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⁺, Na⁺, Ca⁺) 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>_{<i>E</i> &times; <i>B</i>} (denoting by <i>V</i>_{<i>E</i> &times; <i>B</i>} the magnitude of the local <b><i>E</b></i> &times; <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> &times; <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

Sequence sensitivity of breathing dynamics in heteropolymer DNA

We study the fluctuation dynamics of localized denaturation bubbles in heteropolymer DNA with a master equation and complementary stochastic simulation based on novel DNA stability data. A significant dependence of opening probability and waiting time between bubble events on the local DNA sequence is revealed and quantified for a biological sequence of the T7 bacteriophage. Quantitative agreement with data from fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is demonstrated.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Centrifugal acceleration of ions in the polar magnetosphere

The transport of ionospheric ions originating near the dayside cusp into the magnetotail is parametrically studied using a 3-D model of ion trajectories. It is shown that the centrifugal term in the guiding center parallel force equation dominates the parallel motion after about 4 Re geocentric distance. The dependence of the equatorial crossing distance on initial latitude, energy and convection electric field is presented for ions originating on the dayside ionosphere in the noon-midnight plane. It is also found that up to altitudes of about 5 Re, the motion is similar to that of a bead on a rotating rod, for which a simple analytical solution exists

Acute occupational phosphine intoxications : a retrospective study by the Belgian Poison Centre

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Acceleration and transport of ions in turbulent current sheets: formation of non-maxwelian energy distribution

The paper is devoted to particle acceleration in turbulent current sheet (CS). Our results show that the mechanism of CS particle interaction with electromagnetic turbulence can explain the formation of power law energy distributions. We study the ratio between adiabatic acceleration of particles in electric field in the presence of stationary turbulence and acceleration due to electric field in the case of dynamic turbulence. The correlation between average energy gained by particles and average particle residence time in the vicinity of the neutral sheet is discussed. It is also demonstrated that particle velocity distributions formed by particle-turbulence interaction are similar in essence to the ones observed near the far reconnection region in the Earth's magnetotail

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 $c$ for which we find the new value $c=4\nu-1/2$ such that the transition is second order with $c=1.85<2$ in $d=3$. We show that a finite stretching force $F$ destabilizes DNA, corresponding to a lower melting temperature $T(F)$, in agreement with single-molecule DNA stretching experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Dispersion-theoretical analysis of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors: Inclusion of time-like data

We update a recent dispersion--theoretical fit to the nucleon electromagnetic form factors by including the existing data in the time--like region. We show that while the time--like data for the proton can be described consistently with the existing world space--like data, this is not the case for the neutron. Another measurement of the process $e^+ e^- \to \bar n n$ is called for. We furthermore sharpen the previous estimate of the separation between the perturbative and the non--perturbative regime, which is characterized by a scale parameter $\Lambda^2 \simeq 10\,$GeV$^2$.Comment: 7 pp, LaTeX, uses epsf, 2 figures in separate file, four data points changed, slight changes in the fits, conclusions unchange

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