1,172 research outputs found
Rotational splitting as a function of mode frequency for six Sun-like stars
Asteroseismology offers the prospect of constraining differential rotation in
Sun-like stars. Here we have identified six high signal-to-noise main-sequence
Sun-like stars in the Kepler field, which all have visible signs of rotational
splitting of their p-mode frequencies. For each star, we extract the rotational
frequency splitting and inclination angle from separate mode sets (adjacent
modes with l=2, 0, and 1) spanning the p-mode envelope. We use a Markov chain
Monte Carlo method to obtain the best fit and errors associated with each
parameter. We are able to make independent measurements of rotational
splittings of ~8 radial orders for each star. For all six stars, the measured
splittings are consistent with uniform rotation, allowing us to exclude large
radial differential rotation. This work opens the possibility of constraining
internal rotation of Sun-like stars.Comment: Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 4 pages, 3 figure
A method for the estimation of p-mode parameters from averaged solar oscillation power spectra
A new fitting methodology is presented which is equally well suited for the
estimation of low-, medium-, and high-degree mode parameters from -averaged
solar oscillation power spectra of widely differing spectral resolution. This
method, which we call the "Windowed, MuLTiple-Peak, averaged spectrum", or
WMLTP Method, constructs a theoretical profile by convolving the weighted sum
of the profiles of the modes appearing in the fitting box with the power
spectrum of the window function of the observing run using weights from a
leakage matrix that takes into account both observational and physical effects,
such as the distortion of modes by solar latitudinal differential rotation. We
demonstrate that the WMLTP Method makes substantial improvements in the
inferences of the properties of the solar oscillations in comparison with a
previous method that employed a single profile to represent each spectral peak.
We also present an inversion for the internal solar structure which is based
upon 6,366 modes that we have computed using the WMLTP method on the 66-day
long 2010 SOHO/MDI Dynamics Run. To improve both the numerical stability and
reliability of the inversion we developed a new procedure for the
identification and correction of outliers in a frequency data set. We present
evidence for a pronounced departure of the sound speed in the outer half of the
solar convection zone and in the subsurface shear layer from the radial sound
speed profile contained in Model~S of Christensen-Dalsgaard and his
collaborators that existed in the rising phase of Solar Cycle~24 during
mid-2010
How much more can sunspots tell us about the solar dynamo?
Sunspot observations inspired solar dynamo theory and continue to do so. Simply counting them established the sunspot cycle and its period. Latitudinal distributions introduced the tough constraint that the source of sunspots moves equator-ward as the cycle progresses. Observations of Hale's polarity law mandated hemispheric asymmetry. How much more can sunspots tell us about the solar dynamo? We draw attention to a few outstanding questions raised by inherent sunspot properties. Namely, how to explain sunspot rotation rates, the incoherence of follower spots, the longitudinal spacing of sunspot groups, and brightness trends within a given sunspot cycle. After reviewing the first several topics, we then present new results on the brightness of sunspots in Cycle 24 as observed with the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI). We compare these results to the sunspot brightness observed in Cycle 23 with the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI). Next, we compare the minimum intensities of five sunspots simultaneously observed by the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope Spectropolarimeter (SOT-SP) and HMI to verify that the minimum brightness of sunspot umbrae correlates well to the maximum field strength. We then examine 90 and 52 sunspots in the north and south hemisphere, respectively, from 2010 - 2012. Finally, we conclude that the average maximum field strengths of umbra 40 Carrington Rotations into Cycle 24 are 2690 Gauss, virtually indistinguishable from the 2660 Gauss value observed at a similar time in Cycle 23 with MDI
Solar-cycle variation of the sound-speed asphericity from GONG and MDI data 1995-2000
We study the variation of the frequency splitting coefficients describing the
solar asphericity in both GONG and MDI data, and use these data to investigate
temporal sound-speed variations as a function of both depth and latitude during
the period from 1995-2000 and a little beyond. The temporal variations in even
splitting coefficients are found to be correlated to the corresponding
component of magnetic flux at the solar surface. We confirm that the
sound-speed variations associated with the surface magnetic field are
superficial. Temporally averaged results show a significant excess in sound
speed around 0.92 solar radii and latitude of 60 degrees.Comment: To be published in MNRAS, accepted July 200
Does the Sun Shrink with Increasing Magnetic Activity?
We have analyzed the full set of SOHO/MDI f- and p-mode oscillation
frequencies from 1996 to date in a search for evidence of solar radius
evolution during the rising phase of the current activity cycle. Like Antia et
al. (2000), we find that a significant fraction of the f-mode frequency changes
scale with frequency; and that if these are interpreted in terms of a radius
change, it implies a shrinking sun. Our inferred rate of shrinkage is about 1.5
km/y, which is somewhat smaller than found by Antia et al. We argue that this
rate does not refer to the surface, but rather to a layer extending roughly
from 4 to 8 Mm beneath the visible surface. The rate of shrinking may be
accounted for by an increasing radial component of the rms random magnetic
field at a rate that depends on its radial distribution. If it were uniform,
the required field would be ~7 kG. However, if it were inwardly increasing,
then a 1 kG field at 8 Mm would suffice.
To assess contribution to the solar radius change arising above 4Mm, we
analyzed the p-mode data. The evolution of the p-mode frequencies may be
explained by a magnetic^M field growing with activity. The implications of the
near-surface magnetic field changes depend on the anisotropy of the random
magnetic field. If the field change is predominantly radial, then we infer an
additional shrinking at a rate between 1.1-1.3 km/y at the photosphere. If on
the other hand the increase is isotropic, we find a competing expansion at a
rate of 2.3 km/y. In any case, variations in the sun's radius in the activity
cycle are at the level of 10^{-5} or less, hence have a negligible contribution
to the irradiance variations.Comment: 10 pages (ApJ preprint style), 4 figures; accepted for publication in
Ap
TWIST1 Is Expressed in Colorectal Carcinomas and Predicts Patient Survival
TWIST1 is a transcription factor that belongs to the family of basic helix-loop-helix proteins involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and invasion processes. The TWIST1 protein possesses oncogenic, drug-resistant, angiogenic and invasive properties, and has been related with several human tumors and other pathologies. Colorectal cancer is one of the tumors in which TWIST1 is over-expressed, but its involvement in the clinical outcome of the disease is still unclear. We tested, by RT-PCR, the expression levels of TWIST1 in normal and tumor paired-sample tissues from a series of 151 colorectal cancer patients, in order to investigate its prognostic value as a tumor marker. TWIST1 expression was restricted to tumor tissues (86.1%) and correlated with lymph node metastasis (LNM). Adjusted analysis showed that the expression levels of TWIST1 correlated with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Importantly, TWIST1 expression levels predicted OS specifically at stages I and II. Moreover, patients with stage II tumors and high TWIST1 levels showed even shorter survival than patients with stage III tumors. These results suggest that TWIST1 expression levels could be a tumor indicator in stage II patients and help select patients at greater risk of poor prognosis who might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy
Cloaked Facebook pages: Exploring fake Islamist propaganda in social media
This research analyses cloaked Facebook pages that are created to spread political propaganda by cloaking a user profile and imitating the identity of a political opponent in order to spark hateful and aggressive reactions. This inquiry is pursued through a multi-sited online ethnographic case study of Danish Facebook pages disguised as radical Islamist pages, which provoked racist and anti-Muslim reactions as well as negative sentiments towards refugees and immigrants in Denmark in general. Drawing on Jessie Daniels’ critical insights into cloaked websites, this research furthermore analyses the epistemological, methodological and conceptual challenges of online propaganda. It enhances our understanding of disinformation and propaganda in an increasingly interactive social media environment and contributes to a critical inquiry into social media and subversive politics
On-Orbit Performance of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager Instrument onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory
The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument is a major component of
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. Since beginning normal
science operations on 1 May 2010, HMI has operated with remarkable continuity,
e.g. during the more than five years of the SDO prime mission that ended 30
September 2015, HMI collected 98.4% of all possible 45-second velocity maps;
minimizing gaps in these full-disk Dopplergrams is crucial for helioseismology.
HMI velocity, intensity, and magnetic-field measurements are used in numerous
investigations, so understanding the quality of the data is important. We
describe the calibration measurements used to track HMI performance and detail
trends in important instrument parameters during the mission. Regular
calibration sequences provide information used to improve and update the HMI
data calibration. The set-point temperature of the instrument front window and
optical bench is adjusted regularly to maintain instrument focus, and changes
in the temperature-control scheme have been made to improve stability in the
observable quantities. The exposure time has been changed to compensate for a
15% decrease in instrument throughput. Measurements of the performance of the
shutter and tuning mechanisms show that they are aging as expected and continue
to perform according to specification. Parameters of the tunable-optical-filter
elements are regularly adjusted to account for drifts in the central
wavelength. Frequent measurements of changing CCD-camera characteristics, such
as gain and flat field, are used to calibrate the observations. Infrequent
expected events, such as eclipses, transits, and spacecraft off-points,
interrupt regular instrument operations and provide the opportunity to perform
additional calibration. Onboard instrument anomalies are rare and seem to occur
quite uniformly in time. The instrument continues to perform very well.Comment: 50 pages, 18 figures, 20 table
Autonomous on-board data processing and instrument calibration software for the SO/PHI
The extension of on-board data processing capabilities is an attractive
option to reduce telemetry for scientific instruments on deep space missions.
The challenges that this presents, however, require a comprehensive software
system, which operates on the limited resources a data processing unit in space
allows. We implemented such a system for the Polarimetric and Helioseismic
Imager (PHI) on-board the Solar Orbiter (SO) spacecraft. It ensures autonomous
operation to handle long command-response times, easy changing of the processes
after new lessons have been learned and meticulous book-keeping of all
operations to ensure scientific accuracy. This contribution presents the
requirements and main aspects of the software implementation, followed by an
example of a task implemented in the software frame, and results from running
it on SO/PHI. The presented example shows that the different parts of the
software framework work well together, and that the system processes data as we
expect. The flexibility of the framework makes it possible to use it as a
baseline for future applications with similar needs and limitations as SO/PHI.Comment: Conference: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentatio, Software
and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy
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