316 research outputs found
NLTE modeling of Stokes vector center-to-limb variations in the CN violet system
The solar surface magnetic field is connected with and even controls most of
the solar activity phenomena. Zeeman effect diagnostics allow for measuring
only a small fraction of the fractal-like structured magnetic field. The
remaining hidden magnetic fields can only be accessed with the Hanle effect.
Molecular lines are very convenient for applying the Hanle effect diagnostics
thanks to the broad range of magnetic sensitivities in a narrow spectral
region. With the UV version of the Zurich Imaging Polarimeter ZIMPOL II
installed at the 45 cm telescope of the Istituto Ricerche Solari Locarno
(IRSOL), we simultaneously observed intensity and linear polarization
center-to-limb variations in two spectral regions containing the (0,0) and
(1,1) bandheads of the CN B 2 {\Sigma} - X 2 {\Sigma} system. Here we present
an analysis of these observations. We have implemented coherent scattering in
molecular lines into a NLTE radiative transfer code. A two-step approach was
used. First, we separately solved the statistical equilibrium equations and
compute opacities and intensity while neglecting polariza- tion. Then we used
these quantities as input for calculating scattering polarization and the Hanle
effect. We have found that it is impossible to fit the intensity and
polarization simultaneously at different limb angles in the frame- work of
standard 1D modeling. The atmosphere models that provide correct intensity
center-to-limb variations fail to fit linear polar- ization center-to-limb
variations due to lacking radiation field anisotropy. We had to increase the
anisotropy by means of a specially introduced free parameter. This allows us to
successfully interpret our observations. We discuss possible reasons for
underestimating the anisotropy in the 1D modeling.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in
Astronomy&Astrophysic
First polarimetric observations and modeling of the FeH F^4 Delta-X^4 Delta system
Lines of diatomic molecules are more temperature and pressure sensitive than
atomic lines, which makes them ideal tools for studying cool stellar
atmospheres an internal structure of sunspots and starspots. The FeH F^4
Delta-X^4 Delta system represents such an example that exhibits in addition a
large magnetic field sensitivity. The current theoretical descriptions of these
transitions including the molecular constants involved are only based on
intensity measurements because polarimetric observations have not been
available so far, which limits their diagnostic value. We present for the first
time spectropolarimetric observations of the FeH F^4 Delta-X^4 Delta system
measured in sunspots to investigate their diagnostic capabilities for probing
solar and stellar magnetic fields. We investigate whether the current
theoretical model of FeH can reproduce the observed Stokes profiles including
their magnetic properties. The polarimetric observations are compared with
synthetic Stokes profiles modeled with radiative transfer calculations. This
allows us to infer the temperature and the magnetic field strength of the
observed sunspots. We find that the current theory successfully reproduces the
magnetic properties of a large number of lines in the FeH F^4 Delta-X^4 Delta
system. In a few cases the observations indicate a larger Zeeman splitting than
predicted by the theory. There, our observations have provided additional
constraints, which allowed us to determine empirical molecular constants. The
FeH F^4 Delta-X^4 Delta system is found to be a very sensitive magnetic
diagnostic tool. Polarimetric data of these lines provide us with more direct
information to study the coolest parts of astrophysical objects.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Origin of spatial variations of scattering polarization in the wings of the Ca {\sc i} 4227 \AA line
Polarization that is produced by coherent scattering can be modified by
magnetic fields via the Hanle effect. According to standard theory the Hanle
effect should only be operating in the Doppler core of spectral lines but not
in the wings. In contrast, our observations of the scattering polarization in
the Ca {\sc i} 4227 \AA line reveals the existence of spatial variations of the
scattering polarization throughout the far line wings. This raises the question
whether the observed spatial variations in wing polarization have a magnetic or
non-magnetic origin. A magnetic origin may be possible if elastic collisions
are able to cause sufficient frequency redistribution to make the Hanle effect
effective in the wings without causing excessive collisional depolarization, as
suggested by recent theories for partial frequency redistribution with coherent
scattering in magnetic fields. To model the wing polarization we apply an
extended version of the technique based on the "last scattering approximation".
This model is highly successful in reproducing the observed Stokes
polarization (linear polarization parallel to the nearest solar limb),
including the location of the wing polarization maxima and the minima around
the Doppler core, but it fails to reproduce the observed spatial variations of
the wing polarization in terms of magnetic field effects with frequency
redistribution. This null result points in the direction of a non-magnetic
origin in terms of local inhomogeneities (varying collisional depolarization,
radiation-field anisotropies, and deviations from a plane-parallel atmospheric
stratification).Comment: Accepted in May 2009 for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
First polarimetric measurements and modeling of the Paschen-Back effect in CaH transitions
We report the first spectropolarimetric observations and modeling of CaH
transitions in sunspots. We have detected strong polarization signals in many
CaH lines from the A-X system, and we provide the first successful fit to the
observed Stokes profiles using the previously developed theory of the
Paschen-Back effect in arbitrary electronic states of diatomic molecules and
polarized radiative transfer in molecular lines in stellar atmospheres. We
analyze the CaH Stokes profiles together with quasi-simultaneous observations
in TiO bands and conclude that CaH provides a valuable diagnostic of magnetic
fields in sunspots, starspots, cool stars, and brown dwarfs
Recurrent stroke risk and cerebral microbleed burden in ischemic stroke and TIA A meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To determine associations between cerebral microbleed (CMB) burden with recurrent
ischemic stroke (IS) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) risk after IS or TIA.
METHODS: We identified prospective studies of patients with IS or TIA that investigated CMBs and
stroke (ICH and IS) risk during 5 CMBs)
and distribution. We calculated absolute event rates and pooled risk ratios (RR) using randomeffects
meta-analysis.
RESULTS: We included 5,068 patients from 15 studies. There were 115/1,284 (9.6%) recurrent IS
events in patients with CMBs vs 212/3,781 (5.6%) in patients without CMBs (pooled RR 1.8 for
CMBs vs no CMBs; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4–2.5). There were 49/1,142 (4.3%) ICH
events in those with CMBs vs 17/2,912 (0.58%) in those without CMBs (pooled RR 6.3 for CMBs
vs no CMBs; 95% CI 3.5–11.4). Increasing CMB burden increased the risk of IS (pooled RR [95%
CI] 1.8 [1.0–3.1], 2.4 [1.3–4.4], and 2.7 [1.5–4.9] for 1 CMB, 2–4 CMBs, and 5 CMBs, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: CMBs are associated with increased stroke risk after IS or TIA. With increasing CMB
burden (compared to no CMBs), the risk of ICH increases more steeply than that of IS. However, IS
absolute event rates remain higher than ICH absolute event rates in all CMB burden categories
Measurement of the proton and deuteron structure functions, F2p and F2d, and of the ratio sigma(L)/sigma(T)
The muon-proton and muon-deuteron inclusive deep inelastic scattering cross
sections were measured in the kinematic range 0.002 < x < 0.60 and 0.5 < Q2 <
75 GeV2 at incident muon energies of 90, 120, 200 and 280 GeV. These results
are based on the full data set collected by the New Muon Collaboration,
including the data taken with a small angle trigger. The extracted values of
the structure functions F2p and F2d are in good agreement with those from other
experiments. The data cover a sufficient range of y to allow the determination
of the ratio of the longitudinally to transversely polarised virtual photon
absorption cross sections, R= sigma(L)/sigma(T), for 0.002 < x < 0.12 . The
values of R are compatible with a perturbative QCD prediction; they agree with
earlier measurements and extend to smaller x.Comment: In this replacement the erroneously quoted R values in tables 3-6 for
x>0.12, and R1990 values in tables 5-6 for all x, have been corrected, and
the cross sections in tables 3-4 have been adapted. Everything else,
including the structure functions F2, remained unchanged. 22 pages, LateX,
including figures, with two .sty files, and three separate f2tab.tex files
for the F2-tables. Accepted for publication in Nucl.Phys.B 199
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