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At least 1,135 records · Page 63
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DOE OSTI2016

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPINDOWN OF A TRANSIENT ACCRETING MILLISECOND PULSAR DURING QUIESCENCE

The measured spindown rates in quiescence of the transient accreting millisecond pulsars IGR J00291+5934, XTE J1751–305, SAX J1808.4–3658, and Swift J1756.9–2508 have been used to estimate the magnetic moments of these objects assuming standard magnetic dipole braking. It is shown that this approach leads to an overestimate if the amount of residual accretion is enough to distort the magnetosphere away from a force-free configuration through magnetospheric mass loading or crushing, so that the lever arm of the braking torque migrates inside the light cylinder. We derive an alternative spindown formula and calculate the residual accretion rates where the formula is applicable. As a demonstration we apply the alternative spindown formula to produce updated magnetic moment estimates for the four objects above. We note that based on current uncertain observations of quiescent accretion rates, magnetospheric mass loading and crushing are neither firmly indicated nor ruled out in these four objects. Because quiescent accretion rates are not measured directly (only upper limits are placed), without more data it is impossible to be confident about whether the thresholds for magnetospheric mass loading or crushing are reached or not.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

SOLAR MODELS WITH NEW LOW METAL ABUNDANCES

In the past decade, the photospheric abundances of the Sun had been revised several times by many observers. The standard solar models constructed with the new low-metal abundances disagree with helioseismic results and detected neutrino fluxes. The solar model problem has puzzled some stellar physicists for more than 10 years. Rotation, enhanced diffusion, convection overshoot, and magnetic fields are used to reconcile the new abundances with helioseismology. The too low helium subsurface abundance in enhanced diffusion models can be improved by the mixing caused by rotation and magnetic fields. The problem of the depth of the convective zone in rotating models can be resolved by convection overshoot. Consequently, the Asplund–Grevesse–Sauval rotation model including overshooting (AGSR) reproduces the seismically inferred sound-speed and density profiles and the convection zone depth as well as the Grevesse and Sauval model computed before. But this model fails to reproduce the surface helium abundance, which is 0.2393 (2.6 σ away from the seismic value), and neutrino fluxes. The magnetic model called AGSM keeps the agreement of the AGSR and improves the prediction of the surface helium abundance. The observed separation ratios r {sub 02} and r {sub 13} are reasonably reproduced by AGSM. Moreover, neutrino fluxes calculated by this model are not far from the detected neutrino fluxes and the predictions of previous works.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

SUBMILLIMETER POLARIZATION SPECTRUM IN THE VELA C MOLECULAR CLOUD

Polarization maps of the Vela C molecular cloud were obtained at 250, 350, and 500 μ m during the 2012 flight of the balloon-borne telescope BLASTPol. These measurements are used in conjunction with 850 μ m data from Planck to study the submillimeter spectrum of the polarization fraction for this cloud. The spectrum is relatively flat and does not exhibit a pronounced minimum at λ ∼ 350 μ m as suggested by previous measurements of other molecular clouds. The shape of the spectrum does not depend strongly on the radiative environment of the dust, as quantified by the column density or the dust temperature obtained from Herschel data. The polarization ratios observed in Vela C are consistent with a model of a porous clumpy molecular cloud being uniformly heated by the interstellar radiation field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

NEAR-INFRARED IMAGING POLARIMETRY OF GGD 27: CIRCULAR POLARIZATION AND MAGNETIC FIELD STRUCTURES

Near-infrared imaging polarimetry in the J , H , and K{sub s} bands was carried out for GGD 27 in the dark cloud Lynds 291. Details of an infrared reflection nebula associated with the optical nebulosity GGD 27 and the infrared nebula GGD 27 IRS are presented. Aperture photometry of 1263 point-like sources, detected in all three bands, was used to classify them based on a color–color diagram, and the linear polarization of several hundred sources was determined, with the latter used to map the magnetic field structure around GGD 27. This field, around GGD 27 IRS, appears to be associated with the extended CO outflow of IRAS 18162–2048; however, there are partly distorted or bent components in the field. The Chandrasekhar–Fermi method gives an estimate of the magnetic field strength as ∼90 μ G. A region associated with GGD 27 IRS is discovered to have a circular polarization in the range of ∼2%–11% in the K{sub s} band. The circular polarization has an asymmetric positive/negative pattern and extends out to ∼ 120″ or 1.0 pc. The circular and linear polarization patterns are explained as resulting from a combination of dense inner and fainter outer lobes, suggesting episodic outflow.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

An extensive numerical survey of the correlation between outflow dynamics and accretion disk magnetization

We investigate the accretion–ejection process of jets from magnetized accretion disks. We apply a novel approach to the jet-launching problem in order to obtain correlations between the physical properties of the jet and the underlying disk. We extend and confirm the previous works of Tzeferacos et al. and Murphy et al. by scanning a large parameter range for the disk magnetization, μ{sub D}=10{sup −3.5}...10{sup −0.7}. We disentangle the disk magnetization at the foot point of the outflow as the main parameter that governs the properties of the outflow. We show how the four jet integrals known from steady-state MHD are correlated to the disk magnetization at the jet foot point. This agrees with the usual findings of the steady-state theory, however, here we obtain these correlations from time-dependent simulations that include the dynamical evolution of the disk in the treatment. In particular, we obtain robust correlations between the local disk magnetization and (i) the outflow velocity, (ii) the jet mass loading, (iii) the jet angular momentum, and (iv) the local mass accretion rate. Essentially, we find that strongly magnetized disks launch more energetic and faster jets and, due to a larger Alfvén lever arm, these jets extract more angular momentum from the underlying disk. These kinds of disk–jet systems have, however, a smaller mass loading parameter and a lower mass ejection–accretion ratio. The jets are launched at the disk surface where the magnetization is μ(r,z)≃0.1. The magnetization rapidly increases vertically providing the energy reservoir for subsequent jet acceleration. We find indications of a critical disk magnetization μ{sub D}≃0.01 that separates the regimes of magneto-centrifugally driven and magnetic pressure-driven jets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

RECONNECTION PROPERTIES OF LARGE-SCALE CURRENT SHEETS DURING CORONAL MASS EJECTION ERUPTIONS

We present a detailed analysis of the properties of magnetic reconnection at large-scale current sheets (CSs) in a high cadence version of the Lynch and Edmondson 2.5D MHD simulation of sympathetic magnetic breakout eruptions from a pseudostreamer source region. We examine the resistive tearing and break-up of the three main CSs into chains of X- and O-type null points and follow the dynamics of magnetic island growth, their merging, transit, and ejection with the reconnection exhaust. For each CS, we quantify the evolution of the length-to-width aspect ratio (up to ∼100:1), Lundquist number (∼10{sup 3}), and reconnection rate (inflow-to-outflow ratios reaching ∼0.40). We examine the statistical and spectral properties of the fluctuations in the CSs resulting from the plasmoid instability, including the distribution of magnetic island area, mass, and flux content. We show that the temporal evolution of the spectral index of the reconnection-generated magnetic energy density fluctuations appear to reflect global properties of the CS evolution. Our results are in excellent agreement with recent, high-resolution reconnection-in-a-box simulations even though our CSs’ formation, growth, and dynamics are intrinsically coupled to the global evolution of sequential sympathetic coronal mass ejection eruptions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A PROPOSED PARADIGM FOR SOLAR CYCLE DYNAMICS MEDIATED VIA TURBULENT PUMPING OF MAGNETIC FLUX IN BABCOCK–LEIGHTON-TYPE SOLAR DYNAMOS

At present, the Babcock–Leighton flux transport solar dynamo models appear to be the most promising models for explaining diverse observational aspects of the sunspot cycle. The success of these flux transport dynamo models is largely dependent upon a single-cell meridional circulation with a deep equatorward component at the base of the Sun’s convection zone. However, recent observations suggest that the meridional flow may in fact be very shallow (confined to the top 10% of the Sun) and more complex than previously thought. Taken together, these observations raise serious concerns on the validity of the flux transport paradigm. By accounting for the turbulent pumping of magnetic flux, as evidenced in magnetohydrodynamic simulations of solar convection, we demonstrate that flux transport dynamo models can generate solar-like magnetic cycles even if the meridional flow is shallow. Solar-like periodic reversals are recovered even when meridional circulation is altogether absent. However, in this case, the solar surface magnetic field dynamics does not extend all the way to the polar regions. Very importantly, our results demonstrate that the Parker–Yoshimura sign rule for dynamo wave propagation can be circumvented in Babcock–Leighton dynamo models by the latitudinal component of turbulent pumping, which can generate equatorward propagating sunspot belts in the absence of a deep, equatorward meridional flow. We also show that variations in turbulent pumping coefficients can modulate the solar cycle amplitude and periodicity. Our results suggest the viability of an alternate magnetic flux transport paradigm—mediated via turbulent pumping—for sustaining solar-stellar dynamo action.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

X-ray and rotational luminosity correlation and magnetic heating of radio pulsars

Previous works have suggested a correlation between the X-ray luminosity L{sub x} and the rotational luminosity L{sub rot} of radio pulsars. However, none of the obtained regression lines is statistically acceptable due to large scatter. We construct a statistical model that has an intrinsic L{sub x}–L{sub rot} relation and reproduces the observed L{sub x} distribution about it by using a Monte Carlo simulator, which takes into account the effects obscuring the intrinsic relation, i.e., the anisotropy of radiation, additional heating, uncertainty in distance, and the detection limit of the instruments. From the ATNF pulsar catalog we collect 57 “ordinary radio pulsars” with significant detection and 42 with upper limits. The sample does not include high-magnetic-field pulsars (>10{sup 13} G), which are analyzed separately. We obtain a statistically acceptable relation L{sub x}(0.5--10keV)=10{sup 31.69}(L{sub rot}/L{sub 0}){sup c{sub 1}} with c {sub 1} = 1.03 ± 0.27 and L {sub 0} = 10{sup 35.38}. The distribution about the obtained L{sub x}–L{sub rot} relation is reproduced well by the simulator. Pulsars with abnormally high L{sub x} fall into two types: one is the soft gamma-ray pulsars, and the other is pulsars that are thermally bright in comparison with the standard cooling curve. On the other hand, pulsars showing low L{sub x} are found to have dim pulsar wind nebulae (PWNs). We argue that there is an unknown mechanism that governs both the magnetospheric emission and the PWNs, and it might involve the production rate of electron–positron pairs. High-field pulsars form a population that is distinct from ordinary pulsars due to their excess luminosities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

SUSTAINED TURBULENCE IN DIFFERENTIALLY ROTATING MAGNETIZED FLUIDS AT A LOW MAGNETIC PRANDTL NUMBER

We show for the first time that sustained turbulence is possible at a low magnetic Prandtl number in local simulations of Keplerian flows with no mean magnetic flux. Our results indicate that increasing the vertical domain size is equivalent to increasing the dynamical range between the energy injection scale and the dissipative scale. This has important implications for a large variety of differentially rotating systems with low magnetic Prandtl number such as protostellar disks and laboratory experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

DEEP CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF NGC 1404: CLUSTER PLASMA PHYSICS REVEALED BY AN INFALLING EARLY-TYPE GALAXY

The intracluster medium (ICM), as a magnetized and highly ionized fluid, provides an ideal laboratory to study plasma physics under extreme conditions that cannot be achieved on Earth. NGC 1404 is a bright elliptical galaxy that is being gas stripped as it falls through the ICM of the Fornax Cluster. We use the new Chandra X-ray observations of NGC 1404 to study ICM microphysics. The interstellar medium of NGC 1404 is characterized by a sharp leading edge, 8 kpc from the Galaxy center, and a short downstream gaseous tail. Contact discontinuities are resolved on unprecedented spatial scales (0.″5 = 45 pc) due to the combination of the proximity of NGC 1404, the superb spatial resolution of Chandra , and the very deep (670 ks) exposure. At the leading edge, we observe sub-kiloparsec-scale eddies generated by Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI) and put an upper limit of 5% Spitzer on the isotropic viscosity of the hot cluster plasma. We also observe mixing between the hot cluster gas and the cooler galaxy gas in the downstream stripped tail, which provides further evidence of a low viscosity plasma. The assumed ordered magnetic fields in the ICM ought to be smaller than 5 μ G to allow KHI to develop. The lack of an evident magnetic draping layer just outside the contact edge is consistent with such an upper limit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Theoretical Model of X-Ray Jets from Young Stellar Objects

There is a subclass of X-ray jets from young stellar objects that are heated very close to the footpoint of the jets, particularly DG Tau jets. Previous models have attributed the strong heating to shocks in the jets. However, the mechanism that localizes the heating at the footpoint remains puzzling. We presented a different model of such X-ray jets, in which the disk atmosphere is magnetically heated. Our disk corona model is based on the so-called nanoflare model for the solar corona. We show that the magnetic heating near the disks can result in the formation of a hot corona with a temperature of ≳10{sup 6} K, even if the average field strength in the disk is moderately weak, ≳1 G. We determine the density and the temperature at the jet base by considering the energy balance between the heating and cooling. We derive the scaling relations of the mass-loss rate and terminal velocity of jets. Our model is applied to the DG Tau jets. The observed temperature and estimated mass-loss rate are consistent with the prediction of our model in the case of a disk magnetic field strength of ∼20 G and a heating region of <0.1 au. The derived scaling relation of the temperature of X-ray jets could be a useful tool for estimating the magnetic field strength. We also find that the jet X-ray can have a significant impact on the ionization degree near the disk surface and the dead zone size.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Cycle length dependence of stellar magnetic activity and solar cycle 23

Solar cycle (SC) 23 was extraordinarily long with remarkably low magnetic activity. We have investigated whether this is a common behavior of solar-type stars. From the Ca ii H and K line intensities of 111 stars observed at Mount Wilson Observatory from 1966 to 1991, we have retrieved data of all 23 G-type stars and recalculated their cycle lengths using the damped least-squares method for the chromospheric activity index S as a function of time. A regression analysis was performed to find relations between the derived cycle length, P{sub avg}, and the index for excess chromospheric emission, R{sub HK}{sup ′}. As a noteworthy result, we found a segregation between young and old solar-type stars in the cycle length-activity correlation. We incorporated the relation for the solar-type stars into the previously known rule for stellar chromospheric activity and brightness to estimate the variation of solar brightness from SC 22 to SC 23 as (0.12 ± 0.06)%, much higher than the actual variation of total solar irradiance (TSI) ≤0.02%. We have then examined solar spectral irradiance (SSI) to find a good phase correlation with a sunspot number in the wavelength range of 170–260 nm, which is close to the spectral range effective in heating the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, it appears that SSI rather than TSI is a good indicator of the chromospheric activity, and its cycle length dependent variation would be more relevant to the possible role of the Sun in the cyclic variation of the Earth’s atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Grain alignment in starless cores

We present near-IR polarimetry data of background stars shining through a selection of starless cores taken in the K band, probing visual extinctions up to A{sub V}∼48. We find that P{sub K}/τ{sub K} continues to decline with increasing A{sub V} with a power law slope of roughly −0.5. Examination of published submillimeter (submm) polarimetry of starless cores suggests that by A{sub V}≳20 the slope for P versus τ becomes ∼−1, indicating no grain alignment at greater optical depths. Combining these two data sets, we find good evidence that, in the absence of a central illuminating source, the dust grains in dense molecular cloud cores with no internal radiation source cease to become aligned with the local magnetic field at optical depths greater than A{sub V}∼20. A simple model relating the alignment efficiency to the optical depth into the cloud reproduces the observations well.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ABOUT EXOBIOLOGY: THE CASE FOR DWARF K STARS

One of the most fundamental topics of exobiology concerns the identification of stars with environments consistent with life. Although it is believed that most types of main-sequence stars might be able to support life, particularly extremophiles, special requirements appear to be necessary for the development and sustainability of advanced life forms. From our study, orange main-sequence stars, ranging from spectral type late-G to mid-K (with a maximum at early K), are most promising. Our analysis considers a variety of aspects, including (1) the frequency of the various types of stars, (2) the speed of stellar evolution in their lifetimes, (3) the size of the stellar climatological habitable zones (CLI-HZs), (4) the strengths and persistence of their magnetic-dynamo-generated X-ray–UV emissions, and (5) the frequency and severity of flares, including superflares; both (4) and (5) greatly reduce the suitability of red dwarfs to host life-bearing planets. The various phenomena show pronounced dependencies on the stellar key parameters such as effective temperature and mass, permitting the assessment of the astrobiological significance of various types of stars. Thus, we developed a “Habitable-Planetary-Real-Estate Parameter” (HabPREP) that provides a measure for stars that are most suitable for planets with life. Early K stars are found to have the highest HabPREP values, indicating that they may be “Goldilocks” stars for life-hosting planets. Red dwarfs are numerous, with long lifetimes, but their narrow CLI-HZs and hazards from magnetic activity make them less suitable for hosting exolife. Moreover, we provide X-ray–far-UV irradiances for G0 V–M5 V stars over a wide range of ages.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

COLLIDING-WIND BINARIES WITH STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS

The dynamics of colliding-wind binary (CWB) systems and conditions for efficient particle acceleration therein have attracted multiple numerical studies in recent years. These numerical models seek an explanation of the thermal and nonthermal emission of these systems as seen by observations. In the nonthermal regime, radio and X-ray emission is observed for several of these CWBs, while gamma-ray emission has so far only been found in η Carinae and possibly in WR 11. Energetic electrons are deemed responsible for a large fraction of the observed high-energy photons in these systems. Only in the gamma-ray regime might there be, depending on the properties of the stars, a significant contribution of emission from neutral pion decay. Thus, studying the emission from CWBs requires detailed models of the acceleration and propagation of energetic electrons. This in turn requires a detailed understanding of the magnetic field, which will affect not only the energy losses of the electrons but also, in the case of synchrotron emission, the directional dependence of the emissivity. In this study we investigate magnetohydrodynamic simulations of different CWB systems with magnetic fields that are strong enough to have a significant effect on the winds. Such strong fields require a detailed treatment of the near-star wind acceleration zone. We show the implementation of such simulations and discuss results that demonstrate the effect of the magnetic field on the structure of the wind collision region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Detection of Polarized Infrared Emission by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the MWC 1080 Nebula

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in astrophysical environments, as revealed by their pronounced emission features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.3, and 12.7 μ m commonly ascribed to the C–H and C–C vibrational modes. Although these features have long been predicted to be polarized, previous searches for PAH polarization led to null or, at best, tentative detections. Here we report the definite detection of polarized PAH emission at 11.3 μ m in the nebula associated with the Herbig Be star MWC 1080. We measure a polarization degree of 1.9% ± 0.2%, which is unexpectedly high compared to models. This poses a challenge in the current understanding of the alignment of PAHs, which is required to polarize the PAH emission but thought to be substantially suppressed. PAH alignment with a magnetic field via a resonance paramagnetic relaxation process may account for such a high level of polarization.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

K2 ROTATION PERIODS FOR LOW-MASS HYADS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR GYROCHRONOLOGY

As the closest open cluster to the Sun, the Hyades is an important benchmark for many stellar properties, but its members are also scattered widely over the sky. Previous studies of stellar rotation in the Hyades relied on targeted observations of single stars or data from shallower all-sky variability surveys. The re-purposed Kepler mission, K2 , is the first opportunity to measure rotation periods ( P {sub rot}) for many Hyads simultaneously while also being sensitive to fully convective M dwarf members. We analyze K2 data for 65 Hyads and present P {sub rot} values for 48. Thirty-seven of these are new measurements, including the first P {sub rot} measurements for fully convective Hyads. For 9 of the 11 stars with P {sub rot} in the literature and this work, the measurements are consistent; we attribute the two discrepant cases to spot evolution. Nearly all stars with masses ≲0.3 M {sub ⊙} are rapidly rotating, indicating a change in rotation properties at the boundary to full convection. When confirmed and candidate binaries are removed from the mass–period plane, only three rapid rotators with masses ≳0.3 M {sub ⊙} remain. This is in contrast to previous results showing that the single-valued mass–period sequence for ≈600 Myr old stars ends at ≈0.65 M {sub ⊙} when binaries are included. We also find that models of rotational evolution predict faster rotation than is actually observed at ≈600 Myr for stars ≲0.9 M {sub ⊙}. The dearth of single rapid rotators more massive than ≈0.3 M {sub ⊙} indicates that magnetic braking is more efficient than previously thought, and that age–rotation studies must account for multiplicity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Non-Zeeman circular polarization of molecular maser spectral lines

We apply the anisotropic resonant scattering model developed to explain the presence of non-Zeeman circular polarization signals recently detected in the {sup 12}CO (J = 2 → 1) and (J = 1 → 0) transitions in molecular clouds to Stokes V spectra of SiO v = 1 and v = 2, (J = 1 → 0) masers commonly observed in evolved stars. It is found that the observed antisymmetric 'S'- and symmetric '∪'- or '∩'-shaped spectral profiles naturally arise when the maser radiation scatters off populations of foreground molecules located outside the velocity range covered by the background maser radiation. Using typical values for the relevant physical parameters, it is estimated that magnetic field strengths on the order of a few times 15 mG are sufficient to explain the observational results found in the literature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗