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At least 433 records · Page 24

A compact broadband ion beam focusing device based on laser-driven megagauss thermoelectric magnetic fields

Ultra-intense lasers can nowadays routinely accelerate kiloampere ion beams. These unique sources of particle beams could impact many societal (e.g., proton-therapy or fuel recycling) and fundamental (e.g., neutron probing) domains. However, this requires overcoming the beam angular divergence at the source. This has been attempted, either with large-scale conventional setups or with compact plasma techniques that however have the restriction of short (<1 mm) focusing distances or a chromatic behavior. Here, we show that exploiting laser-triggered, long-lasting (>50 ps), thermoelectric multi-megagauss surface magnetic (B)-fields, compact capturing, and focusing of a diverging laser-driven multi-MeV ion beam can be achieved over a wide range of ion energies in the limit of a 5° acceptance angle.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Surface Characterization of NbTiN Films for Accelerator Applications

The development of next-generation SRF cavities requires the deployment of innovative material solutions with RF performance beyond bulk Nb. Theoretical interest has stimulated efforts to grow and characterize thin multi-layer superconductor/insulator/superconductor (SIS) structures for their potential capability of supporting otherwise inaccessible surface magnetic fields in SRF cavities *. The ternary B1-compound NbTiN is among the candidate superconducting materials for SIS structures. Single crystal NbTiN films with thicknesses below 15 nm are also of interest for the development of high resolution, high sensitivity (SNSPD) detectors for particle physics application. Using DC reactive magnetron sputtering, NbTiN can be deposited with nominal superconducting parameters. This contribution presents the on-going material surface and superconducting properties characterization in order to optimize the NbTiN films for each application.

Beverstock, David R.↗

Spindown of Pulsars Interacting with Companion Winds: The Impact of Magnetospheric Compression

Pulsars in binary systems with strong companion winds can have the magnetopause separating their magnetosphere from the wind located well within their light cylinder. This bow-like enclosure effectively creates a waveguide that confines the pulsar's electromagnetic fields and can significantly alter its spindown. In this paper, we study the spindown of compressed pulsar magnetospheres in such systems. We parameterize the confinement as the ratio between the equatorial position of the magnetopause (or standoff distance) R m and the pulsar's light cylinder R LC . Using particle-in-cell simulations, we quantify the pulsar spindown for a range of compressions, R m /R LC = 1/3–1, and inclination angles, χ = 0°...90°, between magnetic and rotation axes. Our strongly confined models (R m /R LC = 1/3) show two distinct limits. For χ = 0°, the spindown of a compressed pulsar magnetosphere is enhanced by approximately a factor of three compared to an isolated pulsar due to the increased number of open magnetic field lines. Conversely, for χ = 90°, the compressed pulsar spins down at less than 40% of the rate of an isolated reference pulsar due to the mismatch between the pulsar wind stripe wavelength and the waveguide size. We apply our analysis to the 2.77 s oblique rotator (χ = 60°) in the double-pulsar system PSR J0737-3039. With the numerically derived spindown estimate, we constrain its surface magnetic field to B* ≈ (7.3 ± 0.2) × 10 11 G. We discuss the time modulation of its period derivative, the effects of compression on its braking index, and implications for the radio eclipse in PSR J0737-3039.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The ultraviolet spectrum of the magnetic degenerate star GD229

The ultraviolet spectrum obtained with the IUE satellite of the magnetic degenerate white dwarf star GD 229 is presented. The ultraviolet energy distribution measured by the short- and long-wavelength cameras covering the range 1170-3200 A, when combined with optical data, indicates a best fit blackbody temperature of 16,000 K, which is significantly lower than previous estimates. A broad absorption trough in the 2000-3000 A region is observed which may be produced by opacity in the fundamental cyclotron frequency for surface magnetic fields from 3.2 to 5 x 10 to the 8th gauss. The absence of a strong Lyman-alpha sigma + component suggests that the primary atmospheric constituent is not hydrogen, with various absorption features probably attributable to Zeeman components of neutral helium, or possibly Mg II, C II and other metal lines. The superposition of many strong Zeeman features is also an alternative interpretation of the absorption in the 2000-3000 A interval.

Green, R. F.↗

Fast pulsars with disks

The observed properties of the pulsar PSR1937+214 are compared with predictions of the disk model. It is assumed that an isolated magnetized rotating neutron star is ringed by a fluid disk with a 0.00001 solar mass, and relative rotations of the star and the disk produce potential differences across the disk. A Faraday disk dynamo is also formed between the disk and the star, and allows the polar cap current to return from the disk to the star through auroral arcing. Preferential regions of the star are recipients of a return current controlled by the surface magnetic field structure, which configures the pulsing emissions. The disk model predicts the average luminosity to be 10 to the 31st erg/sec, and an emission of 3 x 10 to the 30th erg/sec was detected. Only one-millionth of the output of the emissions is in the radio region, and the X and gamma ray emissions are in the normal range for pulsars. It is concluded that PSR1937+214 behaves within the predictions of the disk model and is not a new kind of object.

Michel, F. C.↗

MAGNETIC HYGIENE CONTROL ON LCLS-II CRYOMODULES FABRICATED AT JLAB

Jefferson Lab (JLab) is in collaboration with Fermi Na-tional Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) to build 18 cryomodules to install at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory?s tunnel as part of the Linac Coherent Light Source upgrade project (LCLS-II). Each LCLS-II cry-omodule hosts 8 superconducting niobium cavities that adopt the nitrogen doping technique, which aims to en-hance the cavity quality factor Qo to reduce the consumption of liquid helium used to cool down the cavities. It is known that the Qo of niobium cavities is affected by cavity surface magnetic field. Traditionally, magnetic shields made of high magnetic permeability mu-metals are employed as a passive shielding of the ambient magnetic fluxes. During the LCLS-II cryomodule development, magnetic hygiene control that includes magnetic shielding and demagnetization of parts and the whole-machine is implemented. JLab and Fermilab worked closely on developing magnetic hygiene control procedures, identifying relevant tools, investigating causes of magnetization, magnetic field monitoring, etc. This paper focuses on JLab?s experiences with LCLS-II cryomodule magnetic hygiene control during its fabrication.

Cheng, Guangfeng↗

Neodymium-iron-boron magnet with selective surface modification, and method of producing same

A bulk high performance permanent magnet comprising a neodymium-iron-boron core having an outer surface, and a coercivity-enhancing element residing on at least a portion of said outer surface, with an interior portion of said neodymium-iron-boron core not having said coercivity-enhancing element therein. Also described herein is a method for producing the high-coercivity bulk permanent magnet, the method comprising: (i) depositing a coercivity-enhancing element on at least a portion of an outer surface of a neodymium-iron-boron core substrate to form a coated permanent magnet; and (ii) subjecting the coated permanent magnet to a pulse thermal process that heats said outer surface to a substantially higher temperature than an interior portion of said neodymium-iron-boron core substrate, wherein said substantially higher temperature is at least 200° C. higher than said interior portion and is of sufficient magnitude to induce diffusion of said coercivity-enhancing element below said outer surface but outside of said interior portion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Coronal inflows during the interval 1996-2014

We extend our previous counts of coronal inflows from the 5 yr interval 1996-2001 to the 18 yr interval 1996-2014. By comparing stackplots of these counts with similar stackplots of the source-surface magnetic field and its longitudinal gradient, we find that the inflows occur in long-lived streams with counting rates in excess of 18 inflows per day at sector boundaries where the gradient exceeds 0.22 G rad{sup –1}. These streams are responsible for the high (86%) correlation between the inflow rate and the longitudinal field gradient. The overall inflow rate was several times larger in sunspot cycle 23 than it has been so far in cycle 24, reflecting the relatively weak source-surface fields during this cycle. By comparison, in cycles 21-22, the source-surface field and its gradient had bursts of great strength, as if large numbers of inflows occurred during those cycles. We find no obvious relation between inflows and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on timescales of days to weeks, regardless of the speeds of the CMEs, and only a 60% correlation on timescales of months, provided the CMEs are fast (V > 600 km s{sup –1}). We conclude that most of the flux carried out by CMEs is returned to the Sun via field line reconnection well below the 2.0 R {sub ☉} inner limit of the LASCO field of view, and that the remainder accumulates in the outer corona for an eventual return at sector boundaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Accretion onto Fast X-Ray Pulsars

The recent emergence of a new class of accretion-powered, transient, millisecond X-ray pulsars presents some difficulties for the conventional picture of accretion onto rapidly rotating magnetized neutron stars and their spin behavior during outbursts. In particular, it is not clear that the standard paradigm can accommodate the wide range in M(i.e., approx. greater than a factor of 50) over which these systems manage to accrete and the high rate of spindown that the neutron stars exhibit in at least a number of cases. When the accretion rate drops sufficiently, the X-ray pulsar is said to become a "fast rotator," and in the conventional view, this is accompanied by a transition from accretion to "propellering," in which accretion ceases and the matter is ejected from the system. On the theoretical side, we note that this scenario for the onset of propellering cannot be entirely correct because it is not energetically self-consistent. We show that, instead, the transition is likely to take place through disks that combine accretion with spindown and terminate at the corotation radius. We demonstrate the existence of such disk solutions by modifying the Shakura-Sunyaev equations with a simple magnetic torque prescription. The solutions are completely analytic and have the same dependence on M and a (the viscosity parameter) as the original Shakura-Sunyaev solutions, but the radial profiles can be considerably modified, depending on the degree of fastness. We apply these results to compute the torques expected during the outbursts of the transient millisecond pulsars and find that we can explain the large spin-down rates that are observed for quite plausible surface magnetic fields of approx. 10(exp 90 G.

Rappaport, S. A.↗

Finite-scale emergence of 2 + 1D supersymmetry at first-order quantum phase transition

Supersymmetry, a symmetry between fermions and bosons, provides a promising extension of the standard model but is still lacking experimental evidence. Recently, the interest in supersymmetry has arisen in the condensed matter community owing to its potential emergence at the continuous quantum phase transition. In this paper, we demonstrate that 2 + 1D supersymmetry, relating massive Majorana and Ising fields, might emerge at the first-order quantum phase transition of the Ising magnetization by tuning a single parameter. Although the emergence of the SUSY is only allowed in a finite range of scales due to the existence of relevant masses, the scale range can be large when the masses before scaling are small. Here, we show that the emergence of supersymmetry is accompanied by a topological phase transition for the Majorana field, where its non-zero mass changes the sign but keeps the magnitude. An experimental realization of this scenario is proposed using the surface state of a 3 +1D time-reversal invariant topological superconductor with surface magnetic doping.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Some recent observations and interpretation of the Jupiter decimeter emission

The decimetric emission consists partly of thermal radiation from the planetary disk and partly of nonthermal radiation from a region of larger angular extent and is thought to result from synchrotron emission by relativistic electrons in the magnetic field. Four topics relating to the decimetric emission are discussed. (1) A comparison is made of maps giving detailed brightness contours. One was obtained for epoch 1963.8 and was at a wavelength of 10.4 cm. The second was for epoch 1967.2 at 21.3 cm. (2) Interferometric data at 21.1 cm taken in April 1968 and May 1979 indicate that the emission centroid is fixed in Jupiter and rotates with it. (3) Circular polarization observations are described and are used to obtain a surface magnetic field strength at the equator between 3.2 and 15.2 gauss. (4) An upper limit on the Faraday rotation is used to set an upper limit on the density of thermal electrons surrounding Jupiter, and uncertainties in the results are discussed.

Berge, G. L.↗

FLIP-FLOP ACTIVITY ON THE W UMa-TYPE BINARY SYSTEM HH UMa

We report the discovery of flip-flop activity in a W UMa-type binary. A long-term multi-color photometric surveillance of HH UMa was carried out with three sets of light curves obtained over six weeks. The light curves of the eclipsing binary presented marked asymmetry and rapid interchange between the two light maxima. During the observations from 2014 February to 2014 April, the spot distortion phase jumped between phases 0.25 and 0.75 twice, a typical indication of flip-flop activity. We applied the Wilson–Devinney method to analyze the three light curves. The results indicate that HH UMa is a partially eclipsing contact system of A subtype with an obviously asymmetric light curve. The observed light curves can be modeled by assuming that there are two dark spots on the massive primary component that are almost persistently located around phases 0.25 and 0.75, but can interchange their intensities. We further suggest that a plausible scenario for explaining the properties of those dark spots is strong surface magnetic activity with a sudden reversal of the more active longitude. We therefore conclude that HH UMa is very likely a W UMa-type system displaying flip-flop activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Observations of Energetic High Magnetic Field Pulsars with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

We report the detection of gamma-ray pulsations from the high-magnetic-field rotation-powered pulsar PSR J1119.6127 using data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. The gamma-ray light curve of PSR J1119.6127 shows a single, wide peak offset from the radio peak by 0.43 +/- 0.02 in phase. Spectral analysis suggests a power law of index 1.0 +/- 0.3(+0.4 -0.2) with an energy cut-off at 0.8 +/- 0.2(+2.0 -0.5) GeV. The first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. We discuss the emission models of PSR J1119.6127 and demonstrate that despite the object's high surface magnetic field--near that of magnetars -- the field strength and structure in the gamma-ray emitting zone are apparently similar to those of typical young pulsars. Additionally, we present upper limits on the gamma-ray pulsed emission for the magnetically active PSR J1846.0258 in the supernova remnant Kesteven 75 and two other energetic high-Beta pulsars, PSRs J1718.3718 and J1734.3333. We explore possible explanations for the non-detection of these three objects, including peculiarities in their emission geometry.

Parent, D.↗

Solar oscillations with 13-day period

Reference is made to the solar observations made by Claverie et al. (1982) over a three-month period in the summer of 1981 which show oscillatory velocity with a period of 13.1 days and amplitude of 6.6 m/s. These investigators reject the possibility that they see the Doppler shift from a radial oscillation, because the amplitude is implausibly large. They also do not believe that their signal was induced by solar magnetic fields, since typical mean solar fields are too small. Photo-electric drift-scan measurements of the solar diameter and full-disk magnetograms taken at Kitt Peak National Observatory are examined here for evidence of variations corresponding to the velocity oscillations of the 13.1-day period. An upper limit on radius variations is reported which is a factor of six below the amplitude needed to explain the velocity observations as a radial oscillation. Attention is also given to the possible role of the rotation of large-scale surface magnetic features.

Duvall, T. L., Jr.↗

Limits on surface gravities of Kepler planet-candidate host stars from non-detection of solar-like oscillations

We present a novel method for estimating lower-limit surface gravities (log g) of Kepler targets whose data do not allow the detection of solar-like oscillations. The method is tested using an ensemble of solar-type stars observed in the context of the Kepler Asteroseismic Science Consortium. We then proceed to estimate lower-limit log g for a cohort of Kepler solar-type planet-candidate host stars with no detected oscillations. Limits on fundamental stellar properties, as provided by this work, are likely to be useful in the characterization of the corresponding candidate planetary systems. Furthermore, an important byproduct of the current work is the confirmation that amplitudes of solar-like oscillations are suppressed in stars with increased levels of surface magnetic activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

MAGIC: A Tool for Combining, Interpolating, and Processing Magnetograms

Transients in the solar coronal magnetic field are ultimately the source of space weather. Models which seek to track the evolution of the coronal field require magnetogram images to be used as boundary conditions. These magnetograms are obtained by numerous instruments with different cadences and resolutions. A tool is required which allows modelers to fmd all available data and use them to craft accurate and physically consistent boundary conditions for their models. We have developed a software tool, MAGIC (MAGnetogram Interpolation and Composition), to perform exactly this function. MAGIC can manage the acquisition of magneto gram data, cast it into a source-independent format, and then perform the necessary spatial and temporal interpolation to provide magnetic field values as requested onto model-defined grids. MAGIC has the ability to patch magneto grams from different sources together providing a more complete picture of the Sun's field than is possible from single magneto grams. In doing this, care must be taken so as not to introduce nonphysical current densities along the seam between magnetograms. We have designed a method which minimizes these spurious current densities. MAGIC also includes a number of post-processing tools which can provide additional information to models. For example, MAGIC includes an interface to the DA VE4VM tool which derives surface flow velocities from the time evolution of surface magnetic field. MAGIC has been developed as an application of the KAMELEON data formatting toolkit which has been developed by the CCMC.

Allred, Joel↗

The cyclical variation of energy flux and photospheric magnetic field strength from coronal holes

The average soft X-ray emission from coronal holes observed on images obtained during rocket flights from 1974 to 1981 is measured. The variation of this emission over the solar cycle was then compared with photospheric magnetic flux measurements within coronal holes over the same period. It was found that coronal hole soft X-ray emission could be detected and that this emission appeared to increase with the rise of the sunspot cycle from activity minimum to maximum. These quantitative results confirmed previous suggestions that the coronal brightness contrast between holes and large-scale structure decreased during this period of the cycle. Gas pressures at the hole base were estimated for assumed temperatures and found to vary from about 0.03 dyne/sq cm in 1974 to 0.35 dyne/sq cm in 1981. The increase in coronal hole X-ray emission was accompanied by a similar trend in the surface magnetic flux of near-equatorial holes between 1975 and 1980 (Harvey et al., 1982).

Webb, D. F.↗