Mapping the Distribution of Electron Temperature and Fe Charge States in the Corona with Total Solar Eclipse Observations

The inference of electron temperature from the ratio of the intensities of emission lines in the solar corona is valid only when the plasma is collisional. Once collisionless, thermodynamic ionization equilibrium no longer holds, and the inference of an electron temperature and its gradient from such measurements is no longer valid. At the heliocentric distance where the transition from a collision-dominated to a collisionless plasma occurs, the charge states of different elements are established, or frozen-in. These are the charge states which are subsequently measured in interplanetary space. We show in this study how the 2006 March 29 and 2008 August 1 eclipse observations of a number of Fe emission lines yield an empirical value for a distance, which we call Rt , where the emission changes from being collisionally to radiatively dominated. Rt ranges from 1.1 to 2.0 R ☉, depending on the charge state and the underlying coronal density structures. Beyond that distance, the intensity of the emission reflects the distribution of the corresponding Fe ion charge states. These observations thus yield the two-dimensional distribution of electron temperature and charge state measurements in the corona for the first time. The presence of the Fe X 637.4 nm and Fe XI 789.2 nm emission in open magnetic field regions below Rt , such as in coronal holes and the boundaries of streamers, and the absence of Fe XIII 1074.7 nm and Fe XIV 530.3 nm emission there indicate that the sources of the solar wind lie in regions where the electron temperature is less than 1.2 × 106 K. Beyond Rt , the extent of the Fe X [Fe9+] and Fe XI emission [Fe10+], in comparison with Fe XIII [Fe12+] and Fe XIV [Fe13+], matches the dominance of the Fe10+ charge states measured by the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer, SWICS, on Ulysses, at –43° latitude at 4 AU, in March-April 2006, and Fe9+ and Fe10+ charge states measured by SWICS on the Advanced Composition Explorer, ACE, in the ecliptic plane at 1 AU, at the time of both eclipses. The remarkable correspondence between these two measurements establishes the first direct link between the distribution of charge states in the corona and in interplanetary space

Thermodynamics of the Solar Corona and Evolution of the Solar Magnetic Field as Inferred from the Total Solar Eclipse Observations of 2010 July 11

We report on the first multi-wavelength coronal observations, taken simultaneously in white light, Hα 656.3 nm, Fe IX 435.9 nm, Fe X 637.4 nm, Fe XI 789.2 nm, Fe XIII 1074.7 nm, Fe XIV 530.3 nm, and Ni XV 670.2 nm, during the total solar eclipse of 2010 July 11 from the atoll of Tatakoto in French Polynesia. The data enabled temperature differentiations as low as 0.2 × 106 K. The first-ever images of the corona in Fe IX and Ni XV showed that there was very little plasma below 5 × 105 K and above 2.5 × 106 K. The suite of multi-wavelength observations also showed that open field lines have an electron temperature near 1× 106 K, while the hottest, 2× 106 K, plasma resides in intricate loops forming the bulges of streamers, also known as cavities, as discovered in our previous eclipse observations. The eclipse images also revealed unusual coronal structures, in the form of ripples and streaks, produced by the passage of coronal mass ejections and eruptive prominences prior to totality, which could be identified with distinct temperatures for the first time. These trails were most prominent at 106 K. Simultaneous Fe X 17.4 nm observations from Proba2/SWAP provided the first opportunity to compare Fe X emission at 637.4 nm with its extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) counterpart. This comparison demonstrated the unique diagnostic capabilities of the coronal forbidden lines for exploring the evolution of the coronal magnetic field and the thermodynamics of the coronal plasma, in comparison with their EUV counterparts in the distance range of 1-3 R ☉. These diagnostics are currently missing from present space-borne and ground-based observatories

Vibrational States of the Hydrogen Isotopes on Pd(111)

The ground and excited vibrational states for the three hydrogen isotopes on the Pd(111) surface have been calculated. Notable features of these states are the high degree of anharmonicity, which is most prominently seen in the weak isotopic dependence of the parallel vibrational transition, and the narrow bandwidths of these states, which imply that atomic hydrogen is localized on a particular surface site on time scales of 100 picoseconds or more. Experiments to resolve ambiguities concerning the present system are suggested.Comment: Surface Science Letters, 302, L305 (1994

Prioritized memory access explains planning and hippocampal replay.

To make decisions, animals must evaluate candidate choices by accessing memories of relevant experiences. Yet little is known about which experiences are considered or ignored during deliberation, which ultimately governs choice. We propose a normative theory predicting which memories should be accessed at each moment to optimize future decisions. Using nonlocal 'replay' of spatial locations in hippocampus as a window into memory access, we simulate a spatial navigation task in which an agent accesses memories of locations sequentially, ordered by utility: how much extra reward would be earned due to better choices. This prioritization balances two desiderata: the need to evaluate imminent choices versus the gain from propagating newly encountered information to preceding locations. Our theory offers a simple explanation for numerous findings about place cells; unifies seemingly disparate proposed functions of replay including planning, learning, and consolidation; and posits a mechanism whose dysfunction may underlie pathologies like rumination and craving

Electronic and structural properties of vacancies on and below the GaP(110) surface

We have performed total-energy density-functional calculations using first-principles pseudopotentials to determine the atomic and electronic structure of neutral surface and subsurface vacancies at the GaP(110) surface. The cation as well as the anion surface vacancy show a pronounced inward relaxation of the three nearest neighbor atoms towards the vacancy while the surface point-group symmetry is maintained. For both types of vacancies we find a singly occupied level at mid gap. Subsurface vacancies below the second layer display essentially the same properties as bulk defects. Our results for vacancies in the second layer show features not observed for either surface or bulk vacancies: Large relaxations occur and both defects are unstable against the formation of antisite vacancy complexes. Simulating scanning tunneling microscope pictures of the different vacancies we find excellent agreement with experimental data for the surface vacancies and predict the signatures of subsurface vacancies.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev. B, Other related publications can be found at http://www.rz-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm

Interatomic potentials for atomistic simulations of the Ti-Al system

Semi-empirical interatomic potentials have been developed for Al, alpha-Ti, and gamma-TiAl within the embedded atomic method (EAM) by fitting to a large database of experimental as well as ab-initio data. The ab-initio calculations were performed by the linear augmented plane wave (LAPW) method within the density functional theory to obtain the equations of state for a number of crystal structures of the Ti-Al system. Some of the calculated LAPW energies were used for fitting the potentials while others for examining their quality. The potentials correctly predict the equilibrium crystal structures of the phases and accurately reproduce their basic lattice properties. The potentials are applied to calculate the energies of point defects, surfaces, planar faults in the equilibrium structures. Unlike earlier EAM potentials for the Ti-Al system, the proposed potentials provide reasonable description of the lattice thermal expansion, demonstrating their usefulness in the molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo studies at high temperatures. The energy along the tetragonal deformation path (Bain transformation) in gamma-TiAl calculated with the EAM potential is in a fairly good agreement with LAPW calculations. Equilibrium point defect concentrations in gamma-TiAl are studied using the EAM potential. It is found that antisite defects strongly dominate over vacancies at all compositions around stoichiometry, indicating that gamm-TiAl is an antisite disorder compound in agreement with experimental data.Comment: 46 pages, 6 figures (Physical Review B, in press

Pair vs many-body potentials: influence on elastic and plastic behavior in nanoindentation

Molecular-dynamics simulation can give atomistic information on the processes occurring in nanoindentation experiments. In particular, the nucleation of dislocation loops, their growth, interaction and motion can be studied. We investigate how realistic the interatomic potentials underlying the simulations have to be in order to describe these complex processes. Specifically we investigate nanoindentation into a Cu single crystal. We compare simulations based on a realistic many-body interaction potential of the embedded-atom-method type with two simple pair potentials, a Lennard-Jones and a Morse potential. We find that qualitatively many aspects of nanoindentation are fairly well reproduced by the simple pair potentials: elastic regime, critical stress and indentation depth for yielding, dependence on the crystal orientation, and even the level of the hardness. The quantitative deficits of the pair potential predictions can be traced back (i) to the fact that the pair potentials are unable in principle to model the elastic anisotropy of cubic crystals; (ii) as the major drawback of pair potentials we identify the gross underestimation of the stable stacking fault energy. As a consequence these potentials predict the formation of too large dislocation loops, the too rapid expansion of partials, too little cross slip and in consequence a severe overestimation of work hardening.Comment: 28 page

Iron under Earth's core conditions: Liquid-state thermodynamics and high-pressure melting curve

{\em Ab initio} techniques based on density functional theory in the projector-augmented-wave implementation are used to calculate the free energy and a range of other thermodynamic properties of liquid iron at high pressures and temperatures relevant to the Earth's core. The {\em ab initio} free energy is obtained by using thermodynamic integration to calculate the change of free energy on going from a simple reference system to the {\em ab initio} system, with thermal averages computed by {\em ab initio} molecular dynamics simulation. The reference system consists of the inverse-power pair-potential model used in previous work. The liquid-state free energy is combined with the free energy of hexagonal close packed Fe calculated earlier using identical {\em ab initio} techniques to obtain the melting curve and volume and entropy of melting. Comparisons of the calculated melting properties with experimental measurement and with other recent {\em ab initio} predictions are presented. Experiment-theory comparisons are also presented for the pressures at which the solid and liquid Hugoniot curves cross the melting line, and the sound speed and Gr\"{u}neisen parameter along the Hugoniot. Additional comparisons are made with a commonly used equation of state for high-pressure/high-temperature Fe based on experimental data.Comment: 16 pages including 6 figures and 5 table

Influence of patch shape on mallard nest survival in northern Iowa

Reproductive success of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) is influenced by distribution and amount of wetlands and grasslands on the landscape during the breeding season. Most studies of mallard reproductive success have been conducted in areas with high wetland densities and large tracts of grasslands. We investigated nest survival of mallards in intensively cropped northern Iowa, USA, where wetland and grassland habitats were highly fragmented. We radiotracked female mallards nesting during 1998–2000 and located 318 nests in 6 types of land cover. Overall daily survival rate of nests was 0.945 ± 0.003 standard error (SE), corresponding to an estimated nest survival rate of 0.14. Hen success (i.e., the probability that an individual female will hatch a nest in one of her attempts) averaged 0.28 ± 0.03 SE. We used a model selection approach to examine covariates that might affect nest survival. Perimeter-to-area ratio (PAR) of the nest patch was the most important predictor of daily nest survival, with nest survival decreasing with increasing PAR. A greater percentage of nests hatched (18%) in habitats with low perimeter-to-area ratios (e.g., pastures, hayfields, Conservation Reserve Program fields, and managed grasslands) compared with habitats with high PAR (11%) such as drainage ditches, road-side ditches, fencerows, and waterways. Managing habitat in this region to increase mallard nest survival will be challenging, given the propensity of mallards to nest in linear habitats. If the climate change projections materialize in the 21st century, the southeastern portion of the Prairie Pothole Region could become a much more important breeding area for midcontinent mallards. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA