128 research outputs found
Future Prospects: Deep Imaging of Galaxy Outskirts using Telescopes Large and Small
The Universe is almost totally unexplored at low surface brightness levels.
In spite of great progress in the construction of large telescopes and
improvements in the sensitivity of detectors, the limiting surface brightness
of imaging observations has remained static for about forty years. Recent
technical advances have at last begun to erode the barriers preventing
progress. In this Chapter we describe the technical challenges to low surface
brightness imaging, describe some solutions, and highlight some relevant
observations that have been undertaken recently with both large and small
telescopes. Our main focus will be on discoveries made with the Dragonfly
Telephoto Array (Dragonfly), which is a new telescope concept designed to probe
the Universe down to hitherto unprecedented low surface brightness levels. We
conclude by arguing that these discoveries are probably only scratching the
surface of interesting phenomena that are observable when the Universe is
explored at low surface brightness levels.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, Invited review, Book chapter in "Outskirts of
Galaxies", Eds. J. H. Knapen, J. C. Lee and A. Gil de Paz, Astrophysics and
Space Science Library, Springer, in pres
New coins from old, smoothly
Given a (known) function , we consider the problem of
simulating a coin with probability of heads by tossing a coin with
unknown heads probability , as well as a fair coin, times each, where
may be random. The work of Keane and O'Brien (1994) implies that such a
simulation scheme with the probability equal to 1 exists iff
is continuous. Nacu and Peres (2005) proved that is real analytic in an
open set iff such a simulation scheme exists with the
probability decaying exponentially in for every . We
prove that for non-integer, is in the space if
and only if a simulation scheme as above exists with , where \Delta_n(x)\eqbd \max \{\sqrt{x(1-x)/n},1/n \}.
The key to the proof is a new result in approximation theory:
Let \B_n be the cone of univariate polynomials with nonnegative Bernstein
coefficients of degree . We show that a function is in
if and only if has a series representation
with F_n \in \B_n and for all and . We also provide a
counterexample to a theorem stated without proof by Lorentz (1963), who claimed
that if some \phi_n \in \B_n satisfy for all and , then .Comment: 29 pages; final version; to appear in Constructive Approximatio
The road to deterministic matrices with the restricted isometry property
The restricted isometry property (RIP) is a well-known matrix condition that
provides state-of-the-art reconstruction guarantees for compressed sensing.
While random matrices are known to satisfy this property with high probability,
deterministic constructions have found less success. In this paper, we consider
various techniques for demonstrating RIP deterministically, some popular and
some novel, and we evaluate their performance. In evaluating some techniques,
we apply random matrix theory and inadvertently find a simple alternative proof
that certain random matrices are RIP. Later, we propose a particular class of
matrices as candidates for being RIP, namely, equiangular tight frames (ETFs).
Using the known correspondence between real ETFs and strongly regular graphs,
we investigate certain combinatorial implications of a real ETF being RIP.
Specifically, we give probabilistic intuition for a new bound on the clique
number of Paley graphs of prime order, and we conjecture that the corresponding
ETFs are RIP in a manner similar to random matrices.Comment: 24 page
How Many CMEs Have Flux Ropes? Deciphering the Signatures of Shocks, Flux Ropes, and Prominences in Coronagraph Observations of CMEs
We intend to provide a comprehensive answer to the question on whether all
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) have flux rope structure. To achieve this, we
present a synthesis of the LASCO CME observations over the last sixteen years,
assisted by 3D MHD simulations of the breakout model, EUV and coronagraphic
observations from STEREO and SDO, and statistics from a revised LASCO CME
database. We argue that the bright loop often seen as the CME leading edge is
the result of pileup at the boundary of the erupting flux rope irrespective of
whether a cavity or, more generally, a 3-part CME can be identified. Based on
our previous work on white light shock detection and supported by the MHD
simulations, we identify a new type of morphology, the `two-front' morphology.
It consists of a faint front followed by diffuse emission and the bright
loop-like CME leading edge. We show that the faint front is caused by density
compression at a wave (or possibly shock) front driven by the CME. We also
present high-detailed multi-wavelength EUV observations that clarify the
relative positioning of the prominence at the bottom of a coronal cavity with
clear flux rope structure. Finally, we visually check the full LASCO CME
database for flux rope structures. In the process, we classify the events into
two clear flux rope classes (`3-part', `Loop'), jets and outflows (no clear
structure). We find that at least 40% of the observed CMEs have clear flux rope
structures. We propose a new definition for flux rope CMEs (FR-CMEs) as a
coherent magnetic, twist-carrying coronal structure with angular width of at
least 40 deg and able to reach beyond 10 Rsun which erupts on a time scale of a
few minutes to several hours. We conclude that flux ropes are a common
occurrence in CMEs and pose a challenge for future studies to identify CMEs
that are clearly not FR-CMEs.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figs, to be published in Solar Physics Topical Issue
"Flux Rope Structure of CMEs
On the structure and evolution of a polar crown prominence/filament system
Polar crown prominences are made of chromospheric plasma partially circling
the Suns poles between 60 and 70 degree latitude. We aim to diagnose the 3D
dynamics of a polar crown prominence using high cadence EUV images from the
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/AIA at 304 and 171A and the Ahead spacecraft
of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A)/EUVI at 195A. Using
time series across specific structures we compare flows across the disk in 195A
with the prominence dynamics seen on the limb. The densest prominence material
forms vertical columns which are separated by many tens of Mm and connected by
dynamic bridges of plasma that are clearly visible in 304/171A two-color
images. We also observe intermittent but repetitious flows with velocity 15
km/s in the prominence that appear to be associated with EUV bright points on
the solar disk. The boundary between the prominence and the overlying cavity
appears as a sharp edge. We discuss the structure of the coronal cavity seen
both above and around the prominence. SDO/HMI and GONG magnetograms are used to
infer the underlying magnetic topology. The evolution and structure of the
prominence with respect to the magnetic field seems to agree with the filament
linkage model.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, Accepted for publication in Solar Physics
Journal, Movies can be found at http://www2.mps.mpg.de/data/outgoing/panesar
Homologous Flares and Magnetic Field Topology in Active Region NOAA 10501 on 20 November 2003
We present and interpret observations of two morphologically homologous
flares that occurred in active region (AR) NOAA 10501 on 20 November 2003. Both
flares displayed four homologous H-alpha ribbons and were both accompanied by
coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The central flare ribbons were located at the
site of an emerging bipole in the center of the active region. The negative
polarity of this bipole fragmented in two main pieces, one rotating around the
positive polarity by ~ 110 deg within 32 hours. We model the coronal magnetic
field and compute its topology, using as boundary condition the magnetogram
closest in time to each flare. In particular, we calculate the location of
quasiseparatrix layers (QSLs) in order to understand the connectivity between
the flare ribbons. Though several polarities were present in AR 10501, the
global magnetic field topology corresponds to a quadrupolar magnetic field
distribution without magnetic null points. For both flares, the photospheric
traces of QSLs are similar and match well the locations of the four H-alpha
ribbons. This globally unchanged topology and the continuous shearing by the
rotating bipole are two key factors responsible for the flare homology.
However, our analyses also indicate that different magnetic connectivity
domains of the quadrupolar configuration become unstable during each flare, so
that magnetic reconnection proceeds differently in both events.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, Solar Physics (accepted
Using statistical and artificial neural networks to predict the permeability of loosely packed granular materials
Well-known analytical equations for predicting permeability are generally reported to overestimate this important property of porous media. In this work, more robust models developed from statistical (multivariable regression) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methods utilised additional particle characteristics [‘fines ratio’ (x50/x10) and particle shape] that are not found in traditional analytical equations. Using data from experiments and literature, model performance analyses with average absolute error (AAE) showed error of ~40% for the analytical models (Kozeny–Carman and Happel–Brenner). This error reduces to 9% with ANN model. This work establishes superiority of the new models, using experiments and mathematical techniques
A Helicity-Based Method to Infer the CME Magnetic Field Magnitude in Sun and Geospace: Generalization and Extension to Sun-Like and M-Dwarf Stars and Implications for Exoplanet Habitability
Patsourakos et al. (Astrophys. J. 817, 14, 2016) and Patsourakos and
Georgoulis (Astron. Astrophys. 595, A121, 2016) introduced a method to infer
the axial magnetic field in flux-rope coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the
solar corona and farther away in the interplanetary medium. The method, based
on the conservation principle of magnetic helicity, uses the relative magnetic
helicity of the solar source region as input estimates, along with the radius
and length of the corresponding CME flux rope. The method was initially applied
to cylindrical force-free flux ropes, with encouraging results. We hereby
extend our framework along two distinct lines. First, we generalize our
formalism to several possible flux-rope configurations (linear and nonlinear
force-free, non-force-free, spheromak, and torus) to investigate the dependence
of the resulting CME axial magnetic field on input parameters and the employed
flux-rope configuration. Second, we generalize our framework to both Sun-like
and active M-dwarf stars hosting superflares. In a qualitative sense, we find
that Earth may not experience severe atmosphere-eroding magnetospheric
compression even for eruptive solar superflares with energies ~ 10^4 times
higher than those of the largest Geostationary Operational Environmental
Satellite (GOES) X-class flares currently observed. In addition, the two
recently discovered exoplanets with the highest Earth-similarity index, Kepler
438b and Proxima b, seem to lie in the prohibitive zone of atmospheric erosion
due to interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs), except when they possess planetary magnetic
fields that are much higher than that of Earth.Comment: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017SoPh..292...89
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