26,907 research outputs found
Asteroseismology and Magnetic Cycles
Small cyclic variations in the frequencies of acoustic modes are expected to
be a common phenomenon in solar-like pulsators, as a result of stellar magnetic
activity cycles. The frequency variations observed throughout the solar and
stellar cycles contain information about structural changes that take place
inside the stars as well as about variations in magnetic field structure and
intensity. The task of inferring and disentangling that information is,
however, not a trivial one. In the sun and solar-like pulsators, the direct
effect of the magnetic field on the oscillations might be significantly
important in regions of strong magnetic field (such as solar- / stellar-spots),
where the Lorentz force can be comparable to the gas-pressure gradient. Our aim
is to determine the sun- / stellar-spots effect on the oscillation frequencies
and attempt to understand if this effect contributes strongly to the frequency
changes observed along the magnetic cycle. The total contribution of the spots
to the frequency shifts results from a combination of direct and indirect
effects of the magnetic field on the oscillations. In this first work we
considered only the indirect effect associated with changes in the
stratification within the starspot. Based on the solution of the wave equation
and the variational principle we estimated the impact of these stratification
changes on the oscillation frequencies of global modes in the sun and found
that the induced frequency shifts are about two orders of magnitude smaller
than the frequency shifts observed over the solar cycle.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, ESF Conference: The Modern Era of Helio- and
Asteroseismology, to be published on 3 December 2012 at Astronomische
Nachrichten 333, No. 10, 1032-103
Magnetic braking in young late-type stars: the effect of polar spots
The concentration of magnetic flux near the poles of rapidly rotating cool
stars has been recently proposed as an alternative mechanism to dynamo
saturation in order to explain the saturation of angular momentum loss. In this
work we study the effect of magnetic surface flux distribution on the coronal
field topology and angular momentum loss rate. We investigate if magnetic flux
concentration towards the pole is a reasonable alternative to dynamo
saturation. We construct a 1D wind model and also apply a 2-D self-similar
analytical model, to evaluate how the surface field distribution affects the
angular momentum loss of the rotating star. From the 1D model we find that, in
a magnetically dominated low corona, the concentrated polar surface field
rapidly expands to regions of low magnetic pressure resulting in a coronal
field with small latitudinal variation. We also find that the angular momentum
loss rate due to a uniform field or a concentrated field with equal total
magnetic flux is very similar. From the 2D wind model we show that there are
several relevant factors to take into account when studying the angular
momentum loss from a star. In particular, we show that the inclusion of force
balance across the field in a wind model is fundamental if realistic
conclusions are to be drawn from the effect of non-uniform surface field
distribution on magnetic braking. This model predicts that a magnetic field
concentrated at high latitudes leads to larger Alfven radii and larger braking
rates than a smoother field distribution. From the results obtained, we argue
that the magnetic surface field distribution towards the pole does not directly
limit the braking efficiency of the wind.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted in A&
From de Sitter to de Sitter: decaying vacuum models as a possible solution to the main cosmological problems
Decaying vacuum cosmological models evolving smoothly between two extreme
(very early and late time) de Sitter phases are capable to solve or at least to
alleviate some cosmological puzzles, among them: (i) the singularity, (ii)
horizon, (iii) graceful-exit from inflation, and (iv) the baryogenesis problem.
Our basic aim here is to discuss how the coincidence problem based on a large
class of running vacuum cosmologies evolving from de Sitter to de Sitter can
also be mollified. It is also argued that even the cosmological constant
problem become less severe provided that the characteristic scales of the two
limiting de Sitter manifolds are predicted from first principles.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, title changed, typos corrected, text and new
references adde
Plane flame furnace combustion tests on JPL desulfurized coal
The combustion characteristics of three raw bituminous (PSOC-282 and 276) and subbituminous (PSOC-230) coals, the raw coals partially desulfurized (ca -60%) by JPL chlorinolysis, and the chlorinated coals more completely desulfurized (ca -75%) by JPL hydrodesulfurization were determined. The extent to which the combustion characteristics of the untreated coals were altered upon JPL sulfur removal was examined. Combustion conditions typical of utility boilers were simulated in the plane flame furnace. Upon decreasing the parent coal voltaile matter generically by 80% and the sulfur by 75% via the JPL desulfurization process, ignition time was delayed 70 fold, burning velocity was retarded 1.5 fold, and burnout time was prolonged 1.4 fold. Total flame residence time increased 2.3 fold. The JPL desulfurization process appears to show significant promise for producing technologically combustible and clean burning (low SO3) fuels
Counterrotation in magnetocentrifugally driven jets and other winds
Rotation measurement in jets from T Tauri stars is a rather difficult task.
Some jets seem to be rotating in a direction opposite to that of the underlying
disk, although it is not yet clear if this affects the totality or part of the
outflows. On the other hand, Ulysses data also suggest that the solar wind may
rotate in two opposite ways between the northern and southern hemispheres. We
show that this result is not as surprising as it may seem and that it emerges
naturally from the ideal MHD equations. Specifically, counterrotating jets
neither contradict the magnetocentrifugal driving of the flow nor prevent
extraction of angular momentum from the disk. The demonstration of this result
is shown by combining the ideal MHD equations for steady axisymmetric flows.
Provided that the jet is decelerated below some given threshold beyond the
Alfven surface, the flow will change its direction of rotation locally or
globally. Counterrotation is also possible for only some layers of the outflow
at specific altitudes along the jet axis. We conclude that the counterrotation
of winds or jets with respect to the source, star or disk, is not in
contradiction with the magnetocentrifugal driving paradigm. This phenomenon may
affect part of the outflow, either in one hemisphere, or only in some of the
outflow layers. From a time-dependent simulation, we illustrate this effect and
show that it may not be permanent.Comment: To appear in ApJ
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