690 research outputs found
Observation and Modeling of the Solar-Cycle Variation of the Meridional Flow
We present independent observations of the solar-cycle variation of flows
near the solar surface and at a depth of about 60 Mm, in the latitude range
. We show that the time-varying components of the meridional flow
at these two depths have opposite sign, while the time-varying components of
the zonal flow are in phase. This is in agreement with previous results. We
then investigate whether the observations are consistent with a theoretical
model of solar-cycle dependent meridional circulation based on a flux-transport
dynamo combined with a geostrophic flow caused by increased radiative loss in
the active region belt (the only existing quantitative model). We find that the
model and the data are in qualitative agreement, although the amplitude of the
solar-cycle variation of the meridional flow at 60 Mm is underestimated by the
model.Comment: To be published in Solar Physcis Topical Issue "Helioseismology,
Asteroseismology, and MHD Connections
Baryon Tri-local Interpolating Fields
We systematically investigate tri-local (non-local) three-quark baryon fields
with U_L(2)*U_R(2) chiral symmetry, according to their Lorentz and isospin
(flavor) group representations. We note that they can also be called as
"nucleon wave functions" due to this full non-locality. We study their chiral
transformation properties and find all the possible chiral multiplets
consisting J=1/2 and J=3/2 baryon fields. We find that the axial coupling
constant |g_A| = 5/3 is only for nucleon fields belonging to the chiral
representation (1/2,1)+(1,1/2) which contains both nucleon fields and Delta
fields. Moreover, all the nucleon fields belonging to this representation have
|g_A| = 5/3.Comment: 8 pages, 3 tables, accepted by EPJ
Small-scale solar magnetic fields
As we resolve ever smaller structures in the solar atmosphere, it has become
clear that magnetism is an important component of those small structures.
Small-scale magnetism holds the key to many poorly understood facets of solar
magnetism on all scales, such as the existence of a local dynamo, chromospheric
heating, and flux emergence, to name a few. Here, we review our knowledge of
small-scale photospheric fields, with particular emphasis on quiet-sun field,
and discuss the implications of several results obtained recently using new
instruments, as well as future prospects in this field of research.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figure
Modeling the Subsurface Structure of Sunspots
While sunspots are easily observed at the solar surface, determining their
subsurface structure is not trivial. There are two main hypotheses for the
subsurface structure of sunspots: the monolithic model and the cluster model.
Local helioseismology is the only means by which we can investigate
subphotospheric structure. However, as current linear inversion techniques do
not yet allow helioseismology to probe the internal structure with sufficient
confidence to distinguish between the monolith and cluster models, the
development of physically realistic sunspot models are a priority for
helioseismologists. This is because they are not only important indicators of
the variety of physical effects that may influence helioseismic inferences in
active regions, but they also enable detailed assessments of the validity of
helioseismic interpretations through numerical forward modeling. In this paper,
we provide a critical review of the existing sunspot models and an overview of
numerical methods employed to model wave propagation through model sunspots. We
then carry out an helioseismic analysis of the sunspot in Active Region 9787
and address the serious inconsistencies uncovered by
\citeauthor{gizonetal2009}~(\citeyear{gizonetal2009,gizonetal2009a}). We find
that this sunspot is most probably associated with a shallow, positive
wave-speed perturbation (unlike the traditional two-layer model) and that
travel-time measurements are consistent with a horizontal outflow in the
surrounding moat.Comment: 73 pages, 19 figures, accepted by Solar Physic
Effective Lagrangian Approach to the Theory of Eta Photoproduction in the Region
We investigate eta photoproduction in the resonance region
within the effective Lagrangian approach (ELA), wherein leading contributions
to the amplitude at the tree level are taken into account. These include the
nucleon Born terms and the leading -channel vector meson exchanges as the
non-resonant pieces. In addition, we consider five resonance contributions in
the - and - channel; besides the dominant , these are:
and . The amplitudes for the
and the photoproduction near threshold have significant
differences, even as they share common contributions, such as those of the
nucleon Born terms. Among these differences, the contribution to the
photoproduction of the -channel excitation of the is the most
significant. We find the off-shell properties of the spin-3/2 resonances to be
important in determining the background contributions. Fitting our effective
amplitude to the available data base allows us to extract the quantity
, characteristic of the
photoexcitation of the resonance and its decay into the
-nucleon channel, of interest to precise tests of hadron models. At the
photon point, we determine it to be from
the old data base, and from a
combination of old data base and new Bates data. We obtain the helicity
amplitude for to be from the old data base, and from the combination of the old data base and new Bates
data, compared with the results of the analysis of pion photoproduction
yielding , in the same units.Comment: 43 pages, RevTeX, 9 figures available upon request, to appear in
Phys. Rev.
Multiwavelength studies of MHD waves in the solar chromosphere: An overview of recent results
The chromosphere is a thin layer of the solar atmosphere that bridges the
relatively cool photosphere and the intensely heated transition region and
corona. Compressible and incompressible waves propagating through the
chromosphere can supply significant amounts of energy to the interface region
and corona. In recent years an abundance of high-resolution observations from
state-of-the-art facilities have provided new and exciting ways of
disentangling the characteristics of oscillatory phenomena propagating through
the dynamic chromosphere. Coupled with rapid advancements in
magnetohydrodynamic wave theory, we are now in an ideal position to thoroughly
investigate the role waves play in supplying energy to sustain chromospheric
and coronal heating. Here, we review the recent progress made in
characterising, categorising and interpreting oscillations manifesting in the
solar chromosphere, with an impetus placed on their intrinsic energetics.Comment: 48 pages, 25 figures, accepted into Space Science Review
Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System
Recent years have seen increasing efforts to directly measure some aspects of
the general relativistic gravitomagnetic interaction in several astronomical
scenarios in the solar system. After briefly overviewing the concept of
gravitomagnetism from a theoretical point of view, we review the performed or
proposed attempts to detect the Lense-Thirring effect affecting the orbital
motions of natural and artificial bodies in the gravitational fields of the
Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. In particular, we will focus on the evaluation of
the impact of several sources of systematic uncertainties of dynamical origin
to realistically elucidate the present and future perspectives in directly
measuring such an elusive relativistic effect.Comment: LaTex, 51 pages, 14 figures, 22 tables. Invited review, to appear in
Astrophysics and Space Science (ApSS). Some uncited references in the text
now correctly quoted. One reference added. A footnote adde
Measurement of Leading Proton and Neutron Production in Deep Inelastic Scattering at HERA
Deep--inelastic scattering events with a leading baryon have been detected by
the H1 experiment at HERA using a forward proton spectrometer and a forward
neutron calorimeter. Semi--inclusive cross sections have been measured in the
kinematic region 2 <= Q^2 <= 50 GeV^2, 6.10^-5 <= x <= 6.10^-3 and baryon p_T
<= MeV, for events with a final state proton with energy 580 <= E' <= 740 GeV,
or a neutron with energy E' >= 160 GeV. The measurements are used to test
production models and factorization hypotheses. A Regge model of leading baryon
production which consists of pion, pomeron and secondary reggeon exchanges
gives an acceptable description of both semi-inclusive cross sections in the
region 0.7 <= E'/E_p <= 0.9, where E_p is the proton beam energy. The leading
neutron data are used to estimate for the first time the structure function of
the pion at small Bjorken--x.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Eur. Phys.
Sunspots: from small-scale inhomogeneities towards a global theory
The penumbra of a sunspot is a fascinating phenomenon featuring complex
velocity and magnetic fields. It challenges both our understanding of radiative
magneto-convection and our means to measure and derive the actual geometry of
the magnetic and velocity fields. In this contribution we attempt to summarize
the present state-of-the-art from an observational and a theoretical
perspective.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Review
LINE-1 Evasion of Epigenetic Repression in Humans
Epigenetic silencing defends against LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposition in mammalian cells. However, the mechanisms that repress young L1 families and how L1 escapes to cause somatic genome mosaicism in the brain remain unclear. Here we report that a conserved Yin Yang 1 (YY1) transcription factor binding site mediates L1 promoter DNA methylation in pluripotent and differentiated cells. By analyzing 24 hippocampal neurons with three distinct single-cell genomic approaches, we characterized and validated a somatic L1 insertion bearing a 3' transduction. The source (donor) L1 for this insertion was slightly 5' truncated, lacked the YY1 binding site, and was highly mobile when tested in\ua0vitro. Locus-specific bisulfite sequencing revealed that the donor L1 and other young L1s with mutated YY1 binding sites were hypomethylated in embryonic stem cells, during neurodifferentiation, and in liver and brain tissue. These results explain how L1 can evade repression and retrotranspose in the human body
- …