11,877 research outputs found
Conditions for electron-cyclotron maser emission in the solar corona
Context. The Sun is an active source of radio emission ranging from long
duration radio bursts associated with solar flares and coronal mass ejections
to more complex, short duration radio bursts such as solar S bursts, radio
spikes and fibre bursts. While plasma emission is thought to be the dominant
emission mechanism for most radio bursts, the electron-cyclotron maser (ECM)
mechanism may be responsible for more complex, short-duration bursts as well as
fine structures associated with long-duration bursts. Aims. We investigate the
conditions for ECM in the solar corona by considering the ratio of the electron
plasma frequency {\omega}p to the electron-cyclotron frequency {\Omega}e. The
ECM is theoretically possible when {\omega}p/{\Omega}e < 1. Methods.
Two-dimensional electron density, magnetic field, plasma frequency, and
electron cyclotron frequency maps of the off- limb corona were created using
observations from SDO/AIA and SOHO/LASCO, together with potential field
extrapolations of the magnetic field. These maps were then used to calculate
{\omega}p/{\Omega}e and Alfven velocity maps of the off-limb corona. Results.
We found that the condition for ECM emission ({\omega}p/{\Omega}e < 1) is
possible at heights < 1.07 R_sun in an active region near the limb; that is,
where magnetic field strengths are > 40 G and electron densities are greater
than 3x10^8 cm-3. In addition, we found comparatively high Alfv\'en velocities
(> 0.02 c or > 6000 km s-1) at heights < 1.07 R_sun within the active region.
Conclusions. This demonstrates that the condition for ECM emission is satisfied
within areas of the corona containing large magnetic fields, such as the core
of a large active region. Therefore, ECM could be a possible emission mechanism
for high-frequency radio and microwave bursts.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Fatigue life estimates for helicopter loading spectra
Helicopter loading histories applied to notch metal samples are used as examples, and their fatigue lives are calculated by using a simplified version of the local strain approach. This simplified method has the advantage that it requires knowing the loading history in only the reduced form of ranges and means and number of cycles from the rain-flow cycle counting method. The calculated lives compare favorably with test data
Age-Related Needs of Community College Students
The literature of adult education commonly suggests that older learners have a distinct set of needs and a unique mode of learning that ought to be honoured by educational institutions; other observers note that education is a process whose generic elements are not age-related. Capilano College, with a strong com- mitment to mature learners as part of its community orientation, surveyed its student population by age grouping to determine the extent to which significant, substantive differences in the self-perceived needs of different age groupings were evident. The survey revealed that, although there were several distinguishing characteristics between students below and above age 25, younger and older students share a large common set of needs; older students seem to have a greater number of needs and appear to feel them more acutely.Généralement, la documentation sur l'éducation permanente semble indiquer que les étudiants adultes éprouvent des besoins distincts et possèdent un mode d'apprentissage qui leur est particulier et dont les institutions d'enseignement devraient tenir compte. D'autres observateurs remarquent que l'instruction est un processus dont les éléments génériques n'ont rien à voir avec le facteur-âge. Le Collège Capilano dans la poursuite de son engagement envers les étudiants adultes et envers la communauté qu'il dessert a fait une étude de sa population étudiante par groupe d'âge afin de déterminer dans quelle mesure il y avait évidence de différences significatives dans les besoins perçus par les différents groupes d'âges. L'étude a révélé que malgré certaines caractéristiques particu-lières aux étudiants de moins et de plus de 25 ans, la population étudiante en général éprouve des besoins communs. Les étudiants adultes paraissent éprouver un plus grand nombre de besoins et semblent les ressentir plus vivement
Stable Umbral Chromospheric Structures
Aims. To understand the morphology of the chromosphere in sunspot umbra. We
investigate if the horizontal structures observed in the spectral core of the
Ca II H line are ephemeral visuals caused by the shock dynamics of more stable
structures, and examine their relationship with observables in the H-alpha
line. Methods. Filtergrams in the core of the Ca II H and H-alpha lines as
observed with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope are employed. We utilise a
technique that creates composite images and tracks the flash propagation
horizontally. Results. We find 0"15 wide horizontal structures, in all of the
three target sunspots, for every flash where the seeing was moderate to good.
Discrete dark structures are identified that are stable for at least two umbral
flashes, as well as systems of structures that live for up to 24 minutes. We
find cases of extremely extended structures with similar stability, with one
such structure showing an extent of 5". Some of these structures have a
correspondence in H-alpha but we were unable to find a one to one
correspondence for every occurrence. If the dark streaks are formed at the same
heights as umbral flashes then there are systems of structures with strong
departures from the vertical for all three analysed sunspots. Conclusions.
Long-lived Ca II H filamentary horizontal structures are a common and likely
ever-present feature in the umbra of sunspots. If the magnetic field in the
chromosphere of the umbra is indeed aligned with the structures, then the
present theoretical understanding of the typical umbra needs to be revisited.Comment: Accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysics. Online material (Fig3.mov and
Fig4.mov) will be available at A&
Ultraviolet/X-ray variability and the extended X-ray emission of the radio-loud broad absorption line quasar PG 1004+130
We present the results of recent Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Hubble Space
Telescope observations of the radio-loud (RL), broad absorption line (BAL)
quasar PG 1004+130. We compare our new observations to archival X-ray and UV
data, creating the most comprehensive, high signal-to-noise, multi-epoch,
spectral monitoring campaign of a RL BAL quasar to date. We probe for
variability of the X-ray absorption, the UV BAL, and the X-ray jet, on
month-year timescales. The X-ray absorber has a low column density of
cm when it is assumed to be fully
covering the X-ray emitting region, and its properties do not vary
significantly between the 4 observations. This suggests the observed absorption
is not related to the typical "shielding gas" commonly invoked in BAL quasar
models, but is likely due to material further from the central black hole. In
contrast, the CIV BAL shows strong variability. The equivalent width (EW) in
2014 is EW=11.240.56 \AA, showing a fractional increase of =1.160.11 from the 2003 observation, 3183 days earlier
in the rest-frame. This places PG 1004+130 among the most highly variable BAL
quasars. By combining Chandra observations we create an exposure 2.5 times
deeper than studied previously, with which to investigate the nature of the
X-ray jet and extended diffuse X-ray emission. An X-ray knot, likely with a
synchrotron origin, is detected in the radio jet ~8 arcsec (30 kpc) from the
central X-ray source with a spatial extent of ~4 arcsec (15 kpc). No similar
X-ray counterpart to the counterjet is detected. Asymmetric, non-thermal
diffuse X-ray emission, likely due to inverse Compton scattering of Cosmic
Microwave Background photons, is also detected.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
An in-depth spectroscopic examination of molecular bands from 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres I. Formation of the G-band in metal-poor dwarf stars
Recent developments in the three-dimensional (3D) spectral synthesis code
Linfor3D have meant that, for the first time, large spectral wavelength
regions, such as molecular bands, can be synthesised with it in a short amount
of time. A detailed spectral analysis of the synthetic G-band for several dwarf
turn-off-type 3D atmospheres (5850 <= T_eff [K] <= 6550, 4.0 <= log g <= 4.5,
-3.0 <= [Fe/H] <= -1.0) was conducted, under the assumption of local
thermodynamic equilibrium. We also examine carbon and oxygen molecule formation
at various metallicity regimes and discuss the impact it has on the G-band.
Using a qualitative approach, we describe the different behaviours between the
3D atmospheres and the traditional one-dimensional (1D) atmospheres and how the
different physics involved inevitably leads to abundance corrections, which
differ over varying metallicities. Spectra computed in 1D were fit to every 3D
spectrum to determine the 3D abundance correction. Early analysis revealed that
the CH molecules that make up the G-band exhibited an oxygen abundance
dependency; a higher oxygen abundance leads to weaker CH features. Nitrogen
abundances showed zero impact to CH formation. The 3D corrections are also
stronger at lower metallicity. Analysis of the 3D corrections to the G-band
allows us to assign estimations of the 3D abundance correction to most dwarf
stars presented in the literature. The 3D corrections suggest that A(C) in CEMP
stars with high A(C) would remain unchanged, but would decrease in CEMP stars
with lower A(C). It was found that the C/O ratio is an important parameter to
the G-band in 3D. Additional testing confirmed that the C/O ratio is an equally
important parameter for OH transitions under 3D. This presents a clear
interrelation between the carbon and oxygen abundances in 3D atmospheres
through their molecular species, which is not seen in 1D.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in A&
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