10,421 research outputs found
An investigation of Fe XVI emission lines in solar and stellar EUV and soft X-ray spectra
New fully relativistic calculations of radiative rates and electron impact
excitation cross sections for Fe XVI are used to determine theoretical
emission-line ratios applicable to the 251 - 361 A and 32 - 77 A portions of
the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray spectral regions, respectively. A
comparison of the EUV results with observations from the Solar
Extreme-Ultraviolet Research Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS) reveals
excellent agreement between theory and experiment. However, for emission lines
in the 32 - 49 A portion of the soft X-ray spectral region, there are large
discrepancies between theory and measurement for both a solar flare spectrum
obtained with the X-Ray Spectrometer/Spectrograph Telescope (XSST) and
observations of Capella from the Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer
(LETGS) on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. These are probably due to blending in
the solar flare and Capella data from both first order lines and from shorter
wavelength transitions detected in second and third order. By contrast, there
is very good agreement between our theoretical results and the XSST and LETGS
observations in the 50 - 77 A wavelength range, contrary to previous results.
In particular, there is no evidence that the Fe XVI emission from the XSST
flare arises from plasma at a much higher temperature than that expected for Fe
XVI in ionization equilibrium, as suggested by earlier work.Comment: 6 pages, 4 tables, 1 figure, MNRAS in pres
Host-Parasite Co-evolution and Optimal Mutation Rates for Semi-conservative Quasispecies
In this paper, we extend a model of host-parasite co-evolution to incorporate
the semi-conservative nature of DNA replication for both the host and the
parasite. We find that the optimal mutation rate for the semi-conservative and
conservative hosts converge for realistic genome lengths, thus maintaining the
admirable agreement between theory and experiment found previously for the
conservative model and justifying the conservative approximation in some cases.
We demonstrate that, while the optimal mutation rate for a conservative and
semi-conservative parasite interacting with a given immune system is similar to
that of a conservative parasite, the properties away from this optimum differ
significantly. We suspect that this difference, coupled with the requirement
that a parasite optimize survival in a range of viable hosts, may help explain
why semi-conservative viruses are known to have significantly lower mutation
rates than their conservative counterparts
Three-dimensional simulations of the orientation and structure of reconnection X-lines
This work employs Hall magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to study the
X-lines formed during the reconnection of magnetic fields with differing
strengths and orientations embedded in plasmas of differing densities. Although
random initial perturbations trigger the growth of X-lines with many
orientations, at late time a few robust X-lines sharing an orientation
reasonably consistent with the direction that maximizes the outflow speed, as
predicted by Swisdak and Drake [Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L11106, (2007)],
dominate the system. The existence of reconnection in the geometry examined
here contradicts the suggestion of Sonnerup [J. Geophys. Res., 79, 1546 (1974)]
that reconnection occurs in a plane normal to the equilibrium current. At late
time the growth of the X-lines stagnates, leaving them shorter than the
simulation domain.Comment: Accepted by Physics of Plasma
On the 3-D structure and dissipation of reconnection-driven flow-bursts
The structure of magnetic reconnection-driven outflows and their dissipation
are explored with large-scale, 3-D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Outflow
jets resulting from 3-D reconnection with a finite length x-line form fronts as
they propagate into the downstream medium. A large pressure increase ahead of
this ``reconnection jet front'' (RJF), due to reflected and transmitted ions,
slows the front so that its velocity is well below the velocity of the ambient
ions in the core of the jet. As a result, the RJF slows and diverts the
high-speed flow into the direction perpendicular to the reconnection plane. The
consequence is that the RJF acts as a thermalization site for the ion bulk flow
and contributes significantly to the dissipation of magnetic energy during
reconnection even though the outflow jet is subsonic. This behavior has no
counterpart in 2-D reconnection. A simple analytic model predicts the front
velocity and the fraction of the ion bulk flow energy that is dissipated
Electron Holes and Heating in the Reconnection Dissipation Region
Using particle-in-cell simulations and kinetic theory, we explore the
current-driven turbulence and associated electron heating in the dissipation
region during 3D magnetic reconnection with a guide field. At late time the
turbulence is dominated by the Buneman and lower hybrid instabilities. Both
produce electron holes that co-exist but have very different propagation
speeds. The associated scattering of electrons by the holes enhances electron
heating in the dissipation region.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, submitted to GR
Two-scale structure of the electron dissipation region during collisionless magnetic reconnection
Particle in cell (PIC) simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection are
presented that demonstrate that the electron dissipation region develops a
distinct two-scale structure along the outflow direction. The length of the
electron current layer is found to decrease with decreasing electron mass,
approaching the ion inertial length for a proton-electron plasma. A surprise,
however, is that the electrons form a high-velocity outflow jet that remains
decoupled from the magnetic field and extends large distances downstream from
the x-line. The rate of reconnection remains fast in very large systems,
independent of boundary conditions and the mass of electrons.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters, 4 pages, 4 figure
Two-photon E1M1 decay of 2 3P0 states in heavy heliumlike ions
Two-photon E1M1 transition rates are evaluated for heliumlike ions with
nuclear charges in the range Z = 50-94. The two-photon rates modify previously
published lifetimes/transition rates of 2 3P0 states. For isotopes with nuclear
spin I not equal 0, where hyperfine quenching dominates the 2 3P0 decay,
two-photon contributions are significant; for example, in heliumlike 187 Os the
two-photon correction is 3% of the total rate. For isotopes with I= 0, where
the 2 3P0 decay is unquenched, the E1M1 corrections are even more important
reaching 60% for Z=94. Therefore, to aid in the interpretation of experiments
on hyperfine quenching in heliumlike ions and to provide a more complete
database for unquenched transitions, a knowledge of E1M1 rates is important.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 3 table
The different origins of magnetic fields and activity in the Hertzsprung gap stars, OU Andromedae and 31 Comae
Context: When crossing the Hertzsprung gap, intermediate-mass stars develop a
convective envelope. Fast rotators on the main sequence, or Ap star
descendants, are expected to become magnetic active subgiants during this
evolutionary phase. Aims: We compare the surface magnetic fields and activity
indicators of two active, fast rotating red giants with similar masses and
spectral class but diferent rotation rates - OU And (Prot=24.2 d) and 31 Com
(Prot=6.8 d) - to address the question of the origin of their magnetism and
high activity.
Methods: Observations were carried out with the Narval spectropolarimeter in
2008 and 2013.We used the least squares deconvolution technique to extract
Stokes V and I profiles to detect Zeeman signatures of the magnetic field of
the stars. We provide Zeeman-Doppler imaging, activity indicator monitoring,
and a precise estimation of stellar parameters. We use stellar evolutionary
models to infer the evolutionary status and the initial rotation velocity on
the main sequence.
Results: The detected magnetic field of OU And is a strong one. Its
longitudinal component Bl reaches 40 G and presents an about sinusoidal
variation with reversal of the polarity. The magnetic topology of OU And is
dominated by large scale elements and is mainly poloidal with an important
dipole component, and a significant toroidal component. The detected magnetic
field of 31 Com is weaker, with a magnetic map showing a more complex field
geometry, and poloidal and toroidal components of equal contributions. The
evolutionary models show that the progenitors of OU And and 31 Com must have
been rotat
Conclusions: OU And appears to be the probable descendant of a magnetic Ap
star, and 31 Com the descendant of a relatively fast rotator on the main
sequence.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure
Super-Alfv\'enic propagation of reconnection signatures and Poynting flux during substorms
The propagation of reconnection signatures and their associated energy are
examined using kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and Cluster satellite
observations. It is found that the quadrupolar out-of-plane magnetic field near
the separatrices is associated with a kinetic Alfv\'en wave. For magnetotail
parameters, the parallel propagation of this wave is super-Alfv\'enic
(V_parallel ~ 1500 - 5500 km/s) and generates substantial Poynting flux (S ~
10^-5 - 10^-4 W/m^2) consistent with Cluster observations of magnetic
reconnection. This Poynting flux substantially exceeds that due to frozen-in
ion bulk outflows and is sufficient to generate white light aurora in the
Earth's ionosphere.Comment: Submitted to PRL on 11/1/2010. Resubmitted on 4/5/201
- …