Current status of turbulent dynamo theory: From large-scale to small-scale dynamos

Several recent advances in turbulent dynamo theory are reviewed. High resolution simulations of small-scale and large-scale dynamo action in periodic domains are compared with each other and contrasted with similar results at low magnetic Prandtl numbers. It is argued that all the different cases show similarities at intermediate length scales. On the other hand, in the presence of helicity of the turbulence, power develops on large scales, which is not present in non-helical small-scale turbulent dynamos. At small length scales, differences occur in connection with the dissipation cutoff scales associated with the respective value of the magnetic Prandtl number. These differences are found to be independent of whether or not there is large-scale dynamo action. However, large-scale dynamos in homogeneous systems are shown to suffer from resistive slow-down even at intermediate length scales. The results from simulations are connected to mean field theory and its applications. Recent work on helicity fluxes to alleviate large-scale dynamo quenching, shear dynamos, nonlocal effects and magnetic structures from strong density stratification are highlighted. Several insights which arise from analytic considerations of small-scale dynamos are discussed.Comment: 36 pages, 11 figures, Spa. Sci. Rev., submitted to the special issue "Magnetism in the Universe" (ed. A. Balogh

Non-LTE modeling of supernova-fallback disks

We present a first detailed spectrum synthesis calculation of a supernova-fallback disk composed of iron. We assume a geometrically thin disk with a radial structure described by the classical alpha-disk model. The disk is represented by concentric rings radiating as plane-parallel slabs. The vertical structure and emission spectrum of each ring is computed in a fully self-consistent manner by solving the structure equations simultaneously with the radiation transfer equations under non-LTE conditions. We describe the properties of a specific disk model and discuss various effects on the emergent UV/optical spectrum. We find that strong iron-line blanketing causes broad absorption features over the whole spectral range. Limb darkening changes the spectral distribution up to a factor of four depending on the inclination angle. Consequently, such differences also occur between a blackbody spectrum and our model. The overall spectral shape is independent of the exact chemical composition as long as iron is the dominant species. A pure iron composition cannot be distinguished from silicon-burning ash. Non-LTE effects are small and restricted to few spectral features.Comment: ApSS, accepted, Proceedings of Isolated Neutron Stars: from the Interior to the Surface, April 24-28, 2006, London, U

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually unresolved astrophysical sources. Using data recorded by Advanced LIGO during its first observing run, we search for a stochastic background of generically polarized gravitational waves. We find no evidence for a background of any polarization, and place the first direct bounds on the contributions of vector and scalar polarizations to the stochastic background. Under log-uniform priors for the energy in each polarization, we limit the energy densities of tensor, vector, and scalar modes at 95% credibility to Ω0T<5.58×10-8, Ω0V<6.35×10-8, and Ω0S<1.08×10-7 at a reference frequency f0=25 Hz. © 2018 American Physical Society

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

Erratum: "A Gravitational-wave Measurement of the Hubble Constant Following the Second Observing Run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo" (2021, ApJ, 909, 218)

[no abstract available

A Security Assistance System Combining Person Tracking with Chemical Attributes and Video Event Analysis

Timely recognition of threats can be significantly supported by security assistance systems that work continuously in time and call the security personnel in case of anomalous events in the surveillance area. We describe the concept and the realization of an indoor security assistance system for real-time decision support. The system consists of a computer vision module and a person classification module. The computer vision module provides a video event analysis of the entrance region in front of the demonstrator. After entering the control corridor, the persons are tracked, classified, and potential threats are localized inside the demonstrator. Data for the person classification are provided by chemical sensors detecting hazardous materials. Due to their limited spatio-temporal resolution, a single chemical sensor cannot localize this material and associate it with a person. We compensate this deficiency by fusing the output of multiple, distributed chemical sensors with kinematical data from laser-range scanners. Considering both the computer vision formation and the results of the person classification affords the localization of threats and a timely reaction of the security personnel

Future scientific drilling of oceanic crust

Processes that occur within and across the oceanic crust–in particular along mid-ocean ridges and oceanic spreading centers—play a huge role in the dynamics of the Earth. The largest fluxes of heat and material between the Earth's mantle, crust, and seawater occur via magmatic, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes along oceanic spreading centers and their vast flanks. Roughly two thirds of the Earth's surface is accreted through magmatic and tectonic processes along mid-ocean ridges, and subduction of this ocean crust in turn influences mantle compositions. Exchange of elements between ocean crust and seawater strongly influences seawater compositions and leaves a geologic record of fluid-rock reactions in altered ocean crust. Some of these reactions contribute energy to microbial activity of a largely unexplored biosphere. The dynamics of ridge and ocean crustal processes therefore have enormous implications for thermal, chemical, and biological exchanges between the solid Earth and the hydrosphere