On the Radio Polarization Signature of Efficient and Inefficient Particle Acceleration in Supernova Remnant SN 1006

We present a radio polarization study of SN 1006, based on combined VLA and ATCA observations at 20 cm that resulted in sensitive images with an angular resolution of 10 arcsec. The fractional polarization in the two bright radio and X-ray lobes of the SNR is measured to be 0.17, while in the southeastern sector, where the radio and non-thermal X-ray emission are much weaker, the polarization fraction reaches a value of 0.6 +- 0.2, close to the theoretical limit of 0.7. We interpret this result as evidence of a disordered, turbulent magnetic field in the lobes, where particle acceleration is believed to be efficient, and a highly ordered field in the southeast, where the acceleration efficiency has been shown to be very low. Utilizing the frequency coverage of our observations, an average rotation measure of ~12 rad/m2 is determined from the combined data set, which is then used to obtain the intrinsic direction of the magnetic field vectors. While the orientation of magnetic field vectors across the SNR shell appear radial, a large fraction of the magnetic vectors lie parallel to the Galactic Plane. Along the highly polarized southeastern rim, the field is aligned tangent to the shock, and therefore also nearly parallel to the Galactic Plane. These results strongly suggest that the ambient field surrounding SN 1006 is aligned with this direction (i.e., from northeast to southwest) and that the bright lobes are due to a polar cap geometry. Our study establishes that the most efficient particle acceleration and generation of magnetic turbulence in SN 1006 is attained for shocks in which the magnetic field direction and shock normal are quasi-parallel, while inefficient acceleration and little to no generation of magnetic turbulence obtains for the quasi-perpendicular case.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomical Journa

The Nonlinear Evolution of Instabilities Driven by Magnetic Buoyancy: A New Mechanism for the Formation of Coherent Magnetic Structures

Motivated by the problem of the formation of active regions from a deep-seated solar magnetic field, we consider the nonlinear three-dimensional evolution of magnetic buoyancy instabilities resulting from a smoothly stratified horizontal magnetic field. By exploring the case for which the instability is continuously driven we have identified a new mechanism for the formation of concentrations of magnetic flux.Comment: Published in ApJL. Version with colour figure

Micrococcal Nuclease Does Not Substantially Bias Nucleosome Mapping

We have mapped sequence-directed nucleosome positioning on genomic DNA molecules using high-throughput sequencing. Chromatins, prepared by reconstitution with either chicken or frog histones, were separately digested to mononucleosomes using either micrococcal nuclease (MNase) or caspase-activated DNase (CAD). Both enzymes preferentially cleave internucleosomal (linker) DNA, although they do so by markedly different mechanisms. MNase has hitherto been very widely used to map nucleosomes, although concerns have been raised over its potential to introduce bias. Having identified the locations and quantified the strength of both the chicken or frog histone octamer binding sites on each DNA, the results obtained with the two enzymes were compared using a variety of criteria. Both enzymes displayed sequence specificity in their preferred cleavage sites, although the nature of this selectivity was distinct for the two enzymes. In addition, nucleosomes produced by CAD nuclease are 8–10 bp longer than those produced with MNase, with the CAD cleavage sites tending to be 4–5 bp further out from the nucleosomal dyad than the corresponding MNase cleavage sites. Despite these notable differences in cleavage behaviour, the two nucleases identified essentially equivalent patterns of nucleosome positioning sites on each of the DNAs tested, an observation that was independent of the histone type. These results indicate that biases in nucleosome positioning data collected using MNase are, under our conditions, not significant

Reduction of Non-Revenue Water through Continuous Acoustic Monitoring

This project sought to further the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center’s (ISTC) stated goal of reducing a billion gallons of water waste in the state of Illinois. This reduction can be directed in part at water utilities that transport billions of gallons from treatment and supply facilities to the customer through aging pipelines. Utilizing an advanced leak monitoring technique, this project has achieved measurable water savings in a water distribution system in less than a year, and has demonstrated the potential for significant water savings for other water systems. An economic analysis of the costs and benefits of the system has been provided to offer guidance to aid utilities considering this technology. This pilot project sought to quantify the reduction of infrastructure leakage using active acoustic monitoring. The installation of advanced correlating continuous acoustic monitoring (correlating CAM) technology alerted the utility to water leaks close to the moment they started, rather than after they surfaced. A key to effective monitoring is the metering of the system supply to quantify leakage and determine the extent of non-revenue water losses. The economic analysis includes not only water production cost savings, but also identifies secondary benefits including projected reduction of overtime due to leak repair and damage caused by leaks. Because the system was put in place within 60 days of the start of the year-long project, there was sufficient time (including fall and winter months, when leaks are most prevalent) for leak equipment to be assessed and savings to be identified.Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (Grant no. HWR15235)Ope

Resolving The Moth at Millimeter Wavelengths

HD 61005, also known as "The Moth," is one of only a handful of debris disks that exhibit swept-back "wings" thought to be caused by interaction with the ambient interstellar medium (ISM). We present 1.3 mm Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations of the debris disk around HD 61005 at a spatial resolution of 1.9 arcsec that resolve the emission from large grains for the first time. The disk exhibits a double-peaked morphology at millimeter wavelengths, consistent with an optically thin ring viewed close to edge-on. To investigate the disk structure and the properties of the dust grains we simultaneously model the spatially resolved 1.3 mm visibilities and the unresolved spectral energy distribution. The temperatures indicated by the SED are consistent with expected temperatures for grains close to the blowout size located at radii commensurate with the millimeter and scattered light data. We also perform a visibility-domain analysis of the spatial distribution of millimeter-wavelength flux, incorporating constraints on the disk geometry from scattered light imaging, and find suggestive evidence of wavelength-dependent structure. The millimeter-wavelength emission apparently originates predominantly from the thin ring component rather than tracing the "wings" observed in scattered light. The implied segregation of large dust grains in the ring is consistent with an ISM-driven origin for the scattered light wings.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure