5,125 research outputs found
On the supply of heavy planetary material to the magnetotail of Mercury
We examine the transport of low-energy heavy ions of planetary origin
(O<sup>+</sup>, Na<sup>+</sup>, Ca<sup>+</sup>) in the magnetosphere of Mercury. We show that,
in contrast to Earth, these ions are abruptly energized after ejection into
the magnetosphere due to enhanced curvature-related parallel acceleration.
Regardless of their mass-to-charge ratio, the parallel speed of these ions is
rapidly raised up to ~ 2 <i>V</i><sub><i>E</i> × <i>B</i></sub> (denoting by <i>V</i><sub><i>E</i> × <i>B</i></sub>
the magnitude of the local <b><i>E</b></i> × <b><i>B</b></i> drift speed), in a like
manner to Fermi-type acceleration by a moving magnetic mirror. This parallel
energization is such that ions with very low initial energies (a few tenths
of eVs) can overcome gravity and, regardless of species or convection rate,
are transported over comparable distances into the nightside magnetosphere.
The region of space where these ions reach the magnetotail is found to extend
over altitudes similar to those where enhanced densities are noticeable in
the MESSENGER data, viz., from ~ 1000 km up to ~ 6000 km in
the pre-midnight sector. The observed density enhancements may thus follow
from <b><i>E</b></i> × <b><i>B</b></i> related focusing of planetary material of
dayside origin into the magnetotail. Due to the planetary magnetic field
offset, an asymmetry is found between drift paths anchored in the Northern
and Southern hemispheres, which puts forward a predominant role of heavy
material originating in the Northern Hemisphere in populating the innermost
region of Mercury's magnetotail
The Geopause
Coupled to the Earth and protected by the geomagnetic field, terrestrial matter in the plasma state dominates a larger region of space than was suspected when the 'space age' began, a region we refer to as the geosphere. Accelerated and heated by solar wind energy, this matter expands in size and increases in mass density in response to the Sun's ultraviolet spectrum, heliospheric conditions, and the occurrence of severe space storms. Such storms regularly damage spacecraft, interfere with communications, and trigger power grid interruptions or failures. They occur within the geopause region, that is, the volume defined by the limits of the instantaneous boundary between plasmas that are primarily heliospheric and geospheric. The geopause is analogous in some ways to the heliopause but also resembles the terrestrial air-sea interface. It is the boundary layer across which the supersonically expanding solar plasma delivers momentum and energy to the terrestrial plasma and gas, exciting them into motion, 'evaporating' them into space, and dissipating considerable amounts of power in thermal forms, while generating energetic particles through repeated storage and explosive release of electromagnetic energy. The intensity of the solar wind and the orientation of its magnetic field jointly control the strength of the coupling between solar and terrestrial plasmas and hence the occurrence of severe storms in the geopause region
Global Response to Local Ionospheric Mass Ejection
We revisit a reported "Ionospheric Mass Ejection" using prior event observations to guide a global simulation of local ionospheric outflows, global magnetospheric circulation, and plasma sheet pressurization, and comparing our results with the observed global response. Our simulation framework is based on test particle motions in the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global circulation model electromagnetic fields. The inner magnetosphere is simulated with the Comprehensive Ring Current Model (CRCM) of Fok and Wolf, driven by the transpolar potential developed by the LFM magnetosphere, and includes an embedded plasmaspheric simulation. Global circulation is stimulated using the observed solar wind conditions for the period 24-25 Sept 1998. This period begins with the arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejection, initially with northward, but later with southward interplanetary magnetic field. Test particles are launched from the ionosphere with fluxes specified by local empirical relationships of outflow to electrodynamic and particle precipitation imposed by the MIlD simulation. Particles are tracked until they are lost from the system downstream or into the atmosphere, using the full equations of motion. Results are compared with the observed ring current and a simulation of polar and auroral wind outflows driven globally by solar wind dynamic pressure. We find good quantitative agreement with the observed ring current, and reasonable qualitative agreement with earlier simulation results, suggesting that the solar wind driven global simulation generates realistic energy dissipation in the ionosphere and that the Strangeway relations provide a realistic local outflow description
Denaturation transition of stretched DNA
We generalize the Poland-Scheraga model to consider DNA denaturation in the
presence of an external stretching force. We demonstrate the existence of a
force-induced DNA denaturation transition and obtain the temperature-force
phase diagram. The transition is determined by the loop exponent for which
we find the new value such that the transition is second order
with in . We show that a finite stretching force
destabilizes DNA, corresponding to a lower melting temperature , in
agreement with single-molecule DNA stretching experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
New Constraints on Dispersive Form Factor Parameterizations from the Timelike Region
We generalize a recent model-independent form factor parameterization derived
from rigorous dispersion relations to include constraints from data in the
timelike region. These constraints dictate the convergence properties of the
parameterization and appear as sum rules on the parameters. We further develop
a new parameterization that takes into account finiteness and asymptotic
conditions on the form factor, and use it to fit to the elastic \pi
electromagnetic form factor. We find that the existing world sample of timelike
data gives only loose bounds on the form factor in the spacelike region, but
explain how the acquisition of additional timelike data or fits to other form
factors are expected to give much better results. The same parameterization is
seen to fit spacelike data extremely well.Comment: 24 pages, latex (revtex), 3 eps figure
Evidence for Factorization in Three-body B --> D(*) K- K0 Decays
Motivated by recent experimental results, we use a factorization approach to
study the three-body B --> D(*) K- K0 decay modes. Two mechanisms are proposed
for kaon pair production: current-produced (from vacuum) and transition (from B
meson). The Bbar0 --> D(*)+ K- K0 decay is governed solely by the
current-produced mechanism. As the kaon pair can be produced only by the vector
current, the matrix element can be extracted from e+ e- --> K Kbar processes
via isospin relations. The decay rates obtained this way are in good agreement
with experiment. Both current-produced and transition processes contribute to
B- --> D(*)0 K- K0 decays. By using QCD counting rules and the measured B- -->
D(*)0 K- K0 decay rates, the measured decay spectra can be understood.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure
Form factors of pion and kaon
An addtional intrinsic form factors of pion and kaons have been studied.Comment: 14 pages and 10 figure
Photo- and Electroproduction of Eta Mesons
Eta photo- and electroproduction off the nucleon is investigated in an
effective lagrangian approach that contains Born terms and both vector meson
and nucleon resonance contributions. In particular, we review and develop the
formalism for coincidence experiments with polarization degrees of freedom. The
different response functions appearing in single and double polarization
experiments have been studied. We will present calculations for structure
functions and kinematical conditions that are most sensitive to details of the
lagrangian, in particular with regard to contributions of nucleon resonances
beyond the dominant (1535) resonance.Comment: 24 pages RevTeX/LaTeX2.09, NFSS1, 13 figures (in separate file
(tar,gzip and uue)), accepted for publication in Z. Phys.
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