16,372 research outputs found
DC magnetic field generation in unmagnetized shear flows
The generation of DC magnetic fields in unmagnetized plasmas with velocity
shear is predicted for non relativistic and relativistic scenarios either due
to thermal effects or due to the onset of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability
(KHI). A kinetic model describes the growth and the saturation of the DC field.
The predictions of the theory are confirmed by multidimensional
particle-in-cell simulations, demonstrating the formation of long lived
magnetic fields () along the full longitudinal
extent of the shear layer, with transverse width on the electron length scale
(), reaching magnitudes
Split-sideband spectroscopy in slowly modulated optomechanics
Optomechanical coupling between the motion of a mechanical oscillator and a
cavity represents a new arena for experimental investigation of quantum effects
on the mesoscopic and macroscopic scale.The motional sidebands of the output of
a cavity offer ultra-sensitive probes of the dynamics. We introduce a scheme
whereby these sidebands split asymmetrically and show how they may be used as
experimental diagnostics and signatures of quantum noise limited dynamics. We
show split-sidebands with controllable asymmetry occur by simultaneously
modulating the light-mechanical coupling and - slowly and out
of-phase. Such modulations are generic but already occur in optically trapped
set-ups where the equilibrium point of the oscillator is varied cyclically. We
analyse recently observed, but overlooked, experimental split-sideband
asymmetries; although not yet in the quantum regime, the data suggests that
split sideband structures are easily accessible to future experiments
Electron-scale shear instabilities: magnetic field generation and particle acceleration in astrophysical jets
Strong shear flow regions found in astrophysical jets are shown to be
important dissipation regions, where the shear flow kinetic energy is converted
into electric and magnetic field energy via shear instabilities. The emergence
of these self-consistent fields make shear flows significant sites for
radiation emission and particle acceleration. We focus on electron-scale
instabilities, namely the collisionless, unmagnetized Kelvin-Helmholtz
instability (KHI) and a large-scale dc magnetic field generation mechanism on
the electron scales. We show that these processes are important candidates to
generate magnetic fields in the presence of strong velocity shears, which may
naturally originate in energetic matter outburst of active galactic nuclei and
gamma-ray bursters. We show that the KHI is robust to density jumps between
shearing flows, thus operating in various scenarios with different density
contrasts. Multidimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of the KHI,
performed with OSIRIS, reveal the emergence of a strong and large-scale dc
magnetic field component, which is not captured by the standard linear fluid
theory. This dc component arises from kinetic effects associated with the
thermal expansion of electrons of one flow into the other across the shear
layer, whilst ions remain unperturbed due to their inertia. The electron
expansion forms dc current sheets, which induce a dc magnetic field. Our
results indicate that most of the electromagnetic energy developed in the KHI
is stored in the dc component, reaching values of equipartition on the order of
in the electron time-scale, and persists longer than the proton
time-scale. Particle scattering/acceleration in the self generated fields of
these shear flow instabilities is also analyzed
Transverse electron-scale instability in relativistic shear flows
Electron-scale surface waves are shown to be unstable in the transverse plane
of a shear flow in an initially unmagnetized plasma, unlike in the
(magneto)hydrodynamics case. It is found that these unstable modes have a
higher growth rate than the closely related electron-scale Kelvin-Helmholtz
instability in relativistic shears. Multidimensional particle-in-cell
simulations verify the analytic results and further reveal the emergence of
mushroom-like electron density structures in the nonlinear phase of the
instability, similar to those observed in the Rayleigh Taylor instability
despite the great disparity in scales and different underlying physics.
Macroscopic () fields are shown to be generated by these
microscopic shear instabilities, which are relevant for particle acceleration,
radiation emission and to seed MHD processes at long time-scales
Dynamical star-disk interaction in the young stellar system V354 Mon
The main goal of this work is to characterize the mass accretion and ejection
processes of the classical T Tauri star V354 Mon, a member of the young stellar
cluster NGC 2264. In March 2008, photometric and spectroscopic observations of
V354 Mon were obtained simultaneously with the CoRoT satellite, the 60 cm
telescope at the Observat\'orio Pico dos Dias (LNA - Brazil) equipped with a
CCD camera and Johnson/Cousins BVRI filters, and the SOPHIE \'echelle
spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (CNRS - France). The light
curve of V354 Mon shows periodical minima (P = 5.26 +/- 0.50 days) that vary in
depth and width at each rotational cycle. From the analysis of the photometric
and spectroscopic data, it is possible to identify correlations between the
emission line variability and the light-curve modulation of the young system,
such as the occurrence of pronounced redshifted absorption in the H_alpha line
at the epoch of minimum flux. This is evidence that during photometric minima
we see the accretion funnel projected onto the stellar photosphere in our line
of sight, implying that the hot spot coincides with the light-curve minima. We
applied models of cold and hot spots and a model of occultation by
circumstellar material to investigate the source of the observed photometric
variations. We conclude that nonuniformly distributed material in the inner
part of the circumstellar disk is the main cause of the photometric modulation,
which does not exclude the presence of hot and cold spots at the stellar
surface. It is believed that the distortion in the inner part of the disk is
created by the dynamical interaction between the stellar magnetosphere,
inclined with respect to the rotation axis, and the circumstellar disk, as also
observed in the classical T Tauri star AA Tau and predicted by
magnetohydrodynamical numerical simulations.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic
Slow down of a globally neutral relativistic beam shearing the vacuum
The microphysics of relativistic collisionless sheared flows is investigated
in a configuration consisting of a globally neutral, relativistic beam
streaming through a hollow plasma/dielectric channel. We show through
multidimensional PIC simulations that this scenario excites the Mushroom
instability (MI), a transverse shear instability on the electron-scale, when
there is no overlap (no contact) between the beam and the walls of the
hollow plasma channel. The onset of the MI leads to the conversion of the
beam's kinetic energy into magnetic (and electric) field energy, effectively
slowing down a globally neutral body in the absence of contact. The
collisionless shear physics explored in this configuration may operate in
astrophysical environments, particularly in highly relativistic and supersonic
settings where macroscopic shear processes are stable
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