6,171 research outputs found
Magnetic Flux Tube Reconnection: Tunneling Versus Slingshot
The discrete nature of the solar magnetic field as it emerges into the corona
through the photosphere indicates that it exists as isolated flux tubes in the
convection zone, and will remain as discrete flux tubes in the corona until it
collides and reconnects with other coronal fields. Collisions of these flux
tubes will in general be three dimensional, and will often lead to
reconnection, both rearranging the magnetic field topology in fundamental ways,
and releasing magnetic energy. With the goal of better understanding these
dynamics, we carry out a set of numerical experiments exploring fundamental
characteristics of three dimensional magnetic flux tube reconnection. We first
show that reconnecting flux tubes at opposite extremes of twist behave very
differently: in some configurations, low twist tubes slingshot while high twist
tubes tunnel. We then discuss a theory explaining these differences: by
assuming helicity conservation during the reconnection one can show that at
high twist, tunneled tubes reach a lower magnetic energy state than slingshot
tubes, whereas at low twist the opposite holds. We test three predictions made
by this theory. 1) We find that the level of twist at which the transition from
slingshot to tunnel occurs is about two to three times higher than predicted on
the basis of energetics and helicity conservation alone, probably because the
dynamics of the reconnection play a large role as well. 2) We find that the
tunnel occurs at all flux tube collision angles predicted by the theory. 3) We
find that the amount of magnetic energy a slingshot or a tunnel reconnection
releases agrees reasonably well with the theory, though at the high
resistivities we have to use for numerical stability, a significant amount of
magnetic energy is lost to diffusion, independent of reconnection.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, submitted to Ap
Methodology for environmental assessment of agri-environment schemes: the Agri Environmental Footprint Index
End of project reportAgri-environment schemes pay farmers for the provision of environmental services. Such schemes tend to have multiple measures that deliver multiple environmental objectives, and there is a lack of consistent methodology with which to measure the environmental benefits of such schemes. Funded by EU FP6, the Agri-Environment Footprint project (www.footprint.rdg.ac.uk) aimed to address this challenge, and this report provides results from selected components of the project.European Unio
Bringing genetics into primary care: findings from a national evaluation of pilots in England
Objectives: Developments in genetic knowledge and clinical applications are seen as rendering traditional modes of organizing genetics provision increasingly inappropriate. In common with a number of developed world countries the UK has sought to increase the role of primary care in delivering such services. However, efforts to reconfigure service delivery face multiple challenges associated with divergent policy objectives, organizational boundaries and professional cultures. This paper presents findings from an evaluation of an English initiative to integrate genetics into 'mainstream' clinical provision in the National Health Service. Methods: Qualitative research in 11 case-study sites focusing on attempts by pilots funded by the initiative to embed knowledge and provision within primary care illustrating barriers faced and the ways in which these were surmounted. Results: Lack of intrinsic interest in clinical genetics among primary care staff was compounded by national targets that focused their attention elsewhere and by service structures that rendered genetics a peripheral concern demanding minimal engagement. Established divisions between the commissioning of mainstream and specialist services, along with the pressures of shorter-term targets, impeded ongoing funding. Conclusions: More wide-ranging policy and organizational support is required if the aim of entrenching genetics knowledge and practice across the Health Service is to be realized
Virion Positions and Relationships of Lactococcal Temperate Bacteriophage TP901-1 Proteins
AbstractThe major proteins of phage TP901-1 virion were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and structural relations were determined using specific antibodies, obtained by affinity purification from a polyclonal serum. A 23-kDa protein was identified as the major tail protein, and a 31-kDa molecule as the major head protein, respectively. Labeling experiments with antibodies against two proteins, with molecular masses of 20 and 19 kDa, indicated that they were baseplate-related components. A 72-kDa protein was found to be part of a neck passage structure, which includes a collar. Evidence for the presence of attached whiskers was also obtained. T7 RNA polymerase-mediated expression of the two major proteins confirmed the gene location of the previously sequenced region of the phage genome. The relation to other lactococcal phages was determined by DNA hybridization and antibody probing, showing that despite low DNA similarity, TP901-1 NPS epitopes were detected in both related and unrelated small isometric-headed phages
GravEn: Software for the simulation of gravitational wave detector network response
Physically motivated gravitational wave signals are needed in order to study
the behaviour and efficacy of different data analysis methods seeking their
detection. GravEn, short for Gravitational-wave Engine, is a MATLAB software
package that simulates the sampled response of a gravitational wave detector to
incident gravitational waves. Incident waves can be specified in a data file or
chosen from among a group of pre-programmed types commonly used for
establishing the detection efficiency of analysis methods used for LIGO data
analysis. Every aspect of a desired signal can be specified, such as start time
of the simulation (including inter-sample start times), wave amplitude, source
orientation to line of sight, location of the source in the sky, etc. Supported
interferometric detectors include LIGO, GEO, Virgo and TAMA.Comment: 10 Pages, 3 Figures, Presented at the 10th Gravitational Wave Data
Analysis Workshop (GWDAW-10), 14-17 December 2005 at the University of Texas,
Brownsvill
Black Hole Spectroscopy: Testing General Relativity through Gravitational Wave Observations
Assuming that general relativity is the correct theory of gravity in the
strong field limit, can gravitational wave observations distinguish between
black hole and other compact object sources? Alternatively, can gravitational
wave observations provide a test of one of the fundamental predictions of
general relativity? Here we describe a definitive test of the hypothesis that
observations of damped, sinusoidal gravitational waves originated from a black
hole or, alternatively, that nature respects the general relativistic no-hair
theorem. For astrophysical black holes, which have a negligible charge-to-mass
ratio, the black hole quasi-normal mode spectrum is characterized entirely by
the black hole mass and angular momentum and is unique to black holes. In a
different theory of gravity, or if the observed radiation arises from a
different source (e.g., a neutron star, strange matter or boson star), the
spectrum will be inconsistent with that predicted for general relativistic
black holes. We give a statistical characterization of the consistency between
the noisy observation and the theoretical predictions of general relativity,
together with a numerical example.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure
Magnetic Energy and Helicity Budgets in the Active-Region Solar Corona. I. Linear Force-Free Approximation
We self-consistently derive the magnetic energy and relative magnetic
helicity budgets of a three-dimensional linear force-free magnetic structure
rooted in a lower boundary plane. For the potential magnetic energy we derive a
general expression that gives results practically equivalent to those of the
magnetic Virial theorem. All magnetic energy and helicity budgets are
formulated in terms of surface integrals applied to the lower boundary, thus
avoiding computationally intensive three-dimensional magnetic field
extrapolations. We analytically and numerically connect our derivations with
classical expressions for the magnetic energy and helicity, thus presenting a
so-far lacking unified treatment of the energy/helicity budgets in the
constant-alpha approximation. Applying our derivations to photospheric vector
magnetograms of an eruptive and a noneruptive solar active regions, we find
that the most profound quantitative difference between these regions lies in
the estimated free magnetic energy and relative magnetic helicity budgets. If
this result is verified with a large number of active regions, it will advance
our understanding of solar eruptive phenomena. We also find that the
constant-alpha approximation gives rise to large uncertainties in the
calculation of the free magnetic energy and the relative magnetic helicity.
Therefore, care must be exercised when this approximation is applied to
photospheric magnetic field observations. Despite its shortcomings, the
constant-alpha approximation is adopted here because this study will form the
basis of a comprehensive nonlinear force-free description of the energetics and
helicity in the active-region solar corona, which is our ultimate objective.Comment: 44 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables. The Astrophysical Journal, in pres
Twist, Writhe & Helicity in the inner penumbra of a sunspot
The aim of this work is the determination of the twist, writhe, and self
magnetic helicity of penumbral filaments located in an inner Sunspot penumbra.
To this extent, we inverted data taken with the spectropolarimeter (SP) aboard
Hinode with the SIR (Stokes Inversion based on Response function) code. For the
construction of a 3D geometrical model we applied a genetic algorithm
minimizing the divergence of the magnetic field vector and the net
magnetohydrodynamic force, consequently a force-free solution would be reached
if possible. We estimated two proxies to the magnetic helicity frequently used
in literature: the force-free parameter and the current helicity term. We show
that both proxies are only qualitative indicators of the local twist as the
magnetic field in the area under study significantly departures from a
force-free configuration. The local twist shows significant values only at the
borders of bright penumbral filaments with opposite signs on each side. These
locations are precisely correlated to large electric currents. The average
twist (and writhe) of penumbral structures is very small. The spines (dark
filaments in the background) show a nearly zero writhe. The writhe per unit
length of the intraspines diminishes with increasing length of the tube axes.
Thus, the axes of tubes related to intraspines are less wrung when the tubes
are more horizontal. As the writhe of the spines is very small, we can conclude
that the writhe reaches only significant values when the tube includes the
border of a intraspine.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; Astrophysical Journal, in pres
Virtual Compton scattering and the generalized polarizabilities of the proton at Q(2)=0.92 and 1.76 GeV2
Virtual Compton scattering (VCS) on the proton has been studied at the Jefferson Laboratory using the exclusive photon electroproduction reaction ep -\u3e ep gamma. This paper gives a detailed account of the analysis which has led to the determination of the structure functions P-LL - P-TT/epsilon and P-LT and the electric and magnetic generalized polarizabilities (GPs) alpha(E) (Q(2)) and beta(M) (Q(2)) at values of the four-momentum transfer squared Q(2) = 0.92 and 1.76 GeV2. These data, together with the results of VCS experiments at lower momenta, help building a coherent picture of the electric and magnetic GPs of the proton over the full measured Q(2) range and point to their nontrivial behavior
Resolution of Cosmological Singularities
We show that a class of 3+1 dimensional Friedmann-Robertson-Walker
cosmologies can be embedded within a variety of solutions of string theory. In
some realizations the apparent singularities associated with the big bang or
big crunch are resolved at non-singular horizons of higher-dimensional
quasi-black hole solutions (with compactified real time); in others plausibly
they are resolved at D-brane bound states having no conventional space-time
interpretation.Comment: 11 pages, latex. Two references added, one typo correcte
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