692 research outputs found
Magnetic flux emergence in fast rotating stars
Fast rotating cool stars are characterised by high magnetic activity levels
and frequently show dark spots up to polar latitudes. Their distinctive surface
distributions of magnetic flux are investigated in the context of the
solar-stellar connection by applying the solar flux eruption and surface flux
transport models to stars with different rotation rates, mass, and evolutionary
stage. The rise of magnetic flux tubes through the convection zone is primarily
buoyancy-driven, though their evolution can be strongly affected by the
Coriolis force. The poleward deflection of the tube's trajectory increases with
the stellar rotation rate, which provides an explanation for magnetic flux
eruption at high latitudes. The formation of proper polar spots likely requires
the assistance of meridional flows both before and after the eruption of
magnetic flux on the stellar surface. Since small radiative cores support the
eruption of flux tubes at high latitudes, low-mass pre-main sequence stars are
predicted to show high mean latitudes of flux emergence. In addition to flux
eruption at high latitudes, main sequence components of close binary systems
show spot distributions which are non-uniform in longitude. Yet these
`preferred longitudes' of flux eruption are expected to vanish beyond a certain
post-main sequence evolutionary stage.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, in Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana
Vol. 78 n. 2, p. 27
Dynamics of magnetic flux tubes in close binary stars I. Equilibrium and stability properties
Surface reconstructions of active close binary stars based on photometric and
spectroscopic observations reveal non-uniform starspot distributions, which
indicate the existence of preferred spot longitudes (with respect to the
companion star). We consider the equilibrium and linear stability of toroidal
magnetic flux tubes in close binaries to examine whether tidal effects are
capable to initiate the formation of rising flux loops at preferred longitudes
near the bottom of the stellar convection zone. The tidal force and the
deviation of the stellar structure from spherical symmetry are treated in
lowest-order perturbation theory assuming synchronised close binaries with
orbital periods of a few days. The frequency, growth time, and spatial
structure of linear eigenmodes are determined by a stability analysis. We find
that, despite their small magnitude, tidal effects can lead to a considerable
longitudinal asymmetry in the formation probability of flux loops, since the
breaking of the axial symmetry due to the presence of the companion star is
reinforced by the sensitive dependence of the stability properties on the
stellar stratification and by resonance effects. The orientation of preferred
longitudes of loop formation depends on the equilibrium configuration and the
wave number of the dominating eigenmode. The change of the growth times of
unstable modes with respect to the case of a single star is very small.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Flow instabilities of magnetic flux tubes IV. Flux storage in the solar overshoot region
We consider the effects of material flows on the dynamics of toroidal
magnetic flux tubes located close to the base of the solar convection zone,
initially within the overshoot region. The problem is to find the physical
conditions in which magnetic flux can be stored for periods comparable to the
dynamo amplification time, which is of the order of a few years. We carry out
nonlinear numerical simulations to investigate the stability and dynamics of
thin flux tubes subject to perpendicular and longitudinal flows. We compare the
simulations with the results of simplified analytical approximations. We
determine ranges of the flow parameters for which a linearly Parker-stable
magnetic flux tube is stored in the middle of the overshoot region for a period
comparable to the dynamo amplification time. The residence time for magnetic
flux tubes with fluxes of 2x10^{21} Mx in the convective overshoot layer is
comparable to the dynamo amplification time, provided that the average speed
and the duration of the downflow do not exceed about 50 m/s and 100 days,
respectively, and that the lateral extension of the flow is smaller than about
10 degrees.Comment: Accepted to be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 16 pages, 16
figures. To access GIF animations, use
http://www.mps.mpg.de/homes/ishik/flute/frict_inst.gif,
http://www.mps.mpg.de/homes/ishik/flute/TF60.gif and
http://www.mps.mpg.de/homes/ishik/flute/TF180.gi
Theoretical mass loss rates of cool main-sequence stars
We develop a model for the wind properties of cool main-sequence stars, which comprises their wind ram pressures, mass fluxes, and terminal wind velocities. The wind properties are determined through a polytropic magnetised wind model, assuming power laws for the dependence of the thermal and magnetic wind parameters on the stellar rotation rate. We use empirical data to constrain theoretical wind scenarios, which are characterised by different rates of increase of the wind temperature, wind density, and magnetic field strength. Scenarios based on moderate rates of increase yield wind ram pressures in agreement with most empirical constraints, but cannot account for some moderately rotating targets, whose high apparent mass loss rates are inconsistent with observed coronal X-ray and magnetic properties. For fast magnetic rotators, the magneto-centrifugal driving of the outflow can produce terminal wind velocities far in excess of the surface escape velocity. Disregarding this aspect in the analyses of wind ram pressures leads to overestimations of stellar mass loss rates. The predicted mass loss rates of cool main-sequence stars do not exceed about ten times the solar value. Our results are in contrast with previous investigations, which found a strong increase of the stellar mass loss rates with the coronal X-ray flux. Owing to the weaker dependence, we expect the impact of stellar winds on planetary atmospheres to be less severe and the detectability of magnetospheric radio emission to be lower then previously suggested. Considering the rotational evolution of a one solar-mass star, the mass loss rates and the wind ram pressures are highest during the pre-main sequence phase
On the quantization of SU(3)-skyrmions
The quantization condition derived previously for SU(2) solitons quantized
with SU(3)-collective coordinates is generalized for SU(3) skyrmions with
strangeness content different from zero. Quantization of the dipole-type
configuration with large strangeness content found recently is considered as an
example.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures (available by request
Förster energy transfer between neighbouring chromophores in C-phycocyanin trimers
The excitation-energy transfer in C-phycocyanin (C-PC) trimers and monomers isolated from phycobilisomes of Mastigocladus laminosus has been studied by polarization femtosecond laser spectroscopy. Excitation with 70-fs pulses at 615 nm gave rise to a 500-fs energy-transfer process that was observed only in trimeric preparations. The rate of the process is in agreement with earlier calculated Förster energy transfer rates between neighbouring α-84 and β-84 chromophores of different monomeric subunits. This process is most clearly seen in the anisotropy decay kinetics. As a result of femtosecond excitation-energy transfer, the anisotropy relaxes from 0.4 to 0.23. The final anisotropy value is in fair agreement with the results of calculations based on the crystal structure and spectroscopic data of C-PC trimers. Our results support the conclusion that Förster energy transfer can occur between excitonically coupled chromophores
Cool Stars and Space Weather
Stellar flares, winds and coronal mass ejections form the space weather. They
are signatures of the magnetic activity of cool stars and, since activity
varies with age, mass and rotation, the space weather that extra-solar planets
experience can be very different from the one encountered by the solar system
planets. How do stellar activity and magnetism influence the space weather of
exoplanets orbiting main-sequence stars? How do the environments surrounding
exoplanets differ from those around the planets in our own solar system? How
can the detailed knowledge acquired by the solar system community be applied in
exoplanetary systems? How does space weather affect habitability? These were
questions that were addressed in the splinter session "Cool stars and Space
Weather", that took place on 9 Jun 2014, during the Cool Stars 18 meeting. In
this paper, we present a summary of the contributions made to this session.Comment: Proceedings of the 18th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar
Systems, and the Sun, Eds G. van Belle & H. Harris, 13 pages, 1 figur
Monitoring of river contamination derived from acid mine drainage using airborne imaging spectroscopy (HyMap data, South-West Spain)
Imaging spectroscopy is used in this work as an essential mapping tool to monitor changes in contaminated river sediments. Multidate hyperspectral image data (HyMap) are utilized to identify spatial mineral patterns, to detect temporal changes in mineralogy and to link these changes with geochemical processes and short-term climate characteristics.
River sediments contaminated by acid mine drainage are covered by crusts with variably hydrated iron sulphate. The mineralogy of the crusts and the grain size of the underlying fluvial sediments overlap. The spectra used to build up maps from HyMap data are diagnosed mineralogically with archive spectral libraries from pyrite oxidation minerals from well-known sequences of minerals.
The maps compiled from hyperspectral imagery display generalized oxidation shown by the coatings over river sediments following warm and dry periods with low water level. After the wet periods, the area covered by oxidized mineralogical phases recedes in favour of hydrated sulphate.
The iteration of image processing algorithms and the mineralogical and potential contamination in a geological context are described. Change detection of the mineral crusts on the river sediments by mapping using hyperspectral remote sensing data may thus enable a quantitative and qualitative environmental evaluation by the regulators
Precision spectroscopy of the 3s-3p fine structure doublet in Mg+
We apply a recently demonstrated method for precision spectroscopy on strong
transitions in trapped ions to measure both fine structure components of the
3s-3p transition in 24-Mg+ and 26-Mg+. We deduce absolute frequency reference
data for transition frequencies, isotope shifts and fine structure splittings
that are in particular useful for comparison with quasar absorption spectra,
which test possible space-time variations of the fine structure constant. The
measurement accuracy improves previous literature values, when existing, by
more than two orders of magnitude
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