863 research outputs found
A Panchromatic View of Brown Dwarf Aurorae
Stellar coronal activity has been shown to persist into the low-mass star
regime, down to late M-dwarf spectral types. However, there is now an
accumulation of evidence suggesting that at the end of the main sequence there
is a transition in the nature of the magnetic activity from chromospheric and
coronal to planet-like and auroral, from local impulsive heating via flares and
MHD wave dissipation to energy dissipation from strong large-scale
magnetospheric current systems. We examine this transition and the prevalence
of auroral activity in brown dwarfs through a compilation of multi-wavelength
surveys of magnetic activity, including radio, X-ray, and optical. We compile
the results of those surveys and place their conclusions in the context of
auroral emission as the consequence of large-scale magnetospheric current
systems that accelerate energetic electron beams and drive the particles to
impact the cool atmospheric gas. We explore the different manifestation of
auroral phenomena in brown dwarf atmospheres, like H, and define their
distinguishing characteristics. We conclude that large amplitude photometric
variability in the near infrared is most likely a consequence of clouds in
brown dwarf atmospheres, but that auroral activity may be responsible for
long-lived stable surface features. We report a connection between auroral
H emission and quiescent radio emission in ECMI pulsing brown dwarfs,
suggesting a potential underlying physical connection between the quiescent and
auroral emissions. We also discuss the electrodynamic engines powering brown
dwarf aurorae and the possible role of satellites around these systems to both
power the aurorae and seed the magnetosphere with plasma.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figures, and 2 tables; accepted to Ap
Affordability of Housing: Concepts, Measurement and Evidence
There has recently been widespread public debate and media attention around housing affordability. This paper discusses the concept of affordability as it applies to housing, examines the approaches used to measure affordability, and then documents the aggregate evidence for New Zealand over the last twenty years. We largely use the Household Economic Survey conducted by Statistics New Zealand to obtain our data. We conclude that affordability is difficult to define and that there is no consensus as to the best way to measure it. Using a range of measures, we examine the trends over time. Our data reveals no long-term trend in affordability when considering all measures. Different measures show different movements over time. Affordability has appeared to move in cycles over the last twenty years.housing; affordability; New Zealand
The role of course development and design in an itinerant schooling program: the perceptions of staff members of the School of Distance Education in Brisbane, Queensland
This paper examines the perceptions of teachers associated with the Brisbane School of Distance Education (Queensland, Australia), concerning their role in the establishment and implementation of a primary education program for children of the Showmen's Guild of Australasia. Interviews with five itinerant teachers revealed that their responsibilities include assessing correspondence papers from students and maintaining telephone contact with students, home tutors, and parents, as well as working in selected towns on a short-term basis to teach 'face-to-face' lessons to itinerant students. Each teacher worked with between 15 and 20 children, usually in family groups across grade levels. Teachers expressed concerns about the show children's lifestyle and how this has affected their educational and social development. However, all teachers felt that the distance education program had improved the children's educational opportunities and adequately addressed their educational needs. Disadvantages of the children's itinerant lifestyle that the program was unable to address were lack of routine, lack of continuity, dependence on the support of the home tutor, role conflicts of local teachers, and insufficient program funding. Implications for other itinerant education projects include recognizing the importance of teacher attitudes when implementing an educational program for a marginalized group. Contains 20 references. (LP
DNA polymerase activity in plasma from leukaemic guinea-pigs.
Measurement of DNA polymerase in leukaemic guinea-pig plasms reveals the presence of low levels of sedimentable and non-sedimentable enzymic activities. Since the sedimentable DNA polymerase is ribonuclease sensitive, uses poly(C).oligo(dG) as template, and bands in a sucrose density gradient at 1-17 g/ml it is thought to be the GPLV-associated reverse transcriptase. The soluble DNA polymerase is stimulated by ribonuclease and is probably of cellular origin
AMPS definition study on Optical Band Imager and Photometer System (OBIPS)
A study was conducted to define the characteristics of a modular optical diagnostic system (OBIPS) for AMPS, to provide input to Phase B studies, and to give information useful for experiment planning and design of other instrumentation. The system described consists of visual and UV-band imagers and visual and UV-band photometers; of these the imagers are most important because of their ability to measure intensity as a function of two spatial dimensions and time with high resolution. The various subsystems of OBIPS are in themselves modular with modules having a high degree of interchangeability for versatility, economy, and redundancy
Periodic Radio and H-alpha Emission from the L Dwarf Binary 2MASSW J0746425+200032: Exploring the Magnetic Field Topology and Radius of an L Dwarf
[Abridged] We present an 8.5-hour simultaneous radio, X-ray, UV, and optical
observation of the L dwarf binary 2MASSW J0746+20. We detect strong radio
emission, dominated by short-duration periodic pulses at 4.86 GHz with
P=124.32+/-0.11 min. The stability of the pulse profiles and arrival times
demonstrates that they are due to the rotational modulation of a B~1.7 kG
magnetic field. A quiescent non-variable component is also detected, likely due
to emission from a uniform large-scale field. The H-alpha emission exhibits
identical periodicity, but unlike the radio pulses it varies sinusoidally and
is offset by exactly 1/4 of a phase. The sinusoidal variations require
chromospheric emission from a large-scale field structure, with the radio
pulses likely emanating from the magnetic poles. While both light curves can be
explained by a rotating mis-aligned magnetic field, the 1/4 phase lag rules out
a symmetric dipole topology since it would result in a phase lag of 1/2
(poloidal field) or zero (toroidal field). We therefore conclude that either
(i) the field is dominated by a quadrupole configuration, which can naturally
explain the 1/4 phase lag; or (ii) the H-alpha and/or radio emission regions
are not trivially aligned with the field. Regardless of the field topology, we
use the measured period along with the known rotation velocity (vsini=27 km/s),
and the binary orbital inclination (i=142 deg), to derive a radius for the
primary star of 0.078+/-0.010 R_sun. This is the first measurement of the
radius of an L dwarf, and along with a mass of 0.085+/-0.010 M_sun it provides
a constraint on the mass-radius relation below 0.1 M_sun. We find that the
radius is about 30% smaller than expected from theoretical models, even for an
age of a few Gyr.Comment: Submitted to Ap
The dynamics of critical Kauffman networks under asynchronous stochastic update
We show that the mean number of attractors in a critical Boolean network
under asynchronous stochastic update grows like a power law and that the mean
size of the attractors increases as a stretched exponential with the system
size. This is in strong contrast to the synchronous case, where the number of
attractors grows faster than any power law.Comment: submitted to PR
First Detection of a Strong Magnetic Field on a Bursty Brown Dwarf: Puzzle Solved
We report the first direct detection of a strong, 5 kG magnetic field on the
surface of an active brown dwarf. LSR J1835+3259 is an M8.5 dwarf exhibiting
transient radio and optical emission bursts modulated by fast rotation. We have
detected the surface magnetic field as circularly polarized signatures in the
819 nm sodium lines when an active emission region faced the Earth. Modeling
Stokes profiles of these lines reveals the effective temperature of 2800 K and
log gravity acceleration of 4.5. These parameters place LSR J1835+3259 on
evolutionary tracks as a young brown dwarf with the mass of 554 M and age of 224 Myr. Its magnetic field is at least 5.1 kG and covers
at least 11% of the visible hemisphere. The active region topology recovered
using line profile inversions comprises hot plasma loops with a vertical
stratification of optical and radio emission sources. These loops rotate with
the dwarf in and out of view causing periodic emission bursts. The magnetic
field is detected at the base of the loops. This is the first time that we can
quantitatively associate brown dwarf non-thermal bursts with a strong, 5 kG
surface magnetic field and solve the puzzle of their driving mechanism. This is
also the coolest known dwarf with such a strong surface magnetic field. The
young age of LSR J1835+3259 implies that it may still maintain a disk, which
may facilitate bursts via magnetospheric accretion, like in higher-mass T
Tau-type stars. Our results pave a path toward magnetic studies of brown dwarfs
and hot Jupiters.Comment: ApJ, in pres
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