Intermittency and Lifetime of the 625 Hz QPO in the 2004 Hyperflare from the Magnetar SGR 1806-20 as evidence for magnetic coupling between the crust and the core

Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) detected in the 2004 giant flare from SGR 1806-20 are often interpreted as global magneto-elastic oscillations of the neutron star. There is, however, a large discrepancy between theoretical models, which predict that the highest frequency oscillations should die out rapidly, and the observations, which suggested that the highest-frequency signals persisted for ~100s in X-ray data from two different spacecraft. This discrepancy is particularly important for the high-frequency QPO at ~625 Hz. However, previous analyses did not systematically test whether the signal could also be there in much shorter data segments, more consistent with the theoretical predictions. Here, we test for the presence of the high-frequency QPO at 625 Hz in data from both the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) systematically both in individual rotational cycles of the neutron star, as well as averaged over multiple successive rotational cycles at the same phase. We find that the QPO in the RXTE data is consistent with being only present in a single cycle, for a short duration of ~0.5s, whereas the RHESSI data are as consistent with a short-lived signal that appears and disappears as with a long-lived QPO. Taken together, this data provides evidence for strong magnetic interaction between the crust and the core.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. The data and simulations are available at http://figshare.com/articles/SGR_1806_20_Giant_Flare_Data_and_Simulations/1126082 , the code can be downloaded from https://github.com/dhuppenkothen/giantflare-paper , some documentation is under http://nbviewer.ipython.org/github/dhuppenkothen/giantflare-paper/blob/master/documents/giantflare-analysis.ipyn

Flame Propagation on the Surfaces of Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars during Type I X-ray Bursts

We present the first vertically resolved hydrodynamic simulations of a laterally propagating, deflagrating flame in the thin helium ocean of a rotating accreting neutron star. We use a new hydrodynamics solver tailored to deal with the large discrepancy in horizontal and vertical length scales typical of neutron star oceans, and which filters out sound waves that would otherwise limit our timesteps. We find that the flame moves horizontally with velocities of order $10^5$ cm s$^{-1}$, crossing the ocean in few seconds, broadly consistent with the rise times of Type I X-ray bursts. We address the open question of what drives flame propagation, and find that heat is transported from burning to unburnt fuel by a combination of top-to-bottom conduction and mixing driven by a baroclinic instability. The speed of the flame propagation is therefore a sensitive function of the ocean conductivity and spin: we explore this dependence for an astrophysically relevant range of parameters and find that in general flame propagation is faster for slower rotation and higher conductivity.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRA

Rotational effects in thermonuclear Type I Bursts: equatorial crossing and directionality of flame spreading

In a previous study on thermonuclear (type I) nursts on accreting neutron stars we addressed and demonstrated the importance of the effects of rotation, through the Coriolis force, on the propagation of the burning flame. However, that study only analysed cases of longitudinal propagation, where the Coriolis force coefficient $2\Omega\cos\theta$ was constant. In this paper, we study the effects of rotation on propagation in the meridional (latitudinal) direction, where the Coriolis force changes from its maximum at the poles to zero at the equator. We find that the zero Coriolis force at the equator, while affecting the structure of the flame, does not prevent its propagation from one hemisphere to another. We also observe structural differences between the flame propagating towards the equator and that propagating towards the pole, the second being faster. In the light of the recent discovery of the low spin frequency of burster IGR~J17480-2446 rotating at 11 Hz (for which Coriolis effects should be negligible) we also extend our simulations to slow rotation.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRA

Fast and slow magnetic deflagration fronts in Type I X-ray bursts

Type I X-ray bursts are produced by thermonuclear runaways that develop on accreting neutron stars. Once one location ignites, the flame propagates across the surface of the star. Flame propagation is fundamental in order to understand burst properties like rise time and burst oscillations. Previous work quantified the effects of rotation on the front, showing that the flame propagates as a deflagration and that the front strongly resembles a hurricane. However the effect of magnetic fields was not investigated, despite the fact that magnetic fields strong enough to have an effect on the propagating flame are expected to be present on many bursters. In this paper we show how the coupling between fluid layers introduced by an initially vertical magnetic field plays a decisive role in determining the character of the fronts that are responsible for the Type I bursts. In particular, on a star spinning at 450 Hz (typical among the bursters) we test seed magnetic fields of $10^{7} - 10^{10}$ G and find that for the medium fields the magnetic stresses that develop during the burst can speed up the velocity of the burning front, bringing the simulated burst rise time close to the observed values. By contrast, in a magnetic slow rotator like IGR J17480--2446, spinning at 11 Hz, a seed field $\gtrsim 10^9$ G is required to allow localized ignition and the magnetic field plays an integral role in generating the burst oscillations observed during the bursts.Comment: Pubblished on MNRA

AIOps for a Cloud Object Storage Service

With the growing reliance on the ubiquitous availability of IT systems and services, these systems become more global, scaled, and complex to operate. To maintain business viability, IT service providers must put in place reliable and cost efficient operations support. Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) is a promising technology for alleviating operational complexity of IT systems and services. AIOps platforms utilize big data, machine learning and other advanced analytics technologies to enhance IT operations with proactive actionable dynamic insight. In this paper we share our experience applying the AIOps approach to a production cloud object storage service to get actionable insights into system's behavior and health. We describe a real-life production cloud scale service and its operational data, present the AIOps platform we have created, and show how it has helped us resolving operational pain points.Comment: 5 page

Building Utopia: Performance and the Fantasy of Urban Renewal in Contemporary Toronto

Toronto markets itself as a city in renewal, a “creative city” of the future full of arts and culture. Alongside the official pitch, a number of street-level underground initiatives reimagine Toronto\u27s utopic future in a different way by means of site-specific performances

The Relocation Tool Kit project; Policies to enhance residents’ health, wellbeing and social inclusion

Copyright 2011, Brotherhood of St Laurence. Published version of the paper reproduced here with permission from the publisher (www.bsl.org.au