4,357 research outputs found
Solar Flare Impulsive Phase Emission Observed with SDO/EVE
Differential emission measures (DEMs) during the impulsive phase of solar
flares were constructed using observations from the EUV Variability Experiment
(EVE) and the Markov-Chain Monte Carlo method. Emission lines from ions formed
over the temperature range log T = 5.8 - 7.2 allow the evolution of the DEM to
be studied over a wide temperature range at 10s cadence. The technique was
applied to several M- and X-class flares, where impulsive phase EUV emission is
observable in the disk-integrated EVE spectra from emission lines formed up to
3 - 4 MK, and we use spatially-unresolved EVE observations to infer the thermal
structure of the emitting region. For the nine events studied the DEMs
exhibited a two component distribution during the impulsive phase, a low
temperature component with peak temperature of 1 - 2 MK, and a broad high
temperature one from 7 - 30 MK. A bimodal high temperature component is also
found for several events, with peaks at 8 and 25 MK during the impulsive phase.
The origin of the emission was verified using AIA images to be the flare
ribbons and footpoints, indicating that the constructed DEMs represent the
spatially-average thermal structure of the chromospheric flare emission during
the impulsive phase.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Intact Bilateral Resting-State Networks in the Absence of the Corpus Callosum
Temporal correlations between different brain regions in the resting-state BOLD signal are thought to reflect intrinsic functional brain connectivity (Biswal et al., 1995; Greicius et al., 2003; Fox et al., 2007). The functional networks identified are typically bilaterally distributed across the cerebral hemispheres, show similarity to known white matter connections (Greicius et al., 2009), and are seen even in anesthetized monkeys (Vincent et al., 2007). Yet it remains unclear how they arise. Here we tested two distinct possibilities: (1) functional networks arise largely from structural connectivity constraints, and generally require direct interactions between functionally coupled regions mediated by white-matter tracts; and (2) functional networks emerge flexibly with the development of normal cognition and behavior and can be realized in multiple structural architectures. We conducted resting-state fMRI in eight adult humans with complete agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) and normal intelligence, and compared their data to those from eight healthy matched controls. We performed three main analyses: anatomical region-of-interest-based correlations to test homotopic functional connectivity, independent component analysis (ICA) to reveal functional networks with a data-driven approach, and ICA-based interhemispheric correlation analysis. Both groups showed equivalently strong homotopic BOLD correlation. Surprisingly, almost all of the group-level independent components identified in controls were observed in AgCC and were predominantly bilaterally symmetric. The results argue that a normal complement of resting-state networks and intact functional coupling between the hemispheres can emerge in the absence of the corpus callosum, favoring the second over the first possibility listed above
Numerical analysis of four-wave mixing between 2 ps mode-locked laser pulses in a tensile-strained bulk SOA
A numerical model of four-wave mixing between 2-ps pulses in a tensile-strained bulk semiconductor optical amplifier is presented. The model utilizes a modified Schrodinger equation to model the pulse propagation. The Schrodinger equation parameters such as the material gain first and second order dispersion, linewidth enhancement factors and optical loss coefficient are obtained using a previously developed steady-state model. The predicted four-wave mixing pulse characteristics show reasonably good agreement with experimental pulse characteristics obtained using frequency resolved optical gating
Radiative hydrodynamic modelling and observations of the X-class solar flare on 2011 March 9
We investigated the response of the solar atmosphere to non-thermal electron
beam heating using the radiative transfer and hydrodynamics modelling code
RADYN. The temporal evolution of the parameters that describe the non-thermal
electron energy distribution were derived from hard X-ray observations of a
particular flare, and we compared the modelled and observed parameters. The
evolution of the non-thermal electron beam parameters during the X1.5 solar
flare on 2011 March 9 were obtained from analysis of RHESSI X-ray spectra. The
RADYN flare model was allowed to evolve for 110 seconds, after which the
electron beam heating was ended, and was then allowed to continue evolving for
a further 300s. The modelled flare parameters were compared to the observed
parameters determined from extreme-ultraviolet spectroscopy. The model produced
a hotter and denser flare loop than that observed and also cooled more rapidly,
suggesting that additional energy input in the decay phase of the flare is
required. In the explosive evaporation phase a region of high-density cool
material propagated upward through the corona. This material underwent a rapid
increase in temperature as it was unable to radiate away all of the energy
deposited across it by the non-thermal electron beam and via thermal
conduction. A narrow and high-density ( cm) region at
the base of the flare transition region was the source of optical line emission
in the model atmosphere. The collision-stopping depth of electrons was
calculated throughout the evolution of the flare, and it was found that the
compression of the lower atmosphere may permit electrons to penetrate farther
into a flaring atmosphere compared to a quiet Sun atmosphere.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
Influence of noise intensity on the spectrum of an oscillator
This paper investigates the influence of high-intensity noise on the correlation spectrum of a two-dimensional (2-D) nonlinear oscillator. An exact analytical solution for the correlation spectrum of this 2-D oscillator is provided. The analytical derivations are well suited for oscillators with white noise of any intensity, but computational constraints on the solution of the partial differential equation may make it impractical for cases where the number of state variables exceeds three. The spectral results predicted by our analytical method are verified by numerical simulations of the noisy oscillator in the time domain. We find that the peak of the oscillator spectrum shifts toward higher frequencies as the noise intensity is increased, as opposed to the fixed oscillation frequency predicted in the existing literature. This phenomenon does not appear to have been reported previously in the context of phase noise in oscillators
Conceptualising the hydrology of tropical wetlands to aid habitat management in northern Zambia
Personal space regulation by the human amygdala
The amygdala plays key roles in emotion and social cognition, but how this translates to face-to-face interactions involving real people remains unknown. We found that an individual with complete amygdala lesions lacked any sense of personal space. Furthermore, healthy individuals showed amygdala activation upon close personal proximity. The amygdala may be required to trigger the strong emotional reactions normally following personal space violations, thus regulating interpersonal distance in humans
ALMA and Keck analysis of Fomalhaut field sources: JWST's Great Dust Cloud is a background object
At 7.7 pc, the A-type star Fomalhaut hosts a bright debris disk with multiple
radial components. The disk is eccentric and misaligned, strongly suggesting
that it is sculpted by interaction with one or more planets. Compact sources
are now being detected with JWST, suggesting that new planet detections may be
imminent. However, to confirm such sources as companions, common proper motion
with the star must be established, as with unprecedented sensitivity comes a
high probability that planet candidates are actually background objects. Here,
ALMA and Keck observations of Fomalhaut are found to show significant emission
at the same sky location as multiple compact sources in JWST MIRI coronagraphic
observations, one of which has been dubbed the "Great Dust Cloud" because it
lies within the outer belt. Since the ground-based data were obtained between 6
to 18 years prior to the JWST observations, these compact sources are unlikely
to be common proper motion companions to Fomalhaut. More generally, this work
illustrates that images collected at a range of wavelengths can be valuable for
rejecting planet candidates uncovered via direct imaging with JWST.Comment: MNRAS in pres
Idiosyncratic Brain Activation Patterns Are Associated with Poor Social Comprehension in Autism
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) features profound social deficits but neuroimaging studies have failed to find any consistent neural signature. Here we connect these two facts by showing that idiosyncratic patterns of brain activation are associated with social comprehension deficits. Human participants with ASD (N = 17) and controls (N = 20) freely watched a television situation comedy (sitcom) depicting seminaturalistic social interactions (“The Office”, NBC Universal) in the scanner. Intersubject correlations in the pattern of evoked brain activation were reduced in the ASD group—but this effect was driven entirely by five ASD subjects whose idiosyncratic responses were also internally unreliable. The idiosyncrasy of these five ASD subjects was not explained by detailed neuropsychological profile, eye movements, or data quality; however, they were specifically impaired in understanding the social motivations of characters in the sitcom. Brain activation patterns in the remaining ASD subjects were indistinguishable from those of control subjects using multiple multivariate approaches. Our findings link neurofunctional abnormalities evoked by seminaturalistic stimuli with a specific impairment in social comprehension, and highlight the need to conceive of ASD as a heterogeneous classification
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