6,245 research outputs found
EMPIRE: A robust empirical reconstruction of solar irradiance variability
We present a new empirical model of total and spectral solar irradiance (TSI
and SSI) variability entitled EMPirical Irradiance REconstruction (EMPIRE). As
with existing empirical models, TSI and SSI variability is given by the linear
combination of solar activity indices. In empirical models, UV SSI variability
is usually determined by fitting the rotational variability in activity indices
to that in measurements. Such models have to date relied on ordinary least
squares regression, which ignores the uncertainty in the activity indices. In
an advance from earlier efforts, the uncertainty in the activity indices is
accounted for in EMPIRE by the application of an error-in-variables regression
scheme, making the resultant UV SSI variability more robust. The result is
consistent with observations and unprecedentedly, with that from other
modelling approaches, resolving the long-standing controversy between existing
empirical models and other types of models. We demonstrate that earlier
empirical models, by neglecting the uncertainty in activity indices,
underestimate UV SSI variability. The reconstruction of TSI and visible and IR
SSI from EMPIRE is also shown to be consistent with observations. The EMPIRE
reconstruction is of utility to climate studies as a more robust alternative to
earlier empirical reconstructions.Comment: J. Geophys. Res. (2017
Solar cycle variation in solar irradiance
The correlation between solar irradiance and the 11-year solar activity cycle
is evident in the body of measurements made from space, which extend over the
past four decades. Models relating variation in solar irradiance to
photospheric magnetism have made significant progress in explaining most of the
apparent trends in these observations. There are, however, persistent
discrepancies between different measurements and models in terms of the
absolute radiometry, secular variation and the spectral dependence of the solar
cycle variability. We present an overview of solar irradiance measurements and
models, and discuss the key challenges in reconciling the divergence between
the two
The nature of solar brightness variations
The solar brightness varies on timescales from minutes to decades.
Determining the sources of such variations, often referred to as solar noise,
is of importance for multiple reasons: a) it is the background that limits the
detection of solar oscillations, b) variability in solar brightness is one of
the drivers of the Earth's climate system, c) it is a prototype of stellar
variability which is an important limiting factor for the detection of
extra-solar planets. Here we show that recent progress in simulations and
observations of the Sun makes it finally possible to pinpoint the source of the
solar noise. We utilise high-cadence observations from the Solar Dynamic
Observatory and the SATIRE model to calculate the magnetically-driven
variations of solar brightness. The brightness variations caused by the
constantly evolving cellular granulation pattern on the solar surface are
computed with the MURAM code. We find that surface magnetic field and
granulation can together precisely explain solar noise on timescales from
minutes to decades, i.e. ranging over more than six orders of magnitude in the
period. This accounts for all timescales that have so far been resolved or
covered by irradiance measurements. We demonstrate that no other sources of
variability are required to explain the data. Recent measurements of Sun-like
stars by CoRoT and Kepler uncovered brightness variations similar to that of
the Sun but with much wider variety of patterns. Our finding that solar
brightness variations can be replicated in detail with just two well-known
sources will greatly simplify future modelling of existing CoRoT and Kepler as
well as anticipated TESS and PLATO data.Comment: This is the submitted version of the paper published in Nature
Astronom
Solar Irradiance Variability is Caused by the Magnetic Activity on the Solar Surface
The variation in the radiative output of the Sun, described in terms of solar
irradiance, is important to climatology. A common assumption is that solar
irradiance variability is driven by its surface magnetism. Verifying this
assumption has, however, been hampered by the fact that models of solar
irradiance variability based on solar surface magnetism have to be calibrated
to observed variability. Making use of realistic three-dimensional
magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar atmosphere and state-of-the-art
solar magnetograms from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we present a model of
total solar irradiance (TSI) that does not require any such calibration. In
doing so, the modeled irradiance variability is entirely independent of the
observational record. (The absolute level is calibrated to the TSI record from
the Total Irradiance Monitor.) The model replicates 95% of the observed
variability between April 2010 and July 2016, leaving little scope for
alternative drivers of solar irradiance variability at least over the time
scales examined (days to years).Comment: Supplementary Materials;
https://journals.aps.org/prl/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.091102/supplementary_material_170801.pd
Reconstruction of spectral solar irradiance since 1700 from simulated magnetograms
We present a reconstruction of the spectral solar irradiance since 1700 using
the SATIRE-T2 (Spectral And Total Irradiance REconstructions for the Telescope
era version 2) model. This model uses as input magnetograms simulated with a
surface flux transport model fed with semi-synthetic records of emerging
sunspot groups. We used statistical relationships between the properties of
sunspot group emergence, such as the latitude, area, and tilt angle, and the
sunspot cycle strength and phase to produce semi-synthetic sunspot group
records starting in the year 1700. The semisynthetic records are fed into a
surface flux transport model to obtain daily simulated magnetograms that map
the distribution of the magnetic flux in active regions (sunspots and faculae)
and their decay products on the solar surface. The magnetic flux emerging in
ephemeral regions is accounted for separately based on the concept of extended
cycles whose length and amplitude are linked to those of the sunspot cycles
through the sunspot number. The magnetic flux in each surface component
(sunspots, faculae and network, and ephemeral regions) was used to compute the
spectral and total solar irradiance between the years 1700 and 2009. This
reconstruction is aimed at timescales of months or longer although the model
returns daily values. We found that SATIRE-T2, besides reproducing other
relevant observations such as the total magnetic flux, reconstructs the total
solar irradiance (TSI) on timescales of months or longer in good agreement with
the PMOD composite of observations, as well as with the reconstruction starting
in 1878 based on the RGO-SOON data. The model predicts an increase in the TSI
of 1.2[+0.2, -0.3] Wm-2 between 1700 and the present. The spectral irradiance
reconstruction is in good agreement with the UARS/SUSIM measurements as well as
the Lyman-alpha composite.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
UV solar irradiance in observations and the NRLSSI and SATIRE-S models
Total solar irradiance and UV spectral solar irradiance have been monitored
since 1978 through a succession of space missions. This is accompanied by the
development of models aimed at replicating solar irradiance by relating the
variability to solar magnetic activity. The NRLSSI and SATIRE-S models provide
the most comprehensive reconstructions of total and spectral solar irradiance
over the period of satellite observation currently available. There is
persistent controversy between the various measurements and models in terms of
the wavelength dependence of the variation over the solar cycle, with
repercussions on our understanding of the influence of UV solar irradiance
variability on the stratosphere. We review the measurement and modelling of UV
solar irradiance variability over the period of satellite observation. The
SATIRE-S reconstruction is consistent with spectral solar irradiance
observations where they are reliable. It is also supported by an independent,
empirical reconstruction of UV spectral solar irradiance based on UARS/SUSIM
measurements from an earlier study. The weaker solar cycle variability produced
by NRLSSI between 300 and 400 nm is not evident in any available record. We
show that although the method employed to construct NRLSSI is principally
sound, reconstructed solar cycle variability is detrimentally affected by the
uncertainty in the SSI observations it draws upon in the derivation. Based on
our findings, we recommend, when choosing between the two models, the use of
SATIRE-S for climate studies
Torque magnetometry studies of new low temperature metamagnetic states in ErNi_{2}B_{2}C
The metamagnetic transitions in single-crystal ErNiBC have been
studied at 1.9 K with a Quantum Design torque magnetometer. The critical fields
of the transitions depend crucially on the angle between applied field and the
easy axis [100]. Torque measurements have been made while changing angular
direction of the magnetic field (parallel to basal tetragonal -planes) in a
wide angular range (more than two quadrants). Sequences of metamagnetic
transitions with increasing field are found to be different for the magnetic
field along (or close enough to) the easy [100] axis from that near the hard
[110] axis. The study have revealed new metamagnetic states in ErNiBC
which were not apparent in previous longitudinal-magnetization and neutron
studies.Comment: 3 pages (4 figs. incl.) reported at 52th Magnetism and Magnetic
Materials Conference, Tampa, Florida, USA, November 200
Efficient out-coupling of high-purity single photons from a coherent quantum dot in a photonic-crystal cavity
We demonstrate a single-photon collection efficiency of from
a quantum dot in a low-Q mode of a photonic-crystal cavity with a single-photon
purity of recorded above the saturation power. The high
efficiency is directly confirmed by detecting up to kilocounts per
second on a single-photon detector on another quantum dot coupled to the cavity
mode. The high collection efficiency is found to be broadband, as is explained
by detailed numerical simulations. Cavity-enhanced efficient excitation of
quantum dots is obtained through phonon-mediated excitation and under these
conditions, single-photon indistinguishability measurements reveal long
coherence times reaching ns in a weak-excitation regime. Our work
demonstrates that photonic crystals provide a very promising platform for
highly integrated generation of coherent single photons including the efficient
out-coupling of the photons from the photonic chip.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, submitte
Microstrip dual-band bandpass filter using U-shaped resonators
Coupled resonators are widely used in the design of filters with dual-passband responses. In this paper, we present a dual-band bandpass filter using only couplings between adjacent resonators without cross-couplings. The dual-band bandpass filter with centre frequencies of 1747MHz and 1879MHz respectively is designed and fabricated using microstrip U-shaped resonators. Using the coupled resonator pair as a dual-band cluster, a miniaturised structure is achieved as compared to the conventional topology. The measured responses agree closely with the simulations
- …