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At least 1,369 records · Page 76

MERIDIONAL CIRCULATION DYNAMICS FROM 3D MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC GLOBAL SIMULATIONS OF SOLAR CONVECTION

The form of solar meridional circulation is a very important ingredient for mean field flux transport dynamo models. However, a shroud of mystery still surrounds this large-scale flow, given that its measurement using current helioseismic techniques is challenging. In this work, we use results from three-dimensional global simulations of solar convection to infer the dynamical behavior of the established meridional circulation. We make a direct comparison between the meridional circulation that arises in these simulations and the latest observations. Based on our results, we argue that there should be an equatorward flow at the base of the convection zone at mid-latitudes, below the current maximum depth helioseismic measures can probe (0.75 R{sub ⊙}). We also provide physical arguments to justify this behavior. The simulations indicate that the meridional circulation undergoes substantial changes in morphology as the magnetic cycle unfolds. We close by discussing the importance of these dynamical changes for current methods of observation which involve long averaging periods of helioseismic data. Also noteworthy is the fact that these topological changes indicate a rich interaction between magnetic fields and plasma flows, which challenges the ubiquitous kinematic approach used in the vast majority of mean field dynamo simulations.

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The synchrotron maser emission from relativistic shocks in Fast Radio Bursts: 1D PIC simulations of cold pair plasmas

The emission process of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) remains unknown. We look into whether the synchrotron maser emission from relativistic shocks in a magnetar wind can explain the observed FRB properties. We perform particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of perpendicular shocks in cold pair plasmas, checking our results for consistency among three PIC codes. We confirm that a linearly polarized X-mode wave is self-consistently generated by the shock and propagates back upstream as a precursor wave. We find that at magnetizations σ ≳ 1 (i.e. ratio of Poynting flux to particle energy flux of the pre-shock flow) the shock converts a fraction $f_\xi ^{\prime } \approx 7 \times 10^{-4}/\sigma ^2$ of the total incoming energy into the precursor wave, as measured in the shock frame. The wave spectrum is narrow-band (fractional width ≲1-3), with apparent but not dominant line-like features as many resonances concurrently contribute. The peak frequency in the pre-shock (observer) frame is $\omega ^{\prime \prime }_{\rm peak} \approx 3 \gamma _{\rm s | u} \omega _{\rm p}$, where γs|u is the shock Lorentz factor in the upstream frame and ωp the plasma frequency. At σ ≳ 1, where our estimated $\omega ^{\prime \prime }_{\rm peak}$ differs from previous works, the shock structure presents two solitons separated by a cavity, and the peak frequency corresponds to an eigenmode of the cavity. Our results provide physically grounded inputs for FRB emission models within the magnetar scenario.

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KINETIC STUDY OF RADIATION-REACTION-LIMITED PARTICLE ACCELERATION DURING THE RELAXATION OF UNSTABLE FORCE-FREE EQUILIBRIA

Many powerful and variable gamma-ray sources, including pulsar wind nebulae, active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts, seem capable of accelerating particles to gamma-ray emitting energies efficiently over very short timescales. These are likely due to the rapid dissipation of electromagnetic energy in a highly magnetized, relativistic plasma. In order to understand the generic features of such processes, we have investigated simple models based on the relaxation of unstable force-free magnetostatic equilibria. In this work, we make the connection between the corresponding plasma dynamics and the expected radiation signal, using 2D particle-in-cell simulations that self-consistently include synchrotron radiation reactions. We focus on the lowest order unstable force-free equilibrium in a 2D periodic box. We find that rapid variability, with modest apparent radiation efficiency as perceived by a fixed observer, can be produced during the evolution of the instability. The “flares” are accompanied by an increased polarization degree in the high energy band, with rapid variation in the polarization angle. Furthermore, the separation between the acceleration sites and the synchrotron radiation sites for the highest energy particles facilitates acceleration beyond the synchrotron radiation reaction limit. We also discuss the dynamical consequences of the radiation reaction, and some astrophysical applications of this model. Our current simulations with numerically tractable parameters are not yet able to reproduce the most dramatic gamma-ray flares, e.g., from the Crab Nebula. Higher magnetization studies are promising and will be carried out in the future.

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THE EFFECT OF MAGNETIC FIELD ON MEAN FLOW GENERATION BY ROTATING TWO-DIMENSIONAL CONVECTION

Motivated by the significant interaction of convection, rotation, and magnetic field in many astrophysical objects, we investigate the interplay between large-scale flows driven by rotating convection and an imposed magnetic field. We utilize a simple model in two dimensions comprised of a plane layer that is rotating about an axis inclined to gravity. It is known that this setup can result in strong mean flows; we numerically examine the effect of an imposed horizontal magnetic field on such flows. We show that increasing the field strength in general suppresses the time-dependent mean flows, but in some cases it organizes them, leading to stronger time-averaged flows. Furthermore, we discuss the effect of the field on the correlations responsible for driving the flows and the competition between Reynolds and Maxwell stresses. A change in behavior is observed when the (fluid and magnetic) Prandtl numbers are decreased. In the smaller Prandtl number regime, it is shown that significant mean flows can persist even when the quenching of the overall flow velocity by the field is relatively strong.

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CORONAL JETS SIMULATED WITH THE GLOBAL ALFVÉN WAVE SOLAR MODEL

This paper describes a numerical modeling study of coronal jets to understand their effects on the global corona and their contribution to the solar wind. We implement jets into a well-established three-dimensional, two-temperature magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar corona model employing Alfvén-wave dissipation to produce a realistic solar-wind background. The jets are produced by positioning a compact magnetic dipole under the solar surface and rotating the boundary plasma around the dipole's magnetic axis. The moving plasma drags the magnetic field lines along with it, ultimately leading to a reconnection-driven jet similar to that described by Pariat et al. We compare line-of-sight synthetic images to multiple jet observations at EUV and X-ray bands, and find very close matches in terms of physical structure, dynamics, and emission. Key contributors to this agreement are the greatly enhanced plasma density and temperature in our jets compared to previous models. These enhancements arise from the comprehensive thermodynamic model that we use and, also, our inclusion of a dense chromosphere at the base of our jet-generating regions. We further find that the large-scale corona is affected significantly by the outwardly propagating torsional Alfvén waves generated by our polar jet, across 40° in latitude and out to 24 R {sub ⊙}. We estimate that polar jets contribute only a few percent to the steady-state solar-wind energy outflow.

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Efficiency of Synchrotron Radiation from Rotation-powered Pulsars

Synchrotron radiation is widely considered to be the origin of the pulsed non-thermal emissions from rotation-powered pulsars in optical and X-ray bands. In this paper, we study the synchrotron radiation emitted by the created electron and positron pairs in the pulsar magnetosphere to constrain the energy conversion efficiency from the Poynting flux to the particle energy flux. We model two pair creation processes, two-photon collision, which efficiently works in young γ -ray pulsars (≲10{sup 6} year), and magnetic pair creation, which is the dominant process to supply pairs in old pulsars (≳10{sup 6} year). Using the analytical model, we derive the maximum synchrotron luminosity as a function of the energy conversion efficiency. From the comparison with observations, we find that the energy conversion efficiency to the accelerated particles should be an order of unity in the magnetosphere, even though we make a number of the optimistic assumptions to enlarge the synchrotron luminosity. In order to explain the luminosity of the non-thermal X-ray/optical emission from pulsars with low spin-down luminosity L {sub sd} ≲ 10{sup 34} erg s{sup −1}, non-dipole magnetic field components should be dominant at the emission region. For the γ -ray pulsars with L {sub sd} ≲ 10{sup 35} erg s{sup −1}, observed γ -ray to X-ray and optical flux ratios are much higher than the flux ratio between curvature and the synchrotron radiations. We discuss some possibilities such as the coexistence of multiple accelerators in the magnetosphere as suggested from the recent numerical simulation results. The obtained maximum luminosity would be useful to select observational targets in X-ray and optical bands.

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Broadband Photon Spectrum and its Radial Profile of Pulsar Wind Nebulae

The observed radial profiles of the X-ray emission from pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) have been claimed to contradict the standard 1D steady model. However, the 1D model has not been tested to simultaneously reproduce the volume-integrated spectrum and the radial profile of the surface brightness. We revisit the 1D steady model and apply it to PWNe 3C 58 and G21.5−0.9. We find that the parameters of the pulsar wind, the radius of the termination shock r{sub s}, and magnetization σ greatly affect both the photon spectrum and radial profile of the emission. We have shown that the parameters constrained by the entire spectrum lead to an X-ray nebula smaller than the observed nebula. We have also tested the case that reproduces only the observations in X- and gamma-rays, ignoring the radio and optical components. In this case, there are parameter sets that reproduce both the spectrum and emission profile, but the advection time to the edge of the nebula becomes much smaller than the age. Our detailed discussion clarifies that the standard 1D steady model has severe difficulty to simultaneously reproduce both the volume-integrated spectrum and the surface brightness. This implies that the model should be improved by taking into account extra physical processes such as spatial diffusion of particles. Additionally, we calculate the surface brightness profile of the radio, optical, and TeV gamma-rays. The future observations in these wavelengths are also important to probe the spatial distributions of the relativistic plasma and the magnetic field of PWNe.

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Tight Constraint on Photon Mass from Pulsar Spindown

Pulsars are magnetized rotating compact objects. They spin down due to magnetic dipole radiation and wind emission. If a photon has nonzero mass, the spin-down rate will be lower than in the zero-mass case. We show that an upper limit of the photon mass, i.e., m{sub γ}≲h/Pc{sup 2}, may be placed if a pulsar with period P is observed to spin down. Recently, a white dwarf (WD)–M dwarf binary, AR Scorpii, was discovered to emit pulsed broadband emission. The spin-down luminosity of the WD can comfortably power non-thermal radiation from the system. Applying our results to the WD pulsar with P = 117 s, we obtain a stringent upper limit of the photon mass between m{sub γ}<6.3×10{sup −50} g, assuming a vacuum dipole spindown, and m{sub γ}<9.6×10{sup −50} g, assuming spindown due to a fully developed pulsar wind.

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Lepton Acceleration in the Vicinity of the Event Horizon: Very High Energy Emissions from Supermassive Black Holes

Around a rapidly rotating black hole (BH), when the plasma accretion rate is much less than the Eddington rate, the radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) cannot supply enough MeV photons that are capable of materializing as pairs. In such a charge-starved BH magnetosphere, the force-free condition breaks down in the polar funnels. Applying the pulsar outer-magnetospheric lepton accelerator theory to supermassive BHs, we demonstrate that a strong electric field arises along the magnetic field lines in the direct vicinity of the event horizon in the funnels, that the electrons and positrons are accelerated up to 100 TeV in this vacuum gap, and that these leptons emit copious photons via inverse-Compton (IC) processes between 0.1 and 30 TeV for a distant observer. It is found that these IC fluxes will be detectable with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, provided that a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus is located within 1 Mpc for a million-solar-mass central BH or within 30 Mpc for a billion-solar-mass central BH. These very high energy fluxes are beamed in a relatively small solid angle around the rotation axis because of the inhomogeneous and anisotropic distribution of the RIAF photon field and show an anticorrelation with the RIAF submillimeter fluxes. The gap luminosity depends little on the 3D magnetic field configuration, because the Goldreich–Julian charge density, and hence the exerted electric field, is essentially governed by the frame-dragging effect, not by the magnetic field configuration.

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Two-dimensional Radiative Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Partial Ionization in the Chromosphere. II. Dynamics and Energetics of the Low Solar Atmosphere

We investigate the effects of interactions between ions and neutrals on the chromosphere and overlying corona using 2.5D radiative MHD simulations with the Bifrost code. We have extended the code capabilities implementing ion–neutral interaction effects using the generalized Ohm’s law, i.e., we include the Hall term and the ambipolar diffusion (Pedersen dissipation) in the induction equation. Our models span from the upper convection zone to the corona, with the photosphere, chromosphere, and transition region partially ionized. Our simulations reveal that the interactions between ionized particles and neutral particles have important consequences for the magnetothermodynamics of these modeled layers: (1) ambipolar diffusion increases the temperature in the chromosphere; (2) sporadically the horizontal magnetic field in the photosphere is diffused into the chromosphere, due to the large ambipolar diffusion; (3) ambipolar diffusion concentrates electrical currents, leading to more violent jets and reconnection processes, resulting in (3a) the formation of longer and faster spicules, (3b) heating of plasma during the spicule evolution, and (3c) decoupling of the plasma and magnetic field in spicules. Our results indicate that ambipolar diffusion is a critical ingredient for understanding the magnetothermodynamic properties in the chromosphere and transition region. The numerical simulations have been made publicly available, similar to previous Bifrost simulations. This will allow the community to study realistic numerical simulations with a wider range of magnetic field configurations and physics modules than previously possible.

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Is Proxima Centauri b Habitable? A Study of Atmospheric Loss

We address the important question of whether the newly discovered exoplanet, Proxima Centauri b (PCb), is capable of retaining an atmosphere over long periods of time. This is done by adapting a sophisticated multi-species MHD model originally developed for Venus and Mars and computing the ion escape losses from PCb. The results suggest that the ion escape rates are about two orders of magnitude higher than the terrestrial planets of our Solar system if PCb is unmagnetized. In contrast, if the planet does have an intrinsic dipole magnetic field, the rates are lowered for certain values of the stellar wind dynamic pressure, but they are still higher than the observed values for our solar system’s terrestrial planets. These results must be interpreted with due caution since most of the relevant parameters for PCb remain partly or wholly unknown.

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Megaparsec relativistic jets launched from an accreting supermassive black hole in an extreme spiral galaxy

The radio galaxy phenomenon is directly connected to mass-accreting, spinning supermassive black holes found in the active galactic nuclei. It is still unclear how the collimated jets of relativistic plasma on hundreds to thousands of kiloparsec scales form and why they are nearly always launched from the nuclei of bulge-dominated elliptical galaxies and not flat spirals. Here we present the discovery of the giant radio source J2345–0449 (z = 0.0755), a clear and extremely rare counterexample where relativistic jets are ejected from a luminous and massive spiral galaxy on a scale of ∼1.6 Mpc, the largest known so far. Extreme physical properties observed for this bulgeless spiral host, such as its high optical and infrared luminosity, large dynamical mass, rapid disk rotation, and episodic jet activity, are possibly the results of its unusual formation history, which has also assembled, via gas accretion from a disk, its central black hole of mass >2 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉}. The very high mid-IR luminosity of the galaxy suggests that it is actively forming stars and still building a massive disk. We argue that the launch of these powerful jets is facilitated by an advection-dominated, magnetized accretion flow at a low Eddington rate onto this unusually massive (for a bulgeless disk galaxy) and possibly fast spinning central black hole. Therefore, J2345–0449 is an extremely rare, unusual galactic system whose properties challenge the standard paradigms for black hole growth and the formation of relativistic jets in disk galaxies. Thus, it provides fundamental insight into accretion disk-relativistic jet coupling processes.

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HIERARCHICAL FRAGMENTATION OF THE ORION MOLECULAR FILAMENTS

We present a high angular resolution map of the 850 {mu}m continuum emission of the Orion Molecular Cloud-3 (OMC 3) obtained with the Submillimeter Array (SMA); the map is a mosaic of 85 pointings covering an approximate area of 6.'5 Multiplication-Sign 2.'0 (0.88 Multiplication-Sign 0.27 pc). We detect 12 spatially resolved continuum sources, each with an H{sub 2} mass between 0.3-5.7 M {sub Sun} and a projected source size between 1400-8200 AU. All the detected sources are on the filamentary main ridge (n{sub H{sub 2}}{>=}10{sup 6} cm{sup -3}), and analysis based on the Jeans theorem suggests that they are most likely gravitationally unstable. Comparison of multi-wavelength data sets indicates that of the continuum sources, 6/12 (50%) are associated with molecular outflows, 8/12 (67%) are associated with infrared sources, and 3/12 (25%) are associated with ionized jets. The evolutionary status of these sources ranges from prestellar cores to protostar phase, confirming that OMC-3 is an active region with ongoing embedded star formation. We detect quasi-periodical separations between the OMC-3 sources of Almost-Equal-To 17''/0.035 pc. This spatial distribution is part of a large hierarchical structure that also includes fragmentation scales of giant molecular cloud ( Almost-Equal-To 35 pc), large-scale clumps ( Almost-Equal-To 1.3 pc), and small-scale clumps ( Almost-Equal-To 0.3 pc), suggesting that hierarchical fragmentation operates within the Orion A molecular cloud. The fragmentation spacings are roughly consistent with the thermal fragmentation length in large-scale clumps, while for small-scale cores it is smaller than the local fragmentation length. These smaller spacings observed with the SMA can be explained by either a helical magnetic field, cloud rotation, or/and global filament collapse. Finally, possible evidence for sequential fragmentation is suggested in the northern part of the OMC-3 filament.

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PHASE-AVERAGED SPECTRA AND LUMINOSITIES OF GAMMA-RAY EMISSIONS FROM YOUNG ISOLATED PULSARS

We study the phase-averaged spectra and luminosities of {gamma}-ray emissions from young, isolated pulsars within a revised outer gap model. In the revised version of the outer gap, there are two possible cases for the outer gaps: the fractional size of the outer gap is estimated through the photon-photon pair process in the first case (Case I), and is limited by the critical field lines in the second case (Case II). The fractional size is described by Case I if the fractional size at the null charge surface in Case I is smaller than that in Case II, and vice versa. Such an outer gap can extend from the inner boundary, whose radial distance to the neutron star is less than that of the null charge surface to the light cylinder for a {gamma}-ray pulsar with a given magnetic inclination. When the shape of the outer gap is determined, assuming that high-energy emission at an averaged radius of the field line in the center of the outer gap, with a Gaussian distribution of the parallel electric field along the gap height, represents typical emission, the phase-averaged {gamma}-ray spectrum for a given pulsar can be estimated in the revised model with three model parameters. We apply the model to explain the phase-averaged spectra of the Vela (Case I) and Geminga (Case II) pulsars. We also use the model to fit the phase-averaged spectra of 54 young, isolated {gamma}-ray pulsars, and then calculate the {gamma}-ray luminosities and compare them with the observed data from Fermi-LAT.

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Chandra resolves the T Tauri binary system RW Aur

RW Aur is a multiple T Tauri system consisting of an early-K type primary (A) and a K5 companion (B) at a separation of 1.''4. RW Aur A drives a bipolar optical jet that is well characterized optically. We present results of a sensitive Chandra observation whose primary objective was to search for evidence of soft extended X-ray emission along the jet, as has been seen for a few other nearby T Tauri stars. The binary is clearly resolved by Chandra and both stars are detected as X-ray sources. The X-ray spectra of both stars reveal evidence for cool and hot plasma. Surprisingly, the X-ray luminosity of the less-massive secondary is at least twice that of the primary and is variable. The disparity is attributed to the primary whose X-ray luminosity is at the low end of the range for classical T Tauri stars of similar mass based on established correlations. Deconvolved soft-band images show evidence for slight outward elongation of the source structure of RW Aur A along the blueshifted jet axis inside the central arcsecond. In addition, a faint X-ray emission peak is present on the redshifted axis at an offset of 1.''2 ± 0.''2 from the star. Deprojected jet speeds determined from previous optical studies are too low to explain this faint emission peak as shock-heated jet plasma. Thus, unless flow speeds in the redshifted jet have been underestimated, other mechanisms such as magnetic jet heating may be involved.

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Reanalysis of c-type RR Lyrae variable BE Dor, period modulations and possible mechanism

ABSTRACT We reanalysed the c-type RR Lyrae star BE Dor (MACHO 5.4644.8, OGLE-LMC-RRLYR-06002) that had been discovered to show cyclic period changes. The photometric data of several sky surveys (DASCH, MACHO, OGLE, ASAS-SN, and TESS) were used for analyses. The O − C diagram and pulsation period obtained from Fourier analysis show significant period modulations in BE Dor. However, different from the previous viewpoint, the changes are quasi-periodic and abrupt. Therefore, the light-traveltime effect caused by the companion motion cannot explain the changes. Noting a same subtype star KIC 9453114 with similar phenomena has a high macroturbulent velocity, and the degree of O − C changes seem to be positively correlated with these velocities, we consider that the mechanism leading to period modulation should be caused by the interaction between turbulent convection and magnetic field activity in the ionization zone, i.e. the viewpoint of Stothers. It may not explain the general Blazhko effect but should explain such period modulations in BE Dor and those other c-type RR Lyrae stars. We hope our discoveries and viewpoints can provide some information and inspiration for relevant research.

Li, L-J↗

Interpreting near-infrared hydrogen line ratios in T Tauri stars

In accreting young stars, one of the prominent spectral features in the near-infrared is the Paschen and Brackett series in emission. We examine hydrogen line ratios for 16 classical T Tauri stars from SpeX spectra and assess the trends with veiling and accretion. The observed line ratios are compared with two theoretical models for line formation: (1) Baker and Menzel's Case B for radiative ionization and recombination and (2) a set of local line excitation calculations designed to replicate the conditions in T Tauri winds and magnetic accretion columns (KF). While the comparison between Case B and observed line ratios implies a wide range in electron density and temperature among the hydrogen line formation regions in T Tauri stars, the predictions of the local line excitation models give consistent results across multiple diagnostics. Under the assumptions of the local line excitation calculations, we find that n {sub H} in the hydrogen line formation region is constrained to 2 × 10{sup 10}-2 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup –3}, where stars with higher accretion rates have densities at the higher end of this range. Because of uncertainties in extinction, temperature is not well delineated, but falls within the range expected for collisional excitation to produce the line photons. We introduce new diagnostics for assessing extinction based on near-infrared hydrogen line ratios from the local line excitation calculations.

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Balloon-borne submillimeter polarimetry of the Vela C molecular cloud: systematic dependence of polarization fraction on column density and local polarization-angle dispersion

We present results for Vela C obtained during the 2012 flight of the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry. We mapped polarized intensity across almost the entire extent of this giant molecular cloud, in bands centered at 250, 350, and 500 μm. In this initial paper, we show our 500 μm data smoothed to a resolution of 2.′5 (approximately 0.5 pc). We show that the mean level of the fractional polarization p and most of its spatial variations can be accounted for using an empirical three-parameter power-law fit, p ∝ N{sup −0.45} S{sup −0.60}, where N is the hydrogen column density and S is the polarization-angle dispersion on 0.5 pc scales. The decrease of p with increasing S is expected because changes in the magnetic field direction within the cloud volume sampled by each measurement will lead to cancellation of polarization signals. The decrease of p with increasing N might be caused by the same effect, if magnetic field disorder increases for high column density sightlines. Alternatively, the intrinsic polarization efficiency of the dust grain population might be lower for material along higher density sightlines. We find no significant correlation between N and S. Comparison of observed submillimeter polarization maps with synthetic polarization maps derived from numerical simulations provides a promising method for testing star formation theories. Realistic simulations should allow for the possibility of variable intrinsic polarization efficiency. The measured levels of correlation among p, N, and S provide points of comparison between observations and simulations.

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