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At least 1,045 records · Page 58

OBSERVATIONS OF MAGNETIC FLUX-ROPE OSCILLATION DURING THE PRECURSOR PHASE OF A SOLAR ERUPTION

Based on combined observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spectrometer with the coronal emission line of Fe xxi at 1354.08 Å and SDO /AIA images in multiple passbands, we report the finding of the precursor activity manifested as the transverse oscillation of a sigmoid, which is likely a pre-existing magnetic flux rope (MFR), that led to the onset of an X class flare and a fast halo coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2014 September 10. The IRIS slit is situated at a fixed position that is almost vertical to the main axis of the sigmoid structure that has a length of about 1.8 × 10{sup 5} km. This precursor oscillation lasts for about 13 minutes in the MFR and has velocities in the range of [−9, 11] km s{sup −1} and a period of ∼280 s. Our analysis, which is based on the temperature, density, length, and magnetic field strength of the observed sigmoid, indicates that the nature of the oscillation is a standing wave of fast magnetoacoustic kink mode. We further find that the precursor oscillation is excited by the energy released through an external magnetic reconnection between the unstable MFR and the ambient magnetic field. It is proposed that this precursor activity leads to the dynamic formation of a current sheet underneath the MFR that subsequently reconnects to trigger the onset of the main phase of the flare and the CME.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Sapphire Ring Resonator For Microwave Oscillator

Sapphire dielectric ring resonator operating in "whispering-gallery" mode helps to stabilize frequency and phase of microwave oscillator. Reduces phase noise appreciably at room temperature and promises unprecedented stability of phase at cryogenic temperatures.

Dick, G. John↗

Atmospheric Excitation of Planetary Normal Modes

The objectives of this study were to: (1) understand the phenomenon of continuous free oscillations of the Earth and (2) examine the idea of using this phenomenon for planetary seismology. We first describe the results on (1) and present our evaluations of the idea (2) in the final section. In 1997, after almost forty years since the initial attempt by Benioff et al, continuous free oscillations of the Earth were discovered. Spheroidal fundamental modes between 2 and 7 millihertz are excited continuously with acceleration amplitudes of about 0.3-0.5 nanogals. The signal is now commonly found in virtually all data recorded by STS-1 type broadband seismometers at quiet sites. Seasonal variation in amplitude and the existence of two coupled modes between the atmosphere and the solid Earth support that these oscillations are excited by the atmosphere. Stochastic excitation due to atmospheric turbulence is a favored mechanism, providing a good match between theory and data. The atmosphere has ample energy to support this theory because excitation of these modes require only 500-10000 W whereas the atmosphere contains about 117 W of kinetic energy. An application of this phenomenon includes planetary seismology, because other planets may be oscillating due to atmospheric excitation. The interior structure of planets could be learned by determining the eigenfrequencies in the continuous free oscillations. It is especially attractive to pursue this idea for tectonically quiet planets, since quakes may be too infrequent to be recorded by seismic instruments.

Tanimoto, Toshiro↗

Experimental Verification of the Rudder-Free Stability Theory for an Airplane Model Equipped with Rudders Having Negative Floating Tendency and Negligible Friction

An investigation has been made in the Langley free-flight tunnel to obtain an experimental verification of the theoretical rudder-free stability characteristics of an airplane model equipped with conventional rudders having negative floating tendencies and negligible friction. The model used in the tests was equipped with a conventional single vertical tail having rudder area 40 percent of the vertical tail area. The model was tested both in free flight and mounted on a strut that allowed freedom only in yaw. Tests were made with three different amounts of rudder aerodynamic balance and with various values of mass, moment of inertia, and center-of-gravity location of the rudder. Most of the stability derivatives required for the theoretical calculations were determined from forced and free-oscillation tests of the particular model tested. The theoretical analysis showed that the rudder-free motions of an airplane consist largely of two oscillatory modes - a long-period oscillation somewhat similar to the normal rudder-fixed oscillation and a short-period oscillation introduced only when the rudder is set free. It was found possible in the tests to create lateral instability of the rudder-free short-period mode by large values of rudder mass parameters even though the rudder-fixed condition was highly stable. The results of the tests and calculation indicated that for most present-day airplanes having rudders of negative floating tendency, the rudder-free stability characteristics may be examined by simply considering the dynamic lateral stability using the value of the directional-stability parameter Cn(sub p) for the rudder-free condition in the conventional controls-fixed lateral-stability equations. For very large airplanes having relatively high values of the rudder mass parameters with respect to the rudder aerodynamic parameters, however, analysis of the rudder-free stability should be made with the complete equations of motion. Good agreement between calculated and measured rudder-free stability characteristics was obtained by use of the general rudder-free stability theory, in which four degrees of lateral freedom are considered. When this assumption is made that the rolling motions alone or the lateral and rolling motions may be neglected in the calculations of rudder-free stability, it is possible to predict satisfactorily the characteristics of the long-period (Dutch roll type) rudder-free oscillation for airplanes only when the effective-dihedral angle is small. With these simplifying assumptions, however, satisfactory prediction of the short-period oscillation may be obtained for any dihedral. Further simplification of the theory based on the assumption that the rudder moment of inertia might be disregarded was found to be invalid because this assumption made it impossible to calculate the characteristics of the short-period oscillations.

STABILITY- FAIRCHILD R2K-1↗

Simple Approximation for the Ideal Reference State of Gases Adsorbed on Solid-State Surfaces

Reference states are useful as models for facilitating calculations of equilibrium constants, and they may also serve as standard states that are convenient for organizing and tabulating thermodynamic data; however, standard state conventions and appropriate reference states for adsorbed species have received less attention than those for pure substances and solutes. Here, we compare seven choices of reference states for calculations of equilibrium constants and transition state theory rate constants for flat surfaces, in particular (1) an ideal 2D harmonic oscillator, (2) an ideal rigid-molecule harmonic oscillator, (3) an ideal 2D harmonic oscillator with separable surface modes, (4) a 2D ideal gas, (5) an ideal 2D hindered translator, (6) an ideal 2D hindered translator with lowest-order barriers, and (7) a simple ideal 2D hindered translator proposed in this work. The advantage of models 5–7 is that they can treat both mobile and localized adsorbates in a consistent way, whereas models 1–3 are only appropriate for localized adsorbates, and model 4 is only appropriate for a freely translating adsorbate. Furthermore, models 6 and 7 reduce the computational cost without the user having to calculate barrier heights for diffusion. An advantage of the simple ideal 2D hindered translator is that it has a physical high-temperature limit. We also propose a reference state for nonflat surfaces. Here, the user is encouraged to choose a reference state based on the appropriateness of the model and the practicality of the calculations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Atmospheric River Lifecycle Responses to the Madden‐Julian Oscillation

Abstract We investigate how the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO), the dominant mode of tropical subseasonal variability, modulates the lifecycle of cool‐season North Pacific atmospheric rivers (ARs). When the enhanced (suppressed) convection center is located over the Indian Ocean (western Pacific), more AR events originate over eastern Asia and with fewer over the subtropical northern Pacific. When the enhanced (suppressed) convection is over the western Pacific (Indian Ocean), the opposite changes occur, with more AR events originate over the subtropical northern Pacific and fewer over eastern Asia. Dynamical processes involving anomalous MJO wind and seasonal mean moisture are found to be the dominant factors impacting these variations in AR origins. The MJO‐related anomalous geopotential height patterns are also shown to modulate the propagation of the AR events. These MJO–AR lifecycle relationships are further supported by model simulations.

Zhou, Yang↗

Zonal‐Scale of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation and Its Propagation Speed on the Interannual Time‐Scale

Abstract While no significant long‐term trend in the propagation speed of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) in boreal winter is found during the past decades, pronounced year‐to‐year variability of the MJO phase speed is illustrated by analyzing a century‐long record data set. During the winters when fast MJO propagation is observed, the MJO exhibits a much larger zonal‐scale than that during the winters with slow propagation. A broader extension in MJO circulation effectively induces stronger and broader lower‐tropospheric moistening (drying) to the east (west) of MJO through horizontal moisture advection, prompting a faster MJO phase speed. The larger MJO zonal‐scale during the fast MJO propagation winters is coincident with anomalously increased background sea surface temperatures and precipitable water over both the western Indian Ocean and central/eastern Pacific, reminiscent of an expansion of the Indo‐Pacific warm pool. A fundamental question remains open regarding the key processes that determine the zonal‐scale of MJO organization.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

An Evaluation of the Large‐Scale Atmospheric Circulation and Its Variability in CESM2 and Other CMIP Models

Abstract The Community Earth System Model 2 (CESM2) is the latest Earth System Model developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in collaboration with the university community and is significantly advanced in most components compared to its predecessor (CESM1). Here, CESM2's representation of the large‐scale atmospheric circulation and its variability is assessed. Further context is providedthrough comparison to the CESM1 large ensemble and other models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5 and CMIP6). This includes an assessment of the representation of jet streams and storm tracks, stationary waves, the global divergent circulation, the annular modes, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and blocking. Compared to CESM1, CESM2 is substantially improved in the representation of the storm tracks, Northern Hemisphere (NH) stationary waves, NH winter blocking and the global divergent circulation. It ranks within the top 10% of CMIP class models in many of these features. Some features of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) circulation have degraded, such as the SH jet strength, stationary waves, and blocking, although the SH jet stream is placed at approximately the correct location. This analysis also highlights systematic deficiencies in these features across the new CMIP6 archive, such as the continued tendency for the SH jet stream to be placed too far equatorward, the North Atlantic westerlies to be too strong over Europe, the storm tracks as measured by low‐level meridional wind variance to be too weak and a lack of blocking in the North Atlantic sector.

Simpson, Isla R.↗

Negative thermal expansion and anomalies of heat capacity of LuB 50 at low temperatures

Heat capacity and thermal expansion of LuB 50 boride were experimentally studied in the 2–300 K temperature range. The data reveal an anomalous contribution to the heat capacity at low temperatures. The value of this contribution is proportional to the first degree of temperature. It was identified that this anomaly in heat capacity is caused by the effect of disorder in the LuB 50 crystalline structure and it can be described in the soft atomic potential model (SAP). The parameters of the approximation were determined. The temperature dependence of LuB 50 heat capacity in the whole temperature range was approximated by the sum of SAP contribution, Debye and two Einstein components. The parameters of SAP contribution for LuB 50 were compared to the corresponding values for LuB 66 , which was studied earlier. Negative thermal expansion at low temperatures was experimentally observed for LuB 50 . The analysis of the experimental temperature dependence for the Gruneisen parameter of LuB 50 suggested that the low-frequency oscillations, described in SAP mode, are responsible for the negative thermal expansion. As a result, the glasslike character of the behavior of LuB 50 thermal characteristics at low temperatures was confirmed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Diamagnetic thresholds for sawtooth cycling in tokamak plasmas

The cycling dynamics of the internal kink mode, which drives sawtooth oscillations in tokamak plasmas, is studied using the three dimensional, non-linear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code XTOR-2F [H. Luetjens and J.-F. Luciani, J. Comput. Phys. 229, 8130 (2010)]. It is found that sawtooth cycling, which is characterized by quiescent ramps and fast crashes in the experiment, can be recovered in two-fluid MHD provided that a criterion of diamagnetic stabilization is fulfilled. The simulation results indicate that diamagnetic effects alone may be sufficient to drive sawteeth with complete magnetic reconnection in high temperature Ohmic plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Charge of particles in plasmas under external UV-radiation

In this experiment we investigate the charge of dust particles when they are exposed to external UV-radiation. The determination of the changes in charge of the dust particles is given by a combination of two methods to evaluate electrical charge: the resonance method and the normal mode analysis. This contribution describes the experimental setup and the determination of the charge differences.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Synthetic spectral analysis of a kinetic model for slow-magnetosonic waves in solar corona

We propose a kinetic model of slow-magnetosonic waves to explain various observational features associated with the propagating intensity disturbances (PIDs) occurring in the solar corona. The characteristics of slow mode waves, e.g, inphase oscillations of density, velocity, and thermal speed, are reproduced in this kinetic model. Moreover, the red-blue (R-B) asymmetry of the velocity distribution as self-consistently generated in the model is found to be contributed from the beam component, as a result of the competition between Landau resonance and Coulomb collisions. Furthermore, we synthesize the spectral lines and make the spectral analysis, based on the kinetic simulation data of the flux tube plasmas and the hypothesis of the surrounding background plasmas. It is found that the fluctuations of parameters of the synthetic spectral lines are basically consistent with the observations: (1) the line intensity, Doppler shift, and line width are fluctuating in phase; (2) the R-B asymmetry usually oscillate out of phase with the former three parameters; (3) the blueward asymmetry is more evident than the redward asymmetry in the R-B fluctuations. The oscillations of line parameters become weakened for the case with denser surrounding background plasmas. Similar to the observations, there is no doubled-frequency oscillation of the line width for the case with flux-tube plasmas flowing bulkly upward among the static background plasmas. Therefore, we suggest that the “wave + beam flow” kinetic model may be a viable interpretation for the PIDs observed in the solar corona.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

BENCHMARKING FAST-TO-ALFVEN MODE CONVERSION IN A COLD MHD PLASMA. II. HOW TO GET ALFVEN WAVES THROUGH THE SOLAR TRANSITION REGION

Alfven waves may be difficult to excite at the photosphere due to low-ionization fraction and suffer near-total reflection at the transition region (TR). Yet they are ubiquitous in the corona and heliosphere. To overcome these difficulties, we show that they may instead be generated high in the chromosphere by conversion from reflecting fast magnetohydrodynamic waves, and that Alfvenic TR reflection is greatly reduced if the fast reflection point is within a few scale heights of the TR. The influence of mode conversion on the phase of the reflected fast wave is also explored. This phase can potentially be misinterpreted as a travel speed perturbation with implications for the practical seismic probing of active regions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SEMIREGULAR VARIABLES WITH PERIODS LYING BETWEEN THE PERIOD-LUMINOSITY SEQUENCES C', C, AND D

We analyze the distribution of semiregular variables and Mira stars in the period-luminosity plane. Our sample consists of 6169 oxygen-rich long-period variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud included in the OGLE-III Catalog of Variable Stars. There are many stars with periods that lie between the well-known sequences C and C'. Most of these stars are multi-periodic and the period ratios suggest that these stars oscillate in the same mode as the sequence C stars. Models suggest that this mode is the fundamental radial pulsation mode. The stars with primary periods between sequences C and C' preferentially lie on an additional sequence (named F), and a large fraction of these stars also have long secondary periods (LSPs) that lie between sequences C and D. There are also a small number of stars with primary periods lying between sequences C and D. The origin of this long-period variability is unknown, as is the cause of sequence D variability. In addition, the origin of sequence F is unknown but we speculate that sequence F variability may be excited by the same phenomenon that causes the LSPs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

ALFVEN WAVES IN A PARTIALLY IONIZED TWO-FLUID PLASMA

Alfven waves are a particular class of magnetohydrodynamic waves relevant in many astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. In partially ionized plasmas the dynamics of Alfven waves is affected by the interaction between ionized and neutral species. Here we study Alfven waves in a partially ionized plasma from the theoretical point of view using the two-fluid description. We consider that the plasma is composed of an ion-electron fluid and a neutral fluid, which interact by means of particle collisions. To keep our investigation as general as possible, we take the neutral-ion collision frequency and the ionization degree as free parameters. First, we perform a normal mode analysis. We find the modification due to neutral-ion collisions of the wave frequencies and study the temporal and spatial attenuation of the waves. In addition, we discuss the presence of cutoff values of the wavelength that constrain the existence of oscillatory standing waves in weakly ionized plasmas. Later, we go beyond the normal mode approach and solve the initial-value problem in order to study the time-dependent evolution of the wave perturbations in the two fluids. An application to Alfven waves in the low solar atmospheric plasma is performed and the implication of partial ionization for the energy flux is discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

MODE CONVERSION BETWEEN DIFFERENT RADIAL ORDERS FOR SOLAR ACOUSTIC WAVES SCATTERED BY SUNSPOTS

We study the mode conversion between different radial orders for solar acoustic waves interacting with sunspots. Solar acoustic waves are modified in the presence of sunspots. The modification in the wave can be viewed as that the sunspot, excited by the incident wave, generates the scattered wave, and the scattered wave is added to the incident wave to form the total wave inside and around the sunspot. The wavefunction of the acoustic wave on the solar surface is computed from the cross-correlation function. The wavefunction of the scattered wave is obtained by subtracting the wavefunction of the incident wave from that of the total wave. We use the incident waves of radial order n = 0-5 to measure the scattered wavefunctions from n to another radial order n' for NOAAs 11084 and 11092. The strength of scattered waves decreases rapidly with |Δn|, where Δn ≡ n' – n. The scattered waves of Δn = ±1 are visible for n ≤ 1, and significant for n ≥ 2. For the scattered wave of Δn = ±2, only few cases are visible. None of the scattered waves of Δn = ±3 are visible. The properties of scattered waves for Δn = 0 and Δn ≠ 0 are different. The scattered wave amplitude relative to the incident wave amplitude decreases with n for Δn = 0, while it increases with n for Δn ≠ 0. The scattered wave amplitudes of Δn = 0 are greater for the larger sunspot, while those of Δn ≠ 0 are insensitive to the sunspot size.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Bifurcation of quiescent H-mode to a wide pedestal regime in DIII-D and advances in the understanding of edge harmonic oscillations

New experimental studies and modelling of the coherent edge harmonic oscillation (EHO), which regulates the conventional Quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) edge, validate the proposed hypothesis of edge rotational shear in destabilizing the low-n kink-peeling mode as the additional drive mechanism for the EHO. The observed minimum edge E×B shear required for the EHO decreases linearly with pedestal collisionality $\nu _{\text{e}}^{\ast}$ , which is favorable for operating QH-mode in machines with low collisionality and low rotation such as ITER. In addition, the QH-mode regime in DIII-D has recently been found to bifurcate into a new 'wide-pedestal' state at low torque in double-null shaped plasmas, characterized by increased pedestal height, width and thermal energy confinement (Burrell 2016 Phys. Plasmas 23 056103, Chen 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 022007). This potentially provides an alternate path for achieving high performance ELM-stable operation at low torque, in addition to the low-torque QH-mode sustained with applied 3D fields. Multi-branch low-k and intermediate-k turbulences are observed in the 'wide-pedestal'. New experiments support the hypothesis that the decreased edge E×B shear enables destabilization of broadband turbulence, which relaxes edge pressure gradients, improves peeling-ballooning stability and allows a wider and thus higher pedestal. In conclusion, the ability to accurately predict the critical E×B shear for EHO and maintain high performance QH-mode at low torque is an essential requirement for projecting QH-mode operation to ITER and future machines.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Controlling the quantum state of a single photon emitted from a single polariton

We investigate in detail the optimal conditions for a high fidelity transfer from a single-polariton state to a single-photon state and subsequent homodyne detection of the single photon. We assume that, using various possible techniques, the single polariton has initially been stored as a spin-wave grating in a cloud of cold atoms inside a low-finesse cavity. This state is then transferred to a single-photon optical pulse using an auxiliary beam. We optimize the retrieval efficiency and determine the mode of the local oscillator that maximizes the homodyne efficiency of such a photon. We find that both efficiencies can have values close to one in a large region of experimental parameters.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗