801 research outputs found
Parameters of the Magnetic Flux inside Coronal Holes
Parameters of magnetic flux distribution inside low-latitude coronal holes
(CHs) were analyzed. A statistical study of 44 CHs based on Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/MDI full disk magnetograms and SOHO/EIT 284\AA
images showed that the density of the net magnetic flux, , does
not correlate with the associated solar wind speeds, . Both the area and
net flux of CHs correlate with the solar wind speed and the corresponding
spatial Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.75 and 0.71, respectively. A
possible explanation for the low correlation between and
is proposed. The observed non-correlation might be rooted in the structural
complexity of the magnetic field. As a measure of complexity of the magnetic
field, the filling factor, , was calculated as a function of spatial
scales. In CHs, was found to be nearly constant at scales above 2 Mm,
which indicates a monofractal structural organization and smooth temporal
evolution. The magnitude of the filling factor is 0.04 from the Hinode SOT/SP
data and 0.07 from the MDI/HR data. The Hinode data show that at scales smaller
than 2 Mm, the filling factor decreases rapidly, which means a mutlifractal
structure and highly intermittent, burst-like energy release regime. The
absence of necessary complexity in CH magnetic fields at scales above 2 Mm
seems to be the most plausible reason why the net magnetic flux density does
not seem to be related to the solar wind speed: the energy release dynamics,
needed for solar wind acceleration, appears to occur at small scales below 1
Mm.Comment: 6 figures, approximately 23 pages. Accepted in Solar Physic
A Quantum-Mechanical Equivalent-Photon Spectrum for Heavy-Ion Physics
In a previous paper, we calculated the fully quantum-mechanical cross section
for electromagnetic excitation during peripheral heavy-ion collisions. Here, we
examine the sensitivity of that cross section to the detailed structure of the
projectile and target nuclei. At the transition energies relevant to nuclear
physics, we find the cross section to be weakly dependent on the projectile
charge radius, and to be sensitive to only the leading momentum-transfer
dependence of the target transition form factors. We exploit these facts to
derive a quantum-mechanical ``equivalent-photon spectrum'' valid in the
long-wavelength limit. This improved spectrum includes the effects of
projectile size, the finite longitudinal momentum transfer required by
kinematics, and the response of the target nucleus to the off-shell photon.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure
Solar-Cycle Characteristics Examined in Separate Hemispheres: Phase, Gnevyshev Gap, and Length of Minimum
Research results from solar-dynamo models show the northern and southern
hemispheres may evolve separately throughout the solar cycle. The observed
phase lag between the hemispheres provides information regarding the strength
of hemispheric coupling. Using hemispheric sunspot-area and sunspot-number data
from Cycles 12 - 23, we determine how out of phase the separate hemispheres are
during the rising, maximum, and declining period of each solar cycle.
Hemispheric phase differences range from 0 - 11, 0 - 14, and 2 - 19 months for
the rising, maximum, and declining periods, respectively. The phases appear
randomly distributed between zero months (in phase) and half of the rise (or
decline) time of the solar cycle. An analysis of the Gnevyshev gap is conducted
to determine if the double-peak is caused by the averaging of two hemispheres
that are out of phase. We confirm previous findings that the Gnevyshev gap is a
phenomenon that occurs in the separate hemispheres and is not due to a
superposition of sunspot indices from hemispheres slightly out of phase. Cross
hemispheric coupling could be strongest at solar minimum, when there are large
quantities of magnetic flux at the Equator. We search for a correlation between
the hemispheric phase difference near the end of the solar cycle and the length
of solar-cycle minimum, but found none. Because magnetic flux diffusion across
the Equator is a mechanism by which the hemispheres couple, we measured the
magnetic flux crossing the Equator by examining magnetograms for Solar Cycles
21 - 23. We find, on average, a surplus of northern hemisphere magnetic flux
crossing during the mid-declining phase of each solar cycle. However, we find
no correlation between magnitude of magnetic flux crossing the Equator, length
of solar minima, and phase lag between the hemispheres.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure
The holonomy of the supercovariant connection and Killing spinors
We show that the holonomy of the supercovariant connection for M-theory
backgrounds with Killing spinors reduces to a subgroup of SL(32-N,\bR)\st
(\oplus^N \bR^{32-N}). We use this to give the necessary and sufficient
conditions for a background to admit Killing spinors. We show that there is
no topological obstruction for the existence of up to 22 Killing spinors in
eleven-dimensional spacetime. We investigate the symmetry superalgebras of
supersymmetric backgrounds and find that their structure constants are
determined by an antisymmetric matrix. The Lie subalgebra of bosonic generators
is related to a real form of a symplectic group. We show that there is a
one-one correspondence between certain bases of the Cartan subalgebra of
sl(32, \bR) and supersymmetric planar probe M-brane configurations. A
supersymmetric probe configuration can involve up to 31 linearly independent
planar branes and preserves one supersymmetry. The space of supersymmetric
planar probe M-brane configurations is preserved by an SO(32,\bR) subgroup of
SL(32, \bR).Comment: 27 pages, a key reference was added. v3: minor change
DECC/BGS assessment of resource potential of the Bowland Shale, UK
This paper reviews the results of the DECC-commissioned 2012-13 BGS study to estimate the shale gas resource assessment of the Carboniferous Bowland Shale in central Great Britain. Over 15,000 miles of seismic data were interpreted and integrated with well and outcrop control, BGS mapping, 3D depth modelling, geochemical analysis, and 2D thermal maturity basin modelling. The Bowland Shale, and its laterally equivalent basinal shale formations are known to be important source rocks. The study recognised two depositional units; an organic-rich upper part that is a widespread marine shale unit drowning most platform highs and a lower unit comprised of very thick rift-basin fill shales with mass-flow carbonates and rare mass-flow sandstones, passing laterally to platform carbonates on the paleo-highs. An interpreted top gas window thermal maturity surface was integrated with the depth structure mapping to identify the volume of Bowland shale in the gas window which was used as one of the input parameters for a Monte Carlo simulation of the in-place gas resources. The study estimates a large volume of gas in the shales beneath the UK, but concludes that not enough is known yet to estimate a recovery factor, nor to estimate potential reserves
A Note on Flux Induced Superpotentials in String Theory
Non-vanishing fluxes in M-theory and string theory compactifications induce a
superpotential in the lower dimensional theory. Gukov has conjectured the
explicit form of this superpotential. We check this conjecture for the
heterotic string compactified on a Calabi-Yau three-fold as well as for warped
M-theory compactifications on Spin(7) holonomy manifolds, by performing a
Kaluza-Klein reduction.Comment: 19 pages, no figure
Pygmy right whale Caperea marginata records from Namibia
All known records of pygmy right whales Caperea marginata in Namibia since 1978 are summarised for the first
time, including 12 strandings (live and recently dead animals) and skeletal remains from at least eight more individuals.
The majority of strandings and remains were located in the Walvis Bay region, where the coastal topography
of the bay and lagoon may be a primary cause for the relatively high incidence of strandings in this area. Strandings
appear to occur only during the austral summer, between November and March. All but two of the records for which
age is available were juveniles, suggesting that the area offshore of Walvis Bay may function as a seasonal nursery
ground and that the inexperience of younger animals may cause them to become βentrappedβ in the bay. These data
contribute substantially to the limited information on pygmy right whale distribution worldwide and the cetacean
fauna of Namibia.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tams20hb201
Automated Coronal Hole Detection using Local Intensity Thresholding Techniques
We identify coronal holes using a histogram-based intensity thresholding
technique and compare their properties to fast solar wind streams at three
different points in the heliosphere. The thresholding technique was tested on
EUV and X-ray images obtained using instruments onboard STEREO, SOHO and
Hinode. The full-disk images were transformed into Lambert equal-area
projection maps and partitioned into a series of overlapping sub-images from
which local histograms were extracted. The histograms were used to determine
the threshold for the low intensity regions, which were then classified as
coronal holes or filaments using magnetograms from the SOHO/MDI. For all three
instruments, the local thresholding algorithm was found to successfully
determine coronal hole boundaries in a consistent manner. Coronal hole
properties extracted using the segmentation algorithm were then compared with
in situ measurements of the solar wind at 1 AU from ACE and STEREO. Our results
indicate that flux tubes rooted in coronal holes expand super-radially within 1
AU and that larger (smaller) coronal holes result in longer (shorter) duration
high-speed solar wind streams
Transgenic and Knockout Mice Models to Reveal the Functions of Tumor Suppressor Genes
Cancer is caused by multiple genetic alterations leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation through multiple pathways. Malignant cells arise from a variety of genetic factors, such as mutations in tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) that are involved in regulating the cell cycle, apoptosis, or cell differentiation, or maintenance of genomic integrity. Tumor suppressor mouse models are the most frequently used animal models in cancer research. The anti-tumorigenic functions of TSGs, and their role in development and differentiation, and inhibition of oncogenes are discussed. In this review, we summarize some of the important transgenic and knockout mouse models for TSGs, including Rb, p53, Ink4a/Arf, Brca1/2, and their related genes
- β¦