79 research outputs found
Further constraints on electron acceleration in solar noise storms
We reexamine the energetics of nonthermal electron acceleration in solar
noise storms. A new result is obtained for the minimum nonthermal electron
number density required to produce a Langmuir wave population of sufficient
intensity to power the noise storm emission. We combine this constraint with
the stochastic electron acceleration formalism developed by Subramanian &
Becker (2005) to derive a rigorous estimate for the efficiency of the overall
noise storm emission process, beginning with nonthermal electron acceleration
and culminating in the observed radiation. We also calculate separate
efficiencies for the electron acceleration -- Langmuir wave generation stage
and the Langmuir wave -- noise storm production stage. In addition, we obtain a
new theoretical estimate for the energy density of the Langmuir waves in noise
storm continuum sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physic
Scalar one-loop integrals for QCD
We construct a basis set of infra-red and/or collinearly divergent scalar
one-loop integrals and give analytic formulas, for tadpole, bubble, triangle
and box integrals, regulating the divergences (ultra-violet, infra-red or
collinear) by regularization in dimensions. For scalar triangle
integrals we give results for our basis set containing 6 divergent integrals.
For scalar box integrals we give results for our basis set containing 16
divergent integrals. We provide analytic results for the 5 divergent box
integrals in the basis set which are missing in the literature. Building on the
work of van Oldenborgh, a general, publicly available code has been
constructed, which calculates both finite and divergent one-loop integrals. The
code returns the coefficients of and
as complex numbers for an arbitrary tadpole, bubble, triangle or box integral.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, associated fortran code available at
http://qcdloop.fnal.gov/. New version corrects typographical error in Eq. 5.
Three Dimensional MHD Wave Propagation and Conversion to Alfven Waves near the Solar Surface. I. Direct Numerical Solution
The efficacy of fast/slow MHD mode conversion in the surface layers of
sunspots has been demonstrated over recent years using a number of modelling
techniques, including ray theory, perturbation theory, differential eigensystem
analysis, and direct numerical simulation. These show that significant energy
may be transferred between the fast and slow modes in the neighbourhood of the
equipartition layer where the Alfven and sound speeds coincide. However, most
of the models so far have been two dimensional. In three dimensions the Alfven
wave may couple to the magneto-acoustic waves with important implications for
energy loss from helioseismic modes and for oscillations in the atmosphere
above the spot. In this paper, we carry out a numerical ``scattering
experiment'', placing an acoustic driver 4 Mm below the solar surface and
monitoring the acoustic and Alfvenic wave energy flux high in an isothermal
atmosphere placed above it. These calculations indeed show that energy
conversion to upward travelling Alfven waves can be substantial, in many cases
exceeding loss to slow (acoustic) waves. Typically, at penumbral magnetic field
strengths, the strongest Alfven fluxes are produced when the field is inclined
30-40 degrees from the vertical, with the vertical plane of wave propagation
offset from the vertical plane containing field lines by some 60-80 degrees.Comment: Accepted for the HELAS II/ SOHO 19/ GONG 2007 Topical Issue of Solar
Physic
Statistical Survey of Type III Radio Bursts at Long Wavelengths Observed by the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)/Waves Instruments: Radio Flux Density Variations with Frequency
We have performed a statistical study of Type III radio bursts observed
by Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)/Waves between May 2007 and
February 2013. We have investigated the flux density between kHz and
MHz. Both high- and low-frequency cutoffs have been observed in of
events suggesting an important role of propagation. As already reported by
previous authors, we observed that the maximum flux density occurs at MHz on
both spacecraft. We have developed a simplified analytical model of the flux
density as a function of radial distance and compared it to the STEREO/Waves
data.Comment: published in Solar Physic
Structure of pair winds from compact objects with application to emission from bare strange stars
We present the results of numerical simulations of stationary, spherically
outflowing, electron-positron pair winds, with total luminosities in the range
10^{34}- 10^{42} ergs/s. In the concrete example described here, the wind
injection source is a hot, bare, strange star, predicted to be a powerful
source of electron-positron pairs created by the Coulomb barrier at the quark
surface. We find that photons dominate in the emerging emission, and the
emerging photon spectrum is rather hard and differs substantially from the
thermal spectrum expected from a neutron star with the same luminosity. This
might help distinguish the putative bare strange stars from neutron stars.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, added references, to appear in the
proceedings of the conference "Isolated Neutron Stars: from the Surface to
the Interior", London, UK, 24-28 April 200
Electric current circuits in astrophysics
Cosmic magnetic structures have in common that they are anchored
in a dynamo, that an external driver converts kinetic energy into internal
magnetic energy, that this magnetic energy is transported as Poynting fl ux across the magnetically dominated structure, and that the magnetic energy
is released in the form of particle acceleration, heating, bulk motion,
MHD waves, and radiation. The investigation of the electric current system is
particularly illuminating as to the course of events and the physics involved.
We demonstrate this for the radio pulsar wind, the solar flare, and terrestrial
magnetic storms
Observations of Low Frequency Solar Radio Bursts from the Rosse Solar-Terrestrial Observatory
The Rosse Solar-Terrestrial Observatory (RSTO; www.rosseobservatory.ie) was
established at Birr Castle, Co. Offaly, Ireland (53 05'38.9", 7 55'12.7") in
2010 to study solar radio bursts and the response of the Earth's ionosphere and
geomagnetic field. To date, three Compound Astronomical Low-cost Low-frequency
Instrument for Spectroscopy and Transportable Observatory (CALLISTO)
spectrometers have been installed, with the capability of observing in the
frequency range 10-870 MHz. The receivers are fed simultaneously by biconical
and log-periodic antennas. Nominally, frequency spectra in the range 10-400 MHz
are obtained with 4 sweeps per second over 600 channels. Here, we describe the
RSTO solar radio spectrometer set-up, and present dynamic spectra of a sample
of Type II, III and IV radio bursts. In particular, we describe fine-scale
structure observed in Type II bursts, including band splitting and rapidly
varying herringbone features
Vlasov-Maxwell, self-consistent electromagnetic wave emission simulations in the solar corona
1.5D Vlasov-Maxwell simulations are employed to model electromagnetic
emission generation in a fully self-consistent plasma kinetic model for the
first time in the solar physics context. The simulations mimic the plasma
emission mechanism and Larmor drift instability in a plasma thread that
connects the Sun to Earth with the spatial scales compressed appropriately. The
effects of spatial density gradients on the generation of electromagnetic
radiation are investigated. It is shown that 1.5D inhomogeneous plasma with a
uniform background magnetic field directed transverse to the density gradient
is aperiodically unstable to Larmor-drift instability. The latter results in a
novel effect of generation of electromagnetic emission at plasma frequency.
When density gradient is removed (i.e. when plasma becomes stable to
Larmor-drift instability) and a density, super-thermal, hot beam is
injected along the domain, in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic
field, plasma emission mechanism generates non-escaping Langmuir type
oscillations which in turn generate escaping electromagnetic radiation. It is
found that in the spatial location where the beam is injected, the standing
waves, oscillating at the plasma frequency, are excited. These can be used to
interpret the horizontal strips observed in some dynamical spectra. Quasilinear
theory predictions: (i) the electron free streaming and (ii) the beam long
relaxation time, in accord with the analytic expressions, are corroborated via
direct, fully-kinetic simulation. Finally, the interplay of Larmor-drift
instability and plasma emission mechanism is studied by considering
electron beam in the Larmor-drift unstable (inhomogeneous) plasma.
http://www.maths.qmul.ac.uk/~tsiklauri/movie1.mpg *
http://www.maths.qmul.ac.uk/~tsiklauri/movie2.mpg *
http://www.maths.qmul.ac.uk/~tsiklauri/movie3.mpgComment: Solar Physics (in press, the final, accepted version
An algebraic/numerical formalism for one-loop multi-leg amplitudes
We present a formalism for the calculation of multi-particle one-loop
amplitudes, valid for an arbitrary number N of external legs, and for massive
as well as massless particles. A new method for the tensor reduction is
suggested which naturally isolates infrared divergences by construction. We
prove that for N>4, higher dimensional integrals can be avoided. We derive many
useful relations which allow for algebraic simplifications of one-loop
amplitudes. We introduce a form factor representation of tensor integrals which
contains no inverse Gram determinants by choosing a convenient set of basis
integrals. For the evaluation of these basis integrals we propose two methods:
An evaluation based on the analytical representation, which is fast and
accurate away from exceptional kinematical configurations, and a robust
numerical one, based on multi-dimensional contour deformation. The formalism
can be implemented straightforwardly into a computer program to calculate
next-to-leading order corrections to multi-particle processes in a largely
automated way.Comment: 71 pages, 7 figures, formulas for rank 6 pentagons added in Appendix
One loop photon-graviton mixing in an electromagnetic field: Part 2
In part 1 of this series compact integral representations had been obtained
for the one-loop photon-graviton amplitude involving a charged spin 0 or spin
1/2 particle in the loop and an arbitrary constant electromagnetic field. In
this sequel, we study the structure and magnitude of the various polarization
components of this amplitude on-shell. Explicit expressions are obtained for a
number of limiting cases.Comment: 31 pages, 3 figure
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