5,280 research outputs found
Locating the magnetospheric ring current
Protons are studied in the global depression of the earth's horizontal magnetic field. It is shown that 10 to 100 keV protons dominate ring current energetics in two preferred regions of cyclotron instability, which serve as stable trapping boundaries for ring current protons. The only apparent means of removing this stably trapped belt of particles are considered to be by charge exchange interactions, or by outward expansion of the plasmapause to erode the ring current. Both of these processes require about two days, which is the characteristic decay period of the main phase depression. Questions whose answers are necessary to formulate a quantitative theory of geomagnetic storms which relates main phase depression to solar wind parameters are included
Unstable growth of unducted whistlers propagating at an angle to the geomagnetic field
Unstable growth rate of unducted whistler waves propagating at angle to geomagnetic fiel
Magnetospheric electrons
Coupling of source, transport, and sink processes produces a fairly accurate model for the macroscopic structure and dynamics of magnetospheric electrons. Auroral electrons are controlled by convective transport from a plasma sheet source coupled with a precipitation loss due to whistler and electrostatic plasma turbulence. Outer and inner zone electrons are governed by radial diffusion transport from convection and acceleration sources external to the plasmapause and by parasitic precipitation losses arising from cyclotron and Landau interactions with whistler and ion cyclotron turbulence
Parton Distributions
I discuss our current understanding of parton distributions. I begin with the
underlying theoretical framework, and the way in which different data sets
constrain different partons, highlighting recent developments. The methods of
examining the uncertainties on the distributions and those physical quantities
dependent on them is analysed. Finally I look at the evidence that additional
theoretical corrections beyond NLO perturbative QCD may be necessary, what type
of corrections are indicated and the impact these may have on the
uncertainties.Comment: Invited talk at "XXI International Symposium on Lepton and Photon
Interactions at High Energies," (Fermilab, Chicago, August 2003). 12 pages,
21 figure
A unified theory of stable auroral red arc formation at the plasmapause
A theory is proposed that SAR-arcs are generated at the plasmapause as a consequence of the turbulent dissipation of ring current energy. During the recovery phase of a geomagnetic storm, the plasmapause expands outward into the symmetric ring current. When the cold plasma densities reach about 100/cu cm, ring current protons become unstable and generate intense ion cyclotron wave turbulence in a narrow region 1/2 earth radius wide (just inside the plasmapause). Approximately one-half of the ring current energy is dissipated into wave turbulence which in turn is absorbed through a Landau resonant interaction with plasma spheric electrons. The combined thermal heat flux to the ionosphere due to Landau absorption of the wave energy and proton-electron Coulomb dissipation is sufficient to drive SAR-arcs at the observed intensities. It is predicted that the arcs should be localized to a narrow latitudinal range just within the stormtime plasmapause. They should occur at all local times and persist for the 10 to 20 hour duration of the plasma-pause expansion
Additions to the Flora of Cedar County, Iowa
A survey of the vascular plants of Cedar County, Iowa, was made by the senior author during the growing season of 1950. A previous paper (Fay, 1952) presented an annotated list of 775 species found in the area studied. Subsequent collecting trips by the authors of this paper have resulted in the discovery of additional species. Several misidentifications caused errors in the previous account; these are corrected here. Introduced species are marked by an asterisk. The present paper brings up to date the number of species known to occur in Cedar County. It also describes the various ecological habitats of the county by listing characteristic species found in each
Mitochondrial Dna Replacement Versus Nuclear Dna Persistence
In this paper we consider two populations whose generations are not
overlapping and whose size is large. The number of males and females in both
populations is constant. Any generation is replaced by a new one and any
individual has two parents for what concerns nuclear DNA and a single one (the
mother) for what concerns mtDNA. Moreover, at any generation some individuals
migrate from the first population to the second.
In a finite random time , the mtDNA of the second population is completely
replaced by the mtDNA of the first. In the same time, the nuclear DNA is not
completely replaced and a fraction of the ancient nuclear DNA persists. We
compute both and . Since this study shows that complete replacement of
mtDNA in a population is compatible with the persistence of a large fraction of
nuclear DNA, it may have some relevance for the Out of Africa/Multiregional
debate in Paleoanthropology
The covariant perturbative approach to cosmic microwave background anisotropies
The Ehlers-Ellis 1+3 formulation of covariant hydrodynamics, when
supplemented with covariant radiative transport theory, gives an exact,
physically transparent description of the physics of the cosmic microwave
background radiation (CMB). Linearisation around a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker
(FRW) universe provides a very direct and seamless route through to the linear,
gauge-invariant perturbation equations for scalar, vector and tensor modes in
an almost-FRW model. In this contribution we review covariant radiative
transport theory and its application to the perturbative method for calculating
and understanding the anisotropy of the CMB. Particular emphasis is placed on
the inclusion of polarization in a fully covariant manner. With this inclusion,
the covariant perturbative approach offers a complete description of linearised
CMB physics in an almost-FRW universe.Comment: To appear in proceedings of SARS99 meeting in honour of G.F.R.Elli
Classical stability and quantum instability of black-hole Cauchy horizons
For a certain region of the parameter space , the Cauchy
horizon of a (charged) black hole residing in de Sitter space is classically
stable to gravitational perturbations. This implies that, when left to its own
devices, classical theory is unable to retain full predictive power: the
evolution of physical fields beyond the Cauchy horizon is not uniquely
determined by the initial conditions. In this paper we argue that the Cauchy
horizon of a Reissner-Nordstr\"om-de Sitter black hole must always be unstable
quantum mechanically.Comment: 4 pages; uses ReVTeX; figure available upon request to
[email protected]
Components of the gravitational force in the field of a gravitational wave
Gravitational waves bring about the relative motion of free test masses. The
detailed knowledge of this motion is important conceptually and practically,
because the mirrors of laser interferometric detectors of gravitational waves
are essentially free test masses. There exists an analogy between the motion of
free masses in the field of a gravitational wave and the motion of free charges
in the field of an electromagnetic wave. In particular, a gravitational wave
drives the masses in the plane of the wave-front and also, to a smaller extent,
back and forth in the direction of the wave's propagation. To describe this
motion, we introduce the notion of `electric' and `magnetic' components of the
gravitational force. This analogy is not perfect, but it reflects some
important features of the phenomenon. Using different methods, we demonstrate
the presence and importance of what we call the `magnetic' component of motion
of free masses. It contributes to the variation of distance between a pair of
particles. We explicitely derive the full response function of a 2-arm laser
interferometer to a gravitational wave of arbitrary polarization. We give a
convenient description of the response function in terms of the spin-weighted
spherical harmonics. We show that the previously ignored `magnetic' component
may provide a correction of up to 10 %, or so, to the usual `electric'
component of the response function. The `magnetic' contribution must be taken
into account in the data analysis, if the parameters of the radiating system
are not to be mis-estimated.Comment: prints to 29 pages including 9 figures, new title, additional
explanations and references in response to referee's comments, to be
published in Class. Quant. Gra
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