3,579 research outputs found
Pair separation of magnetic elements in the quiet Sun
The dynamic properties of the quiet Sun photosphere can be investigated by
analyzing the pair dispersion of small-scale magnetic fields (i.e., magnetic
elements).
By using hr-long Hinode magnetograms at high spatial resolution
(), we tracked magnetic element pairs within a supergranular
cell near the disk center.
The computed pair separation spectrum, calculated on the whole set of
particle pairs independently of their initial separation, points out what is
known as a super-diffusive regime with spectral index , in
agreement with the most recent literature, but extended to unprecedented
spatial and temporal scales (from granular to supergranular). Furthermore, for
the first time, we investigated here the spectrum of the mean square
displacement of pairs of magnetic elements, depending on their initial
separation . We found that there is a typical initial distance above
(below) which the pair separation is faster (slower) than the average. A
possible physical interpretation of such a typical spatial scale is also
provided
Imaging Spectropolarimetry with IBIS: Evolution of Bright Points in the Quiet Sun
We present the results from first spectropolarimetric observations of the
solar photosphere acquired at the Dunn Solar Telescope with the Interferometric
Bidimensional Spectrometer. Full Stokes profiles were measured in the Fe I
630.15 nm and Fe I 630.25 nm lines with high spatial and spectral resolutions
for 53 minutes, with a Stokes V noise of 0.003 the continuum intensity level.
The dataset allows us to study the evolution of several magnetic features
associated with G-band bright points in the quiet Sun. Here we focus on the
analysis of three distinct processes, namely the coalescence, fragmentation and
cancellation of G-band bright points. Our analysis is based on a SIR inversion
of the Stokes I and V profiles of both Fe I lines. The high spatial resolution
of the G-band images combined with the inversion results helps to interpret the
undergoing physical processes. The appearance (dissolution) of high-contrast
G-band bright points is found to be related to the local increase (decrease) of
the magnetic filling factor, without appreciable changes in the field strength.
The cancellation of opposite-polarity bright points can be the signature of
either magnetic reconnection or the emergence/submergence of magnetic loops.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Occurrence and persistence of magnetic elements in the quiet Sun
Turbulent convection efficiently transports energy up to the solar
photosphere, but its multi-scale nature and dynamic properties are still not
fully understood. Several works in the literature have investigated the
emergence of patterns of convective and magnetic nature in the quiet Sun at
spatial and temporal scales from granular to global. Aims. To shed light on the
scales of organisation at which turbulent convection operates, and its
relationship with the magnetic flux therein, we studied characteristic spatial
and temporal scales of magnetic features in the quiet Sun. Methods. Thanks to
an unprecedented data set entirely enclosing a supergranule, occurrence and
persistence analysis of magnetogram time series were used to detect spatial and
long-lived temporal correlations in the quiet Sun and to investigate their
nature. Results. A relation between occurrence and persistence representative
for the quiet Sun was found. In particular, highly recurrent and persistent
patterns were detected especially in the boundary of the supergranular cell.
These are due to moving magnetic elements undergoing motion that behaves like a
random walk together with longer decorrelations ( h) with respect to
regions inside the supergranule. In the vertices of the supegranular cell the
maximum observed occurrence is not associated with the maximum persistence,
suggesting that there are different dynamic regimes affecting the magnetic
elements
Ag-based thick-film front metallization of silicon solar cells
The evolution of microstructure and electrical properties of silver-based thick-film metallizations of silicon solar cells prepared by infrared firing processes has been ivestigated. The performance of the cells are shown to be dependent on several dynamical and diffusive phenomena. In particular, the sintering of silver grains, silver diffusion in the glassand the flow of gas at the metal/silicon interface strongly affect important characteristics of the cells such as sheet and contatct resistivities and the adhesion of fingers and bus bars. The existance of an optimum value of the peak firing temperature is observed and explained in terms of competitive phenomena occuring at the metal/silicon interface. Moreover it is shown that IR firing treatments require aa careful consideration of the sequence of printing anf firing steps. The features of heat treatments performed in conveyor belt furnaces using Joule and infrared sources are compared
Trefftz Co-chain Calculus
We propose a comprehensive approach to obtain systems of equations that discretize linear stationary or time-harmonic elliptic problems in unbounded domains. This is achieved by coupling any numerical method that fits co-chain calculus with a Trefftz method. The framework of co-chain calculus accommodates both finite element exterior calculus and discrete exterior calculus. It encompasses methods based on volume meshes: its application is therefore confined to bounded domains.
Conversely, Trefftz methods are based on functions that solve the homogeneous equations exactly in the unbounded complement of the meshed domain, while satisfying suitable conditions at infinity. An example of a Trefftz method is the Multiple Multipole Program (MMP), which makes use of multipoles, i.e. solutions spawned by point sources with central singularities that are placed outside the domain of approximation. In our approach the degrees of freedom describing these sources can be eliminated by computing the Schur complement of the system for the coupling, therefore leading to a boundary term for co-chain calculus that takes into account the exterior problem. As a concrete example, we specialize this general framework for the cell method, a particular variant of discrete exterior calculus, coupled with MMP to solve frequency-domain eddy-current problems. A numerical experiment shows the effectiveness of this approach
Temporal control of Wnt signaling is required for habenular neuron diversity and brain asymmetry
Precise temporal coordination of signaling processes is pivotal for cellular differentiation during embryonic development. A vast number of secreted molecules are produced and released by cells and tissues, and travel in the extracellular space. Whether they induce a signaling pathway and instruct cell fate, however, depends on a complex network of regulatory mechanisms, which are often not well understood. The conserved bilateral left-right asymmetrically formed habenulae of the zebrafish are an excellent model for investigating how signaling control facilitates the generation of defined neuronal populations. Wnt signaling is required for habenular neuron type specification, asymmetry and axonal connectivity. The temporal regulation of this pathway and the players involved have, however, remained unclear. We find that tightly regulated temporal restriction of Wnt signaling activity in habenular precursor cells is crucial for the diversity and asymmetry of habenular neuron populations. We suggest a feedback mechanism whereby the tumor suppressor Wnt inhibitory factor Wif1 controls the Wnt dynamics in the environment of habenular precursor cells. This mechanism might be common to other cell types, including tumor cells
Stellar turbulent convection: the multiscale nature of the solar magnetic signature
The multiscale dynamics associated with turbulent convection present in physical systems governed by very high Rayleigh numbers still remains a vividly disputed topic in the community of astrophysicists, and in general, among physicists dealing with heat transport by convection. The Sun is a very close star for which detailed observations and estimations of physical properties on the surface, connected to the processes of the underlying convection zone, are possible. This makes the Sun a unique natural laboratory in which to investigate turbulent convection in the hard turbulence regime, a regime typical of systems characterized by high values of the Rayleigh number. In particular, it is possible to study the geometry of convection using the photospheric magnetic voids (or simply voids), the quasi-polygonal quiet regions nearly devoid of magnetic elements, which cover the whole solar surface and which form the solar magnetic network. This work presents the most extensive statistics, both in the spatial scales studied (1-80 Mm) and in the temporal duration (SC 23 and SC 24), to investigate the multiscale nature of solar magnetic patterns associated with the turbulent convection of our star. We show that the size distribution of the voids, in the 1-80 Mm range, for the 317, 870 voids found in the 692 analyzed magnetograms, is basically described by an exponential function
An FPGA-based controller for collaborative robotics
The use of robots is becoming more common in society. Industrial robots are being developed to work with people, and lower-force collaborative robots are being developed to help people in their everyday lives. These may need fast and sophisticated motion control and behavioral algorithms, but are expected to be more compact and lower cost. This paper proposes a processor plus FPGA solution for the control systems for such robots, where the FPGA performs all real-time tasks, freeing the processor to run lower-frequency high level control and interface to other devices such as camera systems. A demonstrator robot is designed, combining multi-axis motion control with 3D robot vision
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