1,767 research outputs found
Heating and acceleration of coronal and chromospheric ions during solar flares
One-dimensional, electrostatic, particle-in-cell simulations are used to explore two mechanisms proposed to explain turbulent broadening of soft x ray emission lines of heavy ions observed during solar flares and the presence of blue-shifted components. Results from the simulations are in qualitative agreement with the observations
Chromospheric-coronal coupling during solar flares: Current systems and particle acceleration
Two-dimensional (three velocity) electrostatic particle simulations are used to investigate the particle heating and acceleration associated with the impulsive phase of a solar flare. A crossfield current in the high corona (which is presumably driven by reconnection processes) is used to initiate the flare. Due to the differential motion of the electrons and ions, currents, and associated quasi-static electric fields are generated with the primary current and balancing return current being on adjacent field lines. These currents extend from the corona down into the chromosphere. Electrons can be accelerated to energies exceeding 100 keV on short time scales via the quasi-static fields and wave-particle interactions. The spectra of these electrons has a broken power-law distribution which hardens in time. The spatially separate primary and return currents are closed by the cross-field acceleration of the ambient ions into the primary current regions. These ions are then accelerated upwards into the corona by the same quasi-static electric field accelerating the electrons downwards. This acceleration can account for the broadened stationary and weak blue shifted component seen in soft x ray line emissions and enhancements in heavy ion abundances seen in the solar wind in associations with solar flares
Resolving on 100 pc scales the UV-continuum in Lyman- emitters between redshift 2 to 3 with gravitational lensing
We present a study of seventeen LAEs at redshift 23 gravitationally
lensed by massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) at a mean redshift of
approximately 0.5. Using a fully Bayesian grid-based technique, we model the
gravitational lens mass distributions with elliptical power-law profiles and
reconstruct the UV-continuum surface brightness distributions of the background
sources using pixellated source models. We find that the deflectors are close
to, but not consistent with isothermal models in almost all cases, at the
-level. We take advantage of the lensing magnification (typically
20) to characterise the physical and morphological properties of
these LAE galaxies. From reconstructing the ultra-violet continuum emission, we
find that the star-formation rates range from 0.3 to 8.5 M yr
and that the galaxies are typically composed of several compact and diffuse
components, separated by 0.4 to 4 kpc. Moreover, they have peak star-formation
rate intensities that range from 2.1 to 54.1 M yr kpc.
These galaxies tend to be extended with major axis ranging from 0.2 to 1.8 kpc
(median 561 pc), and with a median ellipticity of 0.49. This morphology is
consistent with disk-like structures of star-formation for more than half of
the sample. However, for at least two sources, we also find off-axis components
that may be associated with mergers. Resolved kinematical information will be
needed to confirm the disk-like nature and possible merger scenario for the
LAEs in the sample.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication on MNRA
Critical sets of nonlinear Sturm-Liouville operators of Ambrosetti-Prodi type
The critical set C of the operator F:H^2_D([0,pi]) -> L^2([0,pi]) defined by
F(u)=-u''+f(u) is studied. Here X:=H^2_D([0,pi]) stands for the set of
functions that satisfy the Dirichlet boundary conditions and whose derivatives
are in L^2([0,pi]). For generic nonlinearities f, C=\cup C_k decomposes into
manifolds of codimension 1 in X. If f''0, the set C_j is shown to be
non-empty if, and only if, -j^2 (the j-th eigenvalue of u -> u'') is in the
range of f'. The critical components C_k are (topological) hyperplanes.Comment: 6 pages, no figure
Shearing Box Simulations of the MRI in a Collisionless Plasma
We describe local shearing box simulations of turbulence driven by the
magnetorotational instability (MRI) in a collisionless plasma. Collisionless
effects may be important in radiatively inefficient accretion flows, such as
near the black hole in the Galactic Center. The MHD version of ZEUS is modified
to evolve an anisotropic pressure tensor. A fluid closure approximation is used
to calculate heat conduction along magnetic field lines. The anisotropic
pressure tensor provides a qualitatively new mechanism for transporting angular
momentum in accretion flows (in addition to the Maxwell and Reynolds stresses).
We estimate limits on the pressure anisotropy due to pitch angle scattering by
kinetic instabilities. Such instabilities provide an effective ``collision''
rate in a collisionless plasma and lead to more MHD-like dynamics. We find that
the MRI leads to efficient growth of the magnetic field in a collisionless
plasma, with saturation amplitudes comparable to those in MHD. In the saturated
state, the anisotropic stress is comparable to the Maxwell stress, implying
that the rate of angular momentum transport may be moderately enhanced in a
collisionless plasma.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Ap
Complete characterization of convergence to equilibrium for an inelastic Kac model
Pulvirenti and Toscani introduced an equation which extends the Kac
caricature of a Maxwellian gas to inelastic particles. We show that the
probability distribution, solution of the relative Cauchy problem, converges
weakly to a probability distribution if and only if the symmetrized initial
distribution belongs to the standard domain of attraction of a symmetric stable
law, whose index is determined by the so-called degree of
inelasticity, , of the particles: . This result is
then used: (1) To state that the class of all stationary solutions coincides
with that of all symmetric stable laws with index . (2) To determine
the solution of a well-known stochastic functional equation in the absence of
extra-conditions usually adopted
2-D constrained Navier-Stokes equation and intermediate asymptotics
We introduce a modified version of the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes
equation, preserving energy and momentum of inertia, which is motivated by the
occurrence of different dissipation time scales and related to the gradient
flow structure of the 2-D Navier-Stokes equation. The hope is to understand
intermediate asymptotics. The analysis we present here is purely formal. A
rigorous study of this equation will be done in a forthcoming paper
A school-commissioned model of speech and language therapy
Many speech and language therapy (SLT) services have limited capacity for providing school-based input. Some offer commissioned SLT input, to enhance the service provided by the UK National Health Service (NHS), giving schools the option to increase the amount and scope of SLT intervention. This two-tiered model of service provision is relatively new and has not been researched. This study investigated the experiences of schools who had commissioned input from the local SLT service, in terms of (1) describing how this was utilized and (2) exploring perceptions of its value. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCos) from 11 schools and were thematically analysed using Framework Analysis. SENCos reported many positive aspects of the commissioned model, including better communication with Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) and improved outcomes for children. SENCos felt that the numbers of children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) had reduced following commissioned input. Very few disadvantages of the model were identified. SLTs delivered a range of activities, including training staff and providing direct input for children. SENCos would recommend the service, and perceived the cost to be moderate. These data suggest that SENCos place a high value on SLT in schools, and welcome the opportunity to purchase additional input
LOFAR discovery of a 700-kpc remnant radio galaxy at low redshift
Remnant radio galaxies represent the final dying phase of radio galaxy
evolution, in which the jets are no longer active. Due to their rarity in flux
limited samples and the difficulty of identification, this dying phase remains
poorly understood and the luminosity evolution largely unconstrained. Here we
present the discovery and detailed analysis of a large (700 kpc) remnant radio
galaxy with a low surface brightness that has been identified in LOFAR images
at 150 MHz. By combining LOFAR data with new follow-up Westerbork observations
and archival data at higher frequencies, we investigated the source morphology
and spectral properties from 116 to 4850 MHz. By modelling the radio spectrum
we probed characteristic timescales of the radio activity. The source has a
relatively smooth, diffuse, amorphous appearance together with a very weak
central compact core which is associated with the host galaxy located at
z=0.051. From our ageing and morphological analysis it is clear that the
nuclear engine is currently switched off or, at most, active at a very low
power state. The host galaxy is currently interacting with another galaxy
located at a projected separation of 15 kpc and a radial velocity offset of 300
km/s. This interaction may have played a role in the triggering and/or shut
down of the radio jets. The spectral shape of this remnant radio galaxy differs
from the majority of the previously identified remnant sources, which show
steep or curved spectra at low to intermediate frequencies. In light of this
finding and in preparation for new-generation deep low-frequency surveys, we
discuss the selection criteria to be used to select representative samples of
these sources.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables, A&A accepte
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