A direct time series comparison between the La Jolla and Belfast radiocarbon records

For many years it has been widely assumed that the variations in the level of atmospheric carbon-14 were due to statistical fluctuations arising from experimental error. This is understandable since the signal/noise ratio is very low and the time sequences representing the variations are strongly stochastic. Interlaboratory comparisons show that baseline variations in the absolute value of the carbon-14 concentration do exist. However, assuming linearity, the delta 14C values are independent of these. The importance of assessing the quantitive reality of the delta 14C values is based upon their expression of the interplanetary cosmic ray source function, because in the range of 100 to 1000 year periods, there appears to be no evidence that the Earth's magnetic field is the source modulating function. Therefore the modulation is either due to changes in the solar atmosphere propagated out into the solar wind, or extra-heliospheric pressure effects, but these appear to be unlikely for the periods noted here. The recent availability of the new high quality Belfast time sequence of delta 14C now permits a simple mutual assessment of the several sequences which are available. Since the La Jolla record has been a standard for many years , these two were chosen for a simple comparison. Although differences exist, the close agreement between these two sequences, one carried out on White mountain Bristlecone pines, and the other done using Irish peat bog wood, is striking. This correlation between the two strongly reinforces the statistical view that the delta 14C record is that of real interplanetary modulation of the cosmic ray source leading to the generation of atmospheric 14C

Ligand design for site-selective installation of Pd and Pt centers to generate homo- and heteropolymetallic motifs

The modular synthesis of a series of nitrogen-rich polydentate ligands that feature a common pincer-type framework is reported. These ligands allow for site-selective installation of palladium and platinum to give rise to bi- and trimetallic complexes that have d^(8)–d^(8) interactions

Superconductivity in Weyl semimetal NbP: Bulk vs. surface

Transition metal monopnictides belong to the new class of semimetals where the bulk properties are determined by the presence of pairs of nodes with different chirality formed by linear dispersive states in the k-space. Beside the anomaly in the bulk magnetotransport superconductivity is frequently found in some Weyl semimetals. We found signatures of superconductivity in ac and dc magnetization measurements of highly pure and stoichiometric NbP powder. We determined the lower and upper critical field and the Ginzburg-Landau parameter. The relative small superconducting volume fraction is related to either effect of finite grain size and/or surface superconductivity. The last mentioned may originate from either off stoichiometric (Nb-rich) surface layers or a strained surface with different electronic properties. Furthermore the intrinsic normal state susceptibility is determined taking into account a paramagnetic contribution of a few ppm of magnetic impurities

The 2-D magnetohydrostatic configurations leading to flares or quiescent filament eruptions

To investigate the cause of flares and quiescent filament eruptions the quasi-static evolution of a magnetohydrostatic (MHS) model was studied. The results lead to a proposal that: the sudden disruption of an active-region filament field configuration and the accompanying flare result from the lack of a neighboring equilibrium state as magnetic shear is increased above the critical value; and a quiescent filament eruption is due to an ideal MHD kink instability of a highly twisted detached flux tube formed by the increase of plasma current flowing along the length of the filament. A numerical solution was developed for the 2-D MHS equation for the self-consistent equilibrium of a filament and overlying coronal magnetic field. Increase of the poloidal current causes increase of magnetic shear. As shear increases past a critical point, there is a discontinuous topological change in the equilibrium configuration. It was proposed that the lack of a neighboring equilibrium triggers a flare. Increase of the axial current results in a detached tube with enough helical twist to be unstable to ideal MHD kink modes. It was proposed that this is the condition for the eruption of a quiescent filament

Path sampling for lifetimes of metastable magnetic skyrmions and direct comparison with Kramers' method

We perform a direct comparison between Kramers' method in many dimensions -- i.e., Langer's theory -- adapted to magnetic spin systems, and a path sampling method in the form of forward flux sampling, as a means to compute collapse rates of metastable magnetic skyrmions. We show that a good agreement is obtained between the two methods. We report variations of the attempt frequency associated with skyrmion collapse by three to four orders of magnitude when varying the applied magnetic field by 5$\%$ of the exchange strength, which confirms the existence of a strong entropic contribution to the lifetime of skyrmions. This demonstrates that in complex systems, the knowledge of the rate prefactor, in addition to the internal energy barrier, is essential in order to properly estimate a lifetime.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures (main text), 8 pages including supplemental materia

On the formation of coronal cavities

A theoretical study of the formation of a coronal cavity and its relation to a quiescent prominence is presented. It is argued that the formation of a cavity is initiated by the condensation of plasma which is trapped by the coronal magnetic field in a closed streamer and which then flows down to the chromosphere along the field lines due to lack of stable magnetic support against gravity. The existence of a coronal cavity depends on the coronal magnetic field strength; with low strength, the plasma density is not high enough for condensation to occur. Furthermore, we suggest that prominence and cavity material is supplied from the chromospheric level. Whether a coronal cavity and a prominence coexist depends on the magnetic field configuration; a prominence requires stable magnetic support

A CO-Derived Iron Dicarbyne That Releases Olefin upon Hydrogenation

An iron diphosphineborane platform that was previously reported to facilitate a high degree of N_2 functionalization is herein shown to effect reductive CO coupling. Disilylation of an iron dicarbonyl precursor furnishes a structurally unprecedented iron dicarbyne complex. Several complexes related to this process are also characterized which allows for a comparative analysis of their respective Fe–B and Fe–C bonding. Facile hydrogenation of the iron dicarbyne at ambient temperature and 1 atm H_2 results in release of a CO-derived olefin

H–H and Si–H Bond Addition to Fe≡NNR_2 Intermediates Derived from N_2

The synthesis and characterization of Fe–diphosphineborane complexes are described in the context of N_2 functionalization chemistry. Iron aminoimides can be generated at room temperature under 1 atm N_2 and are shown to react with E–H bonds from PhSiH_3 and H_2. The resulting products derive from delivery of the E fragment to Nα and the H atom to B. The flexibility and lability of the Fe–BPh interactions in these complexes engender this reactivity

The Width of a Solar Coronal Mass Ejection and the Source of the Driving Magnetic Explosion

We show that the strength of the magnetic field in the area covered by the flare arcade following a CME-producing ejective solar eruption can be estimated from the final angular width of the CME in the outer corona and the final angular width of the flare arcade. We assume (1) the flux-rope plasmoid ejected from the flare site becomes the interior of the CME plasmoid, (2) in the outer corona (R greater than 2R(sub Sun)) the CME is roughly a spherical plasmoid with legs shaped like a light bulb, and (3) beyond some height in or below the outer corona the CME plasmoid is in lateral pressure balance with the surrounding magnetic field. The strength of the nearly radial magnetic field in the outer corona is estimated from the radial component of the interplanetary magnetic field measured by Ulysses. We apply this model to three well-observed CMEs that exploded from flare regions of extremely different size and magnetic setting. One of these CMEs is an over-and-out CME that exploded from a laterally far offset compact ejective flare. In each event, the estimated source-region field strength is appropriate for the magnetic setting of the flare. This agreement (1) indicates that CMEs are propelled by the magnetic field of the CME plasmoid pushing against the surrounding magnetic field, (2) supports the magnetic-arch-blowout scenario for over-and-out CMEs, and (3) shows that a CME s final angular width in the outer corona can be estimated from the amount of magnetic flux covered by the source-region flare arcade