A closer look at a coronal loop rooted in a sunspot umbra

Extreme UV (EUV) and X-ray loops in the solar corona connect regions of enhanced magnetic activity, but they are not usually rooted in the dark umbrae of sunspots because the strong magnetic field found there suppresses convection. This means that the Poynting flux of magnetic energy into the upper atmosphere is not significant within the umbra as long as there are no light bridges or umbral dots. Here we report a rare observation of a coronal loop rooted in the dark umbra of a sunspot without any traces of light bridges or umbral dots. We used the slit-jaw images and spectroscopic data from IRIS and concentrate on the line profiles of O IV and Si IV that show persistent strong redshifted components in the loop rooted in the umbra. Using the ratios of O IV, we can estimate the density and thus investigate the mass flux. The coronal context and temperature diagnostics of these observations is provided through the EUV channels of AIA. The coronal loop, embedded within cooler downflows, hosts supersonic downflows. The speed of more than 100 km s$^{-1}$ is on the same order of magnitude in the transition region lines of O IV and Si IV, and is even seen at comparable speed in the chromospheric Mg II lines. At a projected distance of within $1"$ of the footpoint, we see a shock transition to smaller downflow speeds of about 15 km s$^{-1}$ being consistent with mass conservation across a stationary isothermal shock. We see no direct evidence for energy input into the loop because the loop is rooted in the dark uniform part of the umbra with no light bridges or umbral dots near by. Thus one might conclude that we are seeing a siphon flow driven from the footpoint at the other end of the loop. However, for a final result data of similar quality at the other footpoint are needed, but this is too far away to be covered by the IRIS field of view.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (abridged abstract

Non-normal real estate return distributions by property type in the U.K.

Investment risk models with infinite variance provide a better description of distributions of individual property returns in the IPD database over the period 1981 to 2003 than Normally distributed risk models, which mirrors results in the U.S. and Australia using identical methodology. Real estate investment risk is heteroscedastic, but the Characteristic Exponent of the investment risk function is constant across time yet may vary by property type. Asset diversification is far less effective at reducing the impact of non-systematic investment risk on real estate portfolios than in the case of assets with Normally distributed investment risk. Multi-risk factor portfolio allocation models based on measures of investment codependence from finite-variance statistics are ineffectual in the real estate context

Critical behavior of the three- and ten-state short-range Potts glass: A Monte Carlo study

We study the critical behavior of the short-range p-state Potts spin glass in three and four dimensions using Monte Carlo simulations. In three dimensions, for p = 3, a finite-size scaling analysis of the correlation length shows clear evidence of a transition to a spin-glass phase at T_c = 0.273(5) for a Gaussian distribution of interactions and T_c = 0.377(5) for a bimodal distribution. These results indicate that the lower critical dimension of the 3-state Potts glass is below three. By contrast, the correlation length of the ten-state (p = 10) Potts glass in three dimensions remains small even at very low temperatures and thus shows no sign of a transition. In four dimensions we find that the p = 3 Potts glass with Gaussian interactions has a spin-glass transition at T_c =0.536(3).Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, 6 table

Defect energy of infinite-component vector spin glasses

We compute numerically the zero temperature defect energy, Delta E, of the vector spin glass in the limit of an infinite number of spin components m, for a range of dimensions 2 <= d <= 5. Fitting to Delta E ~ L^theta, where L is the system size, we obtain: theta = -1.54 (d=2), theta = -1.04 (d=3), theta = -0.67 (d=4) and theta = -0.37 (d=5). These results show that the lower critical dimension, d_l (the dimension where theta changes sign), is significantly higher for m=infinity than for finite m (where 2 < d_l < 3).Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Satellite observations of reconnection between emerging and pre-existing small-scale magnetic fields

We report multi-wavelength ultraviolet observations taken with the IRIS satellite, concerning the emergence phase in the upper chromosphere and transition region of an emerging flux region (EFR) embedded in the unipolar plage of active region NOAA 12529. The photospheric configuration of the EFR is analyzed in detail benefitting from measurements taken with the spectropolarimeter aboard the Hinode satellite, when the EFR was fully developed. In addition, these data are complemented by full-disk, simultaneous observations of the SDO satellite, relevant to the photosphere and the corona. In the photosphere, magnetic flux emergence signatures are recognized in the fuzzy granulation, with dark alignments between the emerging polarities, cospatial with highly inclined fields. In the upper atmospheric layers, we identify recurrent brightenings that resemble UV bursts, with counterparts in all coronal passbands. These occur at the edges of the EFR and in the region of the arch filament system (AFS) cospatial to the EFR. Jet activity is also found at chromospheric and coronal levels, near the AFS and the observed brightness enhancement sites. The analysis of the IRIS line profiles reveals the heating of dense plasma in the low solar atmosphere and the driving of bi-directional high-velocity flows with speeds up to 100 km/s at the same locations. Furthermore, we detect a correlation between the Doppler velocity and line width of the Si IV 1394 and 1402 \AA{} line profiles in the UV burst pixels and their skewness. Comparing these findings with previous observations and numerical models, we suggest evidence of several long-lasting, small-scale magnetic reconnection episodes between the emerging bipole and the ambient field. This process leads to the cancellation of a pre-existing photospheric flux concentration of the plage with the opposite polarity flux patch of the EFR. [...]Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in "Nuovo Cimento C" as proceeding of the Third Meeting of the Italian Solar and Heliospheric Communit

Devroye Inequality for a Class of Non-Uniformly Hyperbolic Dynamical Systems

In this paper, we prove an inequality, which we call "Devroye inequality", for a large class of non-uniformly hyperbolic dynamical systems (M,f). This class, introduced by L.-S. Young, includes families of piece-wise hyperbolic maps (Lozi-like maps), scattering billiards (e.g., planar Lorentz gas), unimodal and H{\'e}non-like maps. Devroye inequality provides an upper bound for the variance of observables of the form K(x,f(x),...,f^{n-1}(x)), where K is any separately Holder continuous function of n variables. In particular, we can deal with observables which are not Birkhoff averages. We will show in \cite{CCS} some applications of Devroye inequality to statistical properties of this class of dynamical systems.Comment: Corrected version; To appear in Nonlinearit

Neonatal weight loss in breast and formula-fed infants

We have observed an increase in the number of breast fed babies presenting with dehydration and/or failure to thrive because of lactation failure and non-recognition of feeding problems. Recent reports1,2 support this experience and recommend monitoring of the weight of infants through the neonatal period. However, these reports acknowledge uncertainty as to what actually constitutes normal neonatal weight loss. Maisels and colleagues published two studies which have been quoted as giving guidance on normal loss. Both studies were designed primarily to study factors that influence breast milk jaundice. The first3 reported a mean weight loss of about 6% in 100 unselected well babies during the first 3 days. The subsequent study4 reported a mean weight loss of 6.86% in 186 infants. The timescale over which babies were weighed was not clearly indicated, although it may have only been 2-3 days. The sample was neither population based nor randomly selected, being largely preselected because of the presence of more pronounced jaundice. The distribution of data points for early neonatal weight loss are likely to be skewed, yet both studies reported the results as mean (SD). Owing to the design and method of data presentation, these studies cannot reliably inform the debate as to what constitutes the norm. Marchini and colleagues published reports also designed primarily to study other issues. One5 indicated a mean early weight loss of 5.7%. Measurements were recorded over a three day period, and no indication is given of the skewness of the data. Another study6 reported a median weight loss of about 6% recorded over a four day period. At least one baby lost > 15% of his/her birth weight during this time, but there is no clear information as to the frequency with which more extreme degrees of weight loss are observed

Spin glasses in the limit of an infinite number of spin components

We consider the spin glass model in which the number of spin components, m, is infinite. In the formulation of the problem appropriate for numerical calculations proposed by several authors, we show that the order parameter defined by the long-distance limit of the correlation functions is actually zero and there is only "quasi long range order" below the transition temperature. We also show that the spin glass transition temperature is zero in three dimensions.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figure

A Pyrrole-Based Triazolium-Phane with Nh and Cationic Ch Donor Groups as a Receptor for Tetrahedral Oxyanions that Functions in Polar Media

The pyrrole-based triazolium-phane 1(4+)center dot 4BF(4)(-) has been prepared via the tetraalkylation of a macrocycle originally prepared via click chemistry. It displays a high selectivity for tetrahedral oxyanions relative to various test monoanions and trigonal planar anions in mixed polar organic-aqueous media. This selectivity is solvent dependent and is less pronounced in acetonitrile. Theoretical calculations were carried out in with the chloride anion in an effort to understand the influence of solvent on the intrinsic hydrogen bonding ability of the donor groups (pyrrole N-H, benzene C-H and triazolium C-H). The host-guest interactions between receptor 1(4+)center dot 4BF(4)(-) and representative tetrahedral oxyanions were further analysed by H-1 NMR spectroscopy, and the findings proved consistent with the differences in the intrinsic strength of the various H-bond donor groups inferred from the electronic structure calculations carried out in methanol, namely that (CH)(+)-anion interactions are less important in an energetic sense than neutral CH-anion interactions in polar media. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of the mixed salts 1(4+)center dot HP2O73-center dot BF4- and 31(4+)center dot 4H(2)PO(4)(-)center dot 8BF(4)(-) confirmed that receptor 1(4+) can bind the pyrophosphate and phosphate anions in the solid state.Cai, Jiajia, Benjamin P. Hay, Neil J. Young, Xiaoping Yang, and Jonathan L. Sessler. "A pyrrole-based triazolium-phane with NH and cationic CH donor groups as a receptor for tetrahedral oxyanions that functions in polar media." Chemical Science 4, no. 4 (Jan., 2013): 1560-1567.Chemistr