18 research outputs found
Equilibration processes in the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium
The Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) is thought to contribute about 40-50
% to the baryonic budget at the present evolution stage of the universe. The
observed large scale structure is likely to be due to gravitational growth of
density fluctuations in the post-inflation era. The evolving cosmic web is
governed by non-linear gravitational growth of the initially weak density
fluctuations in the dark energy dominated cosmology. Non-linear structure
formation, accretion and merging processes, star forming and AGN activity
produce gas shocks in the WHIM. Shock waves are converting a fraction of the
gravitation power to thermal and non-thermal emission of baryonic/leptonic
matter. They provide the most likely way to power the luminous matter in the
WHIM. The plasma shocks in the WHIM are expected to be collisionless.
Collisionless shocks produce a highly non-equilibrium state with anisotropic
temperatures and a large differences in ion and electron temperatures. We
discuss the ion and electron heating by the collisionless shocks and then
review the plasma processes responsible for the Coulomb equilibration and
collisional ionisation equilibrium of oxygen ions in the WHIM. MHD-turbulence
produced by the strong collisionless shocks could provide a sizeable
non-thermal contribution to the observed Doppler parameter of the UV line
spectra of the WHIM.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Space Science
Reviews, special issue "Clusters of galaxies: beyond the thermal view",
Editor J.S. Kaastra, Chapter 8; work done by an international team at the
International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, organised by J.S.
Kaastra, A.M. Bykov, S. Schindler & J.A.M. Bleeke
Progressive transformation of a flux rope to an ICME
The solar wind conditions at one astronomical unit (AU) can be strongly
disturbed by the interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). A subset,
called magnetic clouds (MCs), is formed by twisted flux ropes that transport an
important amount of magnetic flux and helicity which is released in CMEs. At 1
AU from the Sun, the magnetic structure of MCs is generally modeled neglecting
their expansion during the spacecraft crossing. However, in some cases, MCs
present a significant expansion. We present here an analysis of the huge and
significantly expanding MC observed by the Wind spacecraft during 9 and 10
November, 2004. After determining an approximated orientation for the flux rope
using the minimum variance method, we precise the orientation of the cloud axis
relating its front and rear magnetic discontinuities using a direct method.
This method takes into account the conservation of the azimuthal magnetic flux
between the in- and out-bound branches, and is valid for a finite impact
parameter (i.e., not necessarily a small distance between the spacecraft
trajectory and the cloud axis). Moreover, using the direct method, we find that
the ICME is formed by a flux rope (MC) followed by an extended coherent
magnetic region. These observations are interpreted considering the existence
of a previous larger flux rope, which partially reconnected with its
environment in the front. These findings imply that the ejected flux rope is
progressively peeled by reconnection and transformed to the observed ICME (with
a remnant flux rope in the front part).Comment: Solar Physics (in press
The Wave-Driver System of the Off-Disk Coronal Wave 17 January 2010
We study the 17 January 2010 flare-CME-wave event by using STEREO/SECCHI EUVI
and COR1 data. The observational study is combined with an analytic model which
simulates the evolution of the coronal-wave phenomenon associated with the
event. From EUV observations, the wave signature appears to be dome shaped
having a component propagating on the solar surface (v~280 km s-1) as well as
off-disk (v~600 km s-1) away from the Sun. The off-disk dome of the wave
consists of two enhancements in intensity, which conjointly develop and can be
followed up to white-light coronagraph images. Applying an analytic model, we
derive that these intensity variations belong to a wave-driver system with a
weakly shocked wave, initially driven by expanding loops, which are indicative
of the early evolution phase of the accompanying CME. We obtain the shock
standoff distance between wave and driver from observations as well as from
model results. The shock standoff distance close to the Sun (<0.3 Rs above the
solar surface) is found to rapidly increase with values of ~0.03-0.09 Rs which
give evidence of an initial lateral (over-)expansion of the CME. The
kinematical evolution of the on-disk wave could be modeled using input
parameters which require a more impulsive driver (t=90 s, a=1.7 km s-2)
compared to the off-disk component (t=340 s, a=1.5 km s-2).Comment: accepted for publication in Solar Physic
TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access
Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives
Understanding Interpersonal Trust in a Confucian-Influenced Society: An Exploratory Study
10.1177/1470595805054493International Journal of Cross Cultural Management52197-21