatively stronger effect of the Ce-Ce exchange leading to a
reduction of this Zeeman splitting below 15 K.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, added section on magn. susceptibilit
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