80 research outputs found
Tempo and mode of performance evolution across multiple independent origins of adhesive toe pads in lizards
Understanding macroevolutionary dynamics of trait evolution is an important endeavor in evolutionary biology. Ecological opportunity can liberate a trait as it diversifies through trait space, while genetic and selective constraints can limit diversification. While many studies have examined the dynamics of morphological traits, diverse morphological traits may yield the same or similar performance and as performance is often more proximately the target of selection, examining only morphology may give an incomplete understanding of evolutionary dynamics. Here, we ask whether convergent evolution of pad‐bearing lizards has followed similar evolutionary dynamics, or whether independent origins are accompanied by unique constraints and selective pressures over macroevolutionary time. We hypothesized that geckos and anoles each have unique evolutionary tempos and modes. Using performance data from 59 species, we modified Brownian motion (BM) and Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) models to account for repeated origins estimated using Bayesian ancestral state reconstructions. We discovered that adhesive performance in geckos evolved in a fashion consistent with Brownian motion with a trend, whereas anoles evolved in bounded performance space consistent with more constrained evolution (an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model). Our results suggest that convergent phenotypes can have quite distinctive evolutionary patterns, likely as a result of idiosyncratic constraints or ecological opportunities
Challenges of comprehensive taxon sampling in comparative biology: Wrestling with rosids
Using phylogenetic approaches to test hypotheses on a large scale, in terms of both species sampling and associated species traits and occurrence data—and doing this with rigor despite all the attendant challenges—is critical for addressing many broad questions in evolution and ecology. However, application of such approaches to empirical systems is hampered by a lingering series of theoretical and practical bottlenecks. The community is still wrestling with the challenges of how to develop species‐level, comprehensively sampled phylogenies and associated geographic and phenotypic resources that enable global‐scale analyses. We illustrate difficulties and opportunities using the rosids as a case study, arguing that assembly of biodiversity data that is scale‐appropriate—and therefore comprehensive and global in scope—is required to test global‐scale hypotheses. Synthesizing comprehensive biodiversity data sets in clades such as the rosids will be key to understanding the origin and present‐day evolutionary and ecological dynamics of the angiosperms.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143800/1/ajb21059.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143800/2/ajb21059_am.pd
Acoustic Events in the Solar Atmosphere from Hinode/SOT NFI observations
We investigate the properties of acoustic events (AEs), defined as spatially
concentrated and short duration energy flux, in the quiet sun using
observations of a 2D field of view (FOV) with high spatial and temporal
resolution provided by the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) onboard
\textit{Hinode}. Line profiles of Fe \textsc{i} 557.6 nm were recorded by the
Narrow band Filter Imager (NFI) on a FOV during 75 min with a
time step of 28.75 s and 0.08 pixel size. Vertical velocities were computed
at three atmospheric levels (80, 130 and 180 km) using the bisector technique
allowing the determination of energy flux in the range 3-10 mHz using two
complementary methods (Hilbert transform and Fourier power spectra). Horizontal
velocities were computed using local correlation tracking (LCT) of continuum
intensities providing divergences.
The net energy flux is upward. In the range 3-10 mHz, a full FOV space and
time averaged flux of 2700 W m (lower layer 80-130 km) and 2000 W
m (upper layer 130-180 km) is concentrated in less than 1% of the solar
surface in the form of narrow (0.3) AE. Their total duration (including rise
and decay) is of the order of s. Inside each AE, the mean flux is W m (lower layer) and W m (upper). Each
event carries an average energy (flux integrated over space and time) of J (lower layer) to J (upper). More than events
could exist permanently on the Sun, with a birth and decay rate of 3500
s. Most events occur in intergranular lanes, downward velocity regions,
and areas of converging motions.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure
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The Wave-Front Correction System for the Sunrise Balloon-Borne Solar Observatory
This paper describes the wave-front correction system developed for the Sunrise balloon telescope, and it provides information about its in-flight performance. For the correction of low-order aberrations, a Correlating Wave-Front Sensor (CWS) was used. It consisted of a six-element Shack - Hartmann wave-front sensor (WFS), a fast tip-tilt mirror for the compensation of image motion, and an active telescope secondary mirror for focus correction. The CWS delivered a stabilized image with a precision of 0.04 arcsec (rms), whenever the coarse pointing was better than ± 45 arcsec peak-to-peak. The automatic focus adjustment maintained a focus stability of 0.01 waves in the focal plane of the CWS. During the 5.5 day flight, good image quality and stability were achieved during 33 hours, containing 45 sequences, which lasted between 10 and 45 min. © 2010 The Author(s)
Helioseismic studies of differential rotation in the solar envelope by the solar oscillations investigation using the michelson doppler imager
The splitting of the frequencies of the global resonant acoustic modes of the Sun by large-scale flows and rotation permits study of the variation of angular velocity Ω with both radius and latitude within the turbulent convection zone and the deeper radiative interior. The nearly uninterrupted Doppler imaging observations, provided by the Solar Oscillations Investigation (SOI) using the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft positioned at the L1 Lagrangian point in continuous sunlight, yield oscillation power spectra with very high signal-to-noise ratios that allow frequency splittings to be determined with exceptional accuracy. This paper reports on joint helioseismic analyses of solar rotation in the convection zone and in the outer part of the radiative core. Inversions have been obtained for a medium-l mode set (involving modes of angular degree l extending to about 250) obtained from the first 144 day interval of SOI-MDI observations in 1996. Drawing inferences about the solar internal rotation from the splitting data is a subtle process. By applying more than one inversion technique to the data, we get some indication of what are the more robust and less robust features of our inversion solutions. Here we have used seven different inversion methods. To test the reliability and sensitivity of these methods, we have performed a set of controlled experiments utilizing artificial data. This gives us some confidence in the inferences we can draw from the real solar data. The inversions of SOI-MDI data have confirmed that the decrease of Ω with latitude seen at the surface extends with little radial variation through much of the convection zone, at the base of which is an adjustment layer, called the tachocline, leading to nearly uniform rotation deeper in the radiative interior. A prominent rotational shearing layer in which Ω increases just below the surface is discernible at low to mid latitudes. Using the new data, we have also been able to study the solar rotation closer to the poles than has been achieved in previous investigations. The data have revealed that the angular velocity is distinctly lower at high latitudes than the values previously extrapolated from measurements at lower latitudes based on surface Doppler observations and helioseismology. Furthermore, we have found some evidence near latitudes of 75° of a submerged polar jet which is rotating more rapidly than its immediate surroundings. Superposed on the relatively smooth latitudinal variation in Ω are alternating zonal bands of slightly faster and slower rotation, each extending some 10° to 15° in latitude. These relatively weak banded flows have been followed by inversion to a depth of about 5% of the solar radius and appear to coincide with the evolving pattern of "torsional oscillations" reported from earlier surface Doppler studies
Modeling the Subsurface Structure of Sunspots
While sunspots are easily observed at the solar surface, determining their
subsurface structure is not trivial. There are two main hypotheses for the
subsurface structure of sunspots: the monolithic model and the cluster model.
Local helioseismology is the only means by which we can investigate
subphotospheric structure. However, as current linear inversion techniques do
not yet allow helioseismology to probe the internal structure with sufficient
confidence to distinguish between the monolith and cluster models, the
development of physically realistic sunspot models are a priority for
helioseismologists. This is because they are not only important indicators of
the variety of physical effects that may influence helioseismic inferences in
active regions, but they also enable detailed assessments of the validity of
helioseismic interpretations through numerical forward modeling. In this paper,
we provide a critical review of the existing sunspot models and an overview of
numerical methods employed to model wave propagation through model sunspots. We
then carry out an helioseismic analysis of the sunspot in Active Region 9787
and address the serious inconsistencies uncovered by
\citeauthor{gizonetal2009}~(\citeyear{gizonetal2009,gizonetal2009a}). We find
that this sunspot is most probably associated with a shallow, positive
wave-speed perturbation (unlike the traditional two-layer model) and that
travel-time measurements are consistent with a horizontal outflow in the
surrounding moat.Comment: 73 pages, 19 figures, accepted by Solar Physic
Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather
The Sun's outer atmosphere is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees,
and solar plasma flows out into interplanetary space at supersonic speeds. This
paper reviews our current understanding of these interrelated problems: coronal
heating and the acceleration of the ambient solar wind. We also discuss where
the community stands in its ability to forecast how variations in the solar
wind (i.e., fast and slow wind streams) impact the Earth. Although the last few
decades have seen significant progress in observations and modeling, we still
do not have a complete understanding of the relevant physical processes, nor do
we have a quantitatively precise census of which coronal structures contribute
to specific types of solar wind. Fast streams are known to be connected to the
central regions of large coronal holes. Slow streams, however, appear to come
from a wide range of sources, including streamers, pseudostreamers, coronal
loops, active regions, and coronal hole boundaries. Complicating our
understanding even more is the fact that processes such as turbulence,
stream-stream interactions, and Coulomb collisions can make it difficult to
unambiguously map a parcel measured at 1 AU back down to its coronal source. We
also review recent progress -- in theoretical modeling, observational data
analysis, and forecasting techniques that sit at the interface between data and
theory -- that gives us hope that the above problems are indeed solvable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Special issue
connected with a 2016 ISSI workshop on "The Scientific Foundations of Space
Weather." 44 pages, 9 figure
Multiwavelength studies of MHD waves in the solar chromosphere: An overview of recent results
The chromosphere is a thin layer of the solar atmosphere that bridges the
relatively cool photosphere and the intensely heated transition region and
corona. Compressible and incompressible waves propagating through the
chromosphere can supply significant amounts of energy to the interface region
and corona. In recent years an abundance of high-resolution observations from
state-of-the-art facilities have provided new and exciting ways of
disentangling the characteristics of oscillatory phenomena propagating through
the dynamic chromosphere. Coupled with rapid advancements in
magnetohydrodynamic wave theory, we are now in an ideal position to thoroughly
investigate the role waves play in supplying energy to sustain chromospheric
and coronal heating. Here, we review the recent progress made in
characterising, categorising and interpreting oscillations manifesting in the
solar chromosphere, with an impetus placed on their intrinsic energetics.Comment: 48 pages, 25 figures, accepted into Space Science Review
Empirical modelling of the BLASTPol achromatic half-wave plate for precision submillimetre polarimetry
A cryogenic achromatic half-wave plate (HWP) for submillimetre astronomical polarimetry
has been designed, manufactured, tested and deployed in the Balloon-borne Large-Aperture
Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol). The design is based on the five-slab
Pancharatnam recipe and itworks in thewavelength range 200–600 μm, making it the broadestband
HWP built to date at (sub)millimetre wavelengths. The frequency behaviour of the HWP
has been fully characterized at room and cryogenic temperatures with incoherent radiation
from a polarizing Fourier transform spectrometer. We develop a novel empirical model, complementary
to the physical and analytical ones available in the literature, that allows us to
recover the HWP Mueller matrix and phase shift as a function of frequency and extrapolated
to 4 K. We show that most of the HWP non-idealities can be modelled by quantifying one
wavelength-dependent parameter, the position of the HWP equivalent axes, which is then readily
implemented in a map-making algorithm. We derive this parameter for a range of spectral
signatures of input astronomical sources relevant to BLASTPol, and provide a benchmark
example of how our method can yield improved accuracy on measurements of the polarization
angle on the sky at submillimetre wavelengths
Sunspots: from small-scale inhomogeneities towards a global theory
The penumbra of a sunspot is a fascinating phenomenon featuring complex
velocity and magnetic fields. It challenges both our understanding of radiative
magneto-convection and our means to measure and derive the actual geometry of
the magnetic and velocity fields. In this contribution we attempt to summarize
the present state-of-the-art from an observational and a theoretical
perspective.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Review
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