271 research outputs found
Time-variability in the Interstellar Boundary Conditions of the Heliosphere: Effect of the Solar Journey on the Galactic Cosmic Ray Flux at Earth
During the solar journey through galactic space, variations in the physical
properties of the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) modify the heliosphere
and modulate the flux of galactic cosmic rays (GCR) at the surface of the
Earth, with consequences for the terrestrial record of cosmogenic
radionuclides. One phenomenon that needs studying is the effect on cosmogenic
isotope production of changing anomalous cosmic ray fluxes at Earth due to
variable interstellar ionizations. The possible range of interstellar ram
pressures and ionization levels in the low density solar environment generate
dramatically different possible heliosphere configurations, with a wide range
of particle fluxes of interstellar neutrals, their secondary products, and GCRs
arriving at Earth. Simple models of the distribution and densities of ISM in
the downwind direction give cloud transition timescales that can be directly
compared with cosmogenic radionuclide geologic records. Both the interstellar
data and cosmogenic radionuclide data are consistent with cloud transitions
during the Holocene, with large and assumption-dependent uncertainties. The
geomagnetic timeline derived from cosmic ray fluxes at Earth may require
adjustment to account for the disappearance of anomalous cosmic rays when the
Sun is immersed in ionized gas.Comment: Submitted to Space Sciences Review
Atmospheric Heating and Wind Acceleration: Results for Cool Evolved Stars based on Proposed Processes
A chromosphere is a universal attribute of stars of spectral type later than
~F5. Evolved (K and M) giants and supergiants (including the zeta Aurigae
binaries) show extended and highly turbulent chromospheres, which develop into
slow massive winds. The associated continuous mass loss has a significant
impact on stellar evolution, and thence on the chemical evolution of galaxies.
Yet despite the fundamental importance of those winds in astrophysics, the
question of their origin(s) remains unsolved. What sources heat a chromosphere?
What is the role of the chromosphere in the formation of stellar winds? This
chapter provides a review of the observational requirements and theoretical
approaches for modeling chromospheric heating and the acceleration of winds in
single cool, evolved stars and in eclipsing binary stars, including physical
models that have recently been proposed. It describes the successes that have
been achieved so far by invoking acoustic and MHD waves to provide a physical
description of plasma heating and wind acceleration, and discusses the
challenges that still remain.Comment: 46 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; modified and unedited manuscript;
accepted version to appear in: Giants of Eclipse, eds. E. Griffin and T. Ake
(Berlin: Springer
Density functional study of Au (n=2-20) clusters: lowest-energy structures and electronic properties
We have investigated the lowest-energy structures and electronic properties
of the Au(n=2-20) clusters based on density functional theory (DFT) with
local density approximation. The small Au clusters adopt planar structures
up to n=6. Tabular cage structures are preferred in the range of n=10-14 and a
structural transition from tabular cage-like structure to compact
near-spherical structure is found around n=15. The most stable configurations
obtained for Au and Au clusters are amorphous instead of
icosahedral or fcc-like, while the electronic density of states sensitively
depend on the cluster geometry. Dramatic odd-even alternative behaviors are
obtained in the relative stability, HOMO-LUMO gaps and ionization potentials of
gold clusters. The size evolution of electronic properties is discussed and the
theoretical ionization potentials of Au clusters compare well with
experiments.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
The Weak Charge of the Proton and New Physics
We address the physics implications of a precision determination of the weak
charge of the proton, QWP, from a parity violating elastic electron proton
scattering experiment to be performed at the Jefferson Laboratory. We present
the Standard Model (SM) expression for QWP including one-loop radiative
corrections, and discuss in detail the theoretical uncertainties and missing
higher order QCD corrections. Owing to a fortuitous cancellation, the value of
QWP is suppressed in the SM, making it a unique place to look for physics
beyond the SM. Examples include extra neutral gauge bosons, supersymmetry, and
leptoquarks. We argue that a QWP measurement will provide an important
complement to both high energy collider experiments and other low energy
electroweak measurements. The anticipated experimental precision requires the
knowledge of the order alpha_s corrections to the pure electroweak box
contributions. We compute these contributions for QWP, as well as for the weak
charges of heavy elements as determined from atomic parity violation.Comment: 22 pages of LaTeX, 5 figure
Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares
We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with
particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic
reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed
studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations
(e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic
acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and
particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies
show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational
manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly
relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the
need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated
particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief
prognosis for future advancement is offered.Comment: This is a chapter in a monograph on the physics of solar flares,
inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in
Space Science Reviews (2011
Chemical composition and fatty acid profile in meat from grazing lamb diets supplemented with ryegrass hay, fishmeal and soya bean meal as PUFA sources
TESS hunt for young and maturing exoplanets (THYME). V. A sub-neptune transiting a young star in a newly discovered 250myr association
The detection and characterization of young planetary systems offer a direct path to study the processes that shape planet evolution. We report on the discovery of a sub-Neptune-sized planet orbiting the young star HD 110082 (TOI-1098). Transit events we initially detected during TESS Cycle 1 are validated with time-series photometry from Spitzer. High-contrast imaging and high-resolution, optical spectra are also obtained to characterize the stellar host and confirm the planetary nature of the transits. The host star is a late-F dwarf (MĂ„ = 1.2Me) with a low-mass, M dwarf binary companion (MĂ„ = 0.26Me) separated by nearly one arcminute (âŒ6200 au). Based on its rapid rotation and Lithium absorption, HD 110082 is young, but is not a member of any known group of young stars (despite proximity to the Octans association). To measure the age of the system, we search for coeval, phase-space neighbors and compile a sample of candidate siblings to compare with the empirical sequences of young clusters and to apply quantitative age-dating techniques. In doing so, we find that HD 110082 resides in a new young stellar association we designate MELANGE-1, with an age of 250-+7050 Myr. Jointly modeling the TESS and Spitzer light curves, we measure a planetary orbital period of 10.1827 days and radius of Rp = 3.2 ± 0.1R+. HD 110082 bâs radius falls in the largest 12% of field-age systems with similar host-star mass and orbital period. This finding supports previous studies indicating that young planets have larger radii than their field-age counterparts
TOI-811b and TOI-852b: New transiting brown dwarfs with similar masses and very different radii and ages from the TESS mission
We report the discovery of two transiting brown dwarfs (BDs), TOI-811b and TOI-852b, from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission. These two transiting BDs have similar masses but very different radii and ages. Their host stars have similar masses, effective temperatures, and metallicities. The younger and larger transiting BD is TOI-811b at a mass of Mb = 59.9 ± 13.0MJ and radius of Rb = 1.26 ± 0.06RJ, and it orbits its host star in a period of P = 25.16551 ± 0.00004 days. We derive the host star's age of 93+61-29 Myr from an application of gyrochronology. The youth of this system, rather than external heating from its host star, is why this BD's radius is relatively large. This constraint on the youth of TOI-811b allows us to test substellar mass-radius evolutionary models at young ages where the radius of BDs changes rapidly. TOI-852b has a similar mass at Mb = 53.7 ± 1.4MJ but is much older (4 or 8 Gyr, based on bimodal isochrone results of the host star) and is also smaller with a radius of Rb = 0.83 ± 0.04RJ. TOI-852b's orbital period is P = 4.94561 ± 0.00008 days. TOI-852b joins the likes of other old transiting BDs that trace out the oldest substellar mass-radius evolutionary models where contraction of the BD's radius slows and approaches a constant value. Both host stars have a mass of Mâ = 1.32Mâ ± 0.05 and differ in their radii, Teff, and [Fe/H], with TOI-811 having Râ = 1.27 ± 0.09Râ, Teff = 6107 ± 77 K, and [Fe/ H]=+0.40 ± 0.09 and TOI-852 having Râ = 1.71 ± 0.04Râ, Teff = 5768 ± 84 K, and [Fe/H]=+0.33 ± 0.09. We take this opportunity to examine how TOI-811b and TOI-852b serve as test points for young and old substellar isochrones, respectively
The Physical Processes of CME/ICME Evolution
As observed in Thomson-scattered white light, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are manifest as large-scale expulsions of plasma magnetically driven from the corona in the most energetic eruptions from the Sun. It remains a tantalizing mystery as to how these erupting magnetic fields evolve to form the complex structures we observe in the solar wind at Earth. Here, we strive to provide a fresh perspective on the post-eruption and interplanetary evolution of CMEs, focusing on the physical processes that define the many complex interactions of the ejected plasma with its surroundings as it departs the corona and propagates through the heliosphere. We summarize the ways CMEs and their interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) are rotated, reconfigured, deformed, deflected, decelerated and disguised during their journey through the solar wind. This study then leads to consideration of how structures originating in coronal eruptions can be connected to their far removed interplanetary counterparts. Given that ICMEs are the drivers of most geomagnetic storms (and the sole driver of extreme storms), this work provides a guide to the processes that must be considered in making space weather forecasts from remote observations of the corona.Peer reviewe
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