On-disk coronal rain

Small and elongated, cool and dense blob-like structures are being reported with high resolution telescopes in physically different regions throughout the solar atmosphere. Their detection and the understanding of their formation, morphology and thermodynamical characteristics can provide important information on their hosting environment, especially concerning the magnetic field, whose understanding constitutes a major problem in solar physics. An example of such blobs is coronal rain, a phenomenon of thermal non- equilibrium observed in active region loops, which consists of cool and dense chromospheric blobs falling along loop-like paths from coronal heights. So far, only off-limb coronal rain has been observed and few reports on the phenomenon exist. In the present work, several datasets of on-disk H{\alpha} observations with the CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter (CRISP) at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) are analyzed. A special family of on-disk blobs is selected for each dataset and a statistical analysis is carried out on their dynamics, morphology and temperatures. All characteristics present distributions which are very similar to reported coronal rain statistics. We discuss possible interpretations considering other similar blob-like structures reported so far and show that a coronal rain interpretation is the most likely one. Their chromospheric nature and the projection effects (which eliminate all direct possibility of height estimation) on one side, and their small sizes, fast dynamics, and especially, their faint character (offering low contrast with the background intensity) on the other side, are found as the main causes for the absence until now of the detection of this on-disk coronal rain counterpart.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for Solar Physic

Photoionization of ultracold and Bose-Einstein condensed Rb atoms

Photoionization of a cold atomic sample offers intriguing possibilities to observe collective effects at extremely low temperatures. Irradiation of a rubidium condensate and of cold rubidium atoms within a magneto-optical trap with laser pulses ionizing through 1-photon and 2-photon absorption processes has been performed. Losses and modifications in the density profile of the remaining trapped cold cloud or the remaining condensate sample have been examined as function of the ionizing laser parameters. Ionization cross-sections were measured for atoms in a MOT, while in magnetic traps losses larger than those expected for ionization process were measured.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Adolescent goals and aspirations in search of psychological well-being: from the perspective of self-determination theory

According to self-determination theory, an individual’s goal content and the processes involved in goal setting often represent the status of the individual’s mental health and well-being. When examining the importance placed on goal setting, an individual’s goals and aspirations are often synonymous with mental health and well-being. Aspiring to achieve intrinsic life goals has been associated with greater psychological well-being in literature. This study therefore aimed to establish the relationships between goals and aspirations, mental health behaviour (interpersonal relations, stress management, and spiritual growth), and psychological well-being (measured by positive affect). A sample of 457 secondary school learners in the Overberg Educational District, Western Cape, South Africa, participated in the study. The results suggest a significant positive relationship between placing importance on intrinsic goals and aspirations, and psychological well-being (as indicated by positive affect). However, psychological well-being was not correlated with mental health behaviour. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis suggest that importance placed on intrinsic goals and aspirations predicts psychological well-being and accounts for 8% of the variance. The results highlight the role of intrinsic goals and aspirations in predicting the psychological well-being of adolescents. The findings are supported by the theoretical assumptions of self-determination theory.DHE

Fragmentation Function and Hadronic Production of the Heavy Supersymmetric Hadrons

The light top-squark \sto may be the lightest squark and its lifetime may be `long enough' in a kind of SUSY models which have not been ruled out yet experimentally, so colorless `supersymmetric hadrons (superhadrons)' (\sto \bar{q}) ($q$ is a quark except $t$-quark) may be formed as long as the light top-squark \sto can be produced. Fragmentation function of \sto to heavy `supersymmetric hadrons (superhadrons)' (\sto \bar{Q}) ($\bar{Q}=\bar{c}$ or $\bar{b}$) and the hadronic production of the superhadrons are investigated quantitatively. The fragmentation function is calculated precisely. Due to the difference in spin of the SUSY component, the asymptotic behavior of the fragmentation function is different from those of the existent ones. The fragmentation function is also applied to compute the production of heavy superhadrons at hadronic colliders Tevatron and LHC under the so-called fragmentation approach. The resultant cross-section for the heavy superhadrons is too small to observe at Tevatron, but great enough at LHC, even when all the relevant parameters in the SUSY models are taken within the favored region for the heavy superhadrons. The production of `light superhadrons' (\sto \bar{q}) ($q=u, d, s$) is also roughly estimated. It is pointed out that the production cross-sections of the light superhadrons (\sto \bar{q}) may be much greater than those of the heavy superhadrons, so that even at Tevatron the light superhadrons may be produced in great quantities.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure

The Heavy Photon Search test detector

The Heavy Photon Search (HPS), an experiment to search for a hidden sector photon in fixed target electroproduction, is preparing for installation at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) in the Fall of 2014. As the first stage of this project, the HPS Test Run apparatus was constructed and operated in 2012 to demonstrate the experiment׳s technical feasibility and to confirm that the trigger rates and occupancies are as expected. This paper describes the HPS Test Run apparatus and readout electronics and its performance. In this setting, a heavy photon can be identified as a narrow peak in the e+e− invariant mass spectrum above the trident background or as a narrow invariant mass peak with a decay vertex displaced from the production target, so charged particle tracking and vertexing are needed for its detection. In the HPS Test Run, charged particles are measured with a compact forward silicon microstrip tracker inside a dipole magnet. Electromagnetic showers are detected in a PbW04 crystal calorimeter situated behind the magnet, and are used to trigger the experiment and identify electrons and positrons. Both detectors are placed close to the beam line and split top-bottom. This arrangement provides sensitivity to low-mass heavy photons, allows clear passage of the unscattered beam, and avoids the spray of degraded electrons coming from the target. The discrimination between prompt and displaced e+e− pairs requires the first layer of silicon sensors be placed only 10 cm downstream of the target. The expected signal is small, and the trident background huge, so the experiment requires very large statistics. Accordingly, the HPS Test Run utilizes high-rate readout and data acquisition electronics and a fast trigger to exploit the essentially 100% duty cycle of the CEBAF accelerator at JLab

The First Magnetic Fields

We review current ideas on the origin of galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields. We begin by summarizing observations of magnetic fields at cosmological redshifts and on cosmological scales. These observations translate into constraints on the strength and scale magnetic fields must have during the early stages of galaxy formation in order to seed the galactic dynamo. We examine mechanisms for the generation of magnetic fields that operate prior during inflation and during subsequent phase transitions such as electroweak symmetry breaking and the quark-hadron phase transition. The implications of strong primordial magnetic fields for the reionization epoch as well as the first generation of stars is discussed in detail. The exotic, early-Universe mechanisms are contrasted with astrophysical processes that generate fields after recombination. For example, a Biermann-type battery can operate in a proto-galaxy during the early stages of structure formation. Moreover, magnetic fields in either an early generation of stars or active galactic nuclei can be dispersed into the intergalactic medium.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Pdf can be also downloaded from http://canopus.cnu.ac.kr/ryu/cosmic-mag1.pd

Development and validation of the satisfaction with treatment for pain questionnaire (STPQ) among patients with sickle cell disease

A brief measure of patient satisfaction with treatment for pain is needed to help improve the treatment of painful episodes caused by sickle cell disease (SCD), especially during and after the transition from paediatric to adult care. Focus groups of 28 adolescent and adult patients were consulted about the content, clarity and relevance of 30 potential items, resulting in an 18-item version. This was validated by analysing questionnaire responses from 120 patients aged 12-53 years. Confirmatory factor analysis and item analysis indicated five subscales with high internal reliability: ‘Communication and Involvement’ (6 items, α=0.87); ‘Respect and Dignity’ (3 items, α=0.82); ‘Pain Control’ (3 items, α=0.91); ‘Staff Attitudes and Behaviour’ (4 items, α=0.88); and ‘Overall Satisfaction’ (2 items, α=0.85); plus a Total Satisfaction score (18 items, α=0.96). High negative correlations with the Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire, a measure of problem experiences, indicated good convergent validity. Lower satisfaction scores among patients aged over 18 years, those admitted via the emergency department, those treated by non-specialist hospital staff, and those reporting more breakthrough pain indicated good concurrent validity. The questionnaire provides a convenient brief measure that can be used to inform and evaluate improvements in healthcare for adolescent and adult patients with SCD, and could potentially be adapted for other painful conditions.Bart’s Charity Strategic Research Grant (Reference Number 1704); non-restricted financial grants from Kyowa Kirin and Mundipharma; University of Derby Undergraduate Research Scholarship awards; University of Derby REF reinvestment programme

A New Computational Fluid Dynamics Code I: Fyris Alpha

A new hydrodynamics code aimed at astrophysical applications has been developed. The new code and algorithms are presented along with a comprehensive suite of test problems in one, two, and three dimensions. The new code is shown to be robust and accurate, equalling or improving upon a set of comparison codes. Fyris Alpha will be made freely available to the scientific community.Comment: 59 pages, 27 figures For associated code see http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/fyri

Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities

A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the $B$-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b}, and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K. Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D. Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A. Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair