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At least 1,513 records · Page 84

SU-E-T-745: The Use of Electron Dense Materials for Quality Assurance Testing in a Magnetic Field

Purpose: Due to the effect of the magnetic field on the dose deposition (skewing the beam), machine quality assurance (QA) tests for the MR-linac (MRI combined with a linear accelerator) need to be redesigned. In this work we focus on the redesign of QA tests that address geometrical accuracy of the system. Methods: Using electron dense materials (e.g. copper in our experiment) the dose kernel is minimized and thereby the effect of the magnetic field on the dose distribution. This approach is supported by Monte-Carlo simulations and can be used in practice with film measurements. Two examples of QA tests are presented: beam profile and star-shot measurements. Results: The novel method was verified by performing both measurements on a conventional linac and the MR-linac with a film that was sandwiched between copper layers. Measurements were compared with a reference setup which was similar to setup used in clinical practice. On a conventional linac the experimental outcome showed good agreement between the reference and the new setup for both QA tests. The results from the MR-linac showed that the symmetry of the beam profile was restored in presence of the copper layers in the setup and that the isocenter size can be determined accurately with the introduced star-shot setup (see supporting material). Conclusion: The use of electron dense materials for QA tests was shown to be a simple and effective method to remove the effects on the dose distribution enabling assessment of geometrical accuracy of a MR-linac system. The use of high dense materials is not limited to the presented QA tests only, but has a broad applicability for beam specific QA tests in presence of a magnetic field.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF QUIET SUN TRANSITION REGION EMISSION?

Dating back to the first observations of the on-disk corona, there has been a qualitative link between the photosphere’s magnetic network and enhanced transition-temperature plasma emission. These observations led to the development of a general model that describes emission structures through the partitioning of the atmospheric volume with different magnetic loop geometries that exhibit different energetic equilibria. Does the internetwork produce transition-temperature emission? What fraction of network flux connects to the corona? How does quiet Sun emission compare with low-activity Sun-like stars? In this work, we revisit the canonical model of the quiet Sun, with high-resolution observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph ( IRIS ) and HMI in hand, to address those questions. We use over 900 deep exposures of Si iv 1393 Å from IRIS along with nearly simultaneous HMI magnetograms to quantify the correlation between transition-temperature emission structures and magnetic field concentrations through a number of novel statistics. Our observational results are coupled with analysis of the Bifrost MHD model and a large-scale potential field model. Our results paint a complex portrait of the quiet Sun. We measure an emission signature in the distant internetwork that cannot be attributed to network contribution. We find that the dimmest regions of emission are not linked to the local vertical magnetic field. Using the MHD simulation, we categorize the emission contribution from cool mid-altitude loops and high-altitude coronal loops and discuss the potential emission contribution of spicules. Our results provide new constraints on the coupled solar atmosphere so that we can build on our understanding of how dynamic thermal and magnetic structures generate the observed phenomena in the transition region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Pale Green Dot: A Method to Characterize Proxima Centauri b Using Exo-Aurorae

We examine the feasibility of detecting auroral emission from the potentially habitable exoplanet Proxima Centauri b. Detection of aurorae would yield an independent confirmation of the planet’s existence, constrain the presence and composition of its atmosphere, and determine the planet’s eccentricity and inclination, thereby breaking the mass-inclination degeneracy. If Proxima Centauri b is a terrestrial world with an Earth-like atmosphere and magnetic field, we estimate that the power at the 5577 Å O i auroral line is on the order of 0.1 TW under steady-state stellar wind, or ∼100× stronger than that on Earth. This corresponds to a planet–star contrast ratio of 10{sup −6}--10{sup −7} in a narrow band about the 5577 Å line, though higher contrast (10{sup −4}--10{sup −5}) may be possible during periods of strong magnetospheric disturbance (auroral power 1–10 TW). We searched the Proxima Centauri b HARPS data for the 5577 Å line and for other prominent oxygen and nitrogen lines, but find no signal, indicating that the O i auroral line contrast must be lower than 2×10{sup −2} (with power ≲3000 TW), consistent with our predictions. We find that observations of 0.1 TW auroral emission lines are likely infeasible with current and planned telescopes. However, future observations with a space-based coronagraphic telescope or a ground-based extremely large telescope (ELT) with a coronagraph could push sensitivity down to terawatt oxygen aurorae (contrast 7×10{sup −6}) with exposure times of ∼1 day. If a coronagraph design contrast of 10{sup −7} can be achieved with negligible instrumental noise, a future concept ELT could observe steady-state auroral emission in a few nights.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Transient Transit Signature Associated with the Young Star RIK-210

We find transient transit-like dimming events within the K2 time series photometry of the young star RIK-210 in the Upper Scorpius OB association. These dimming events are variable in depth, duration, and morphology. High spatial resolution imaging revealed that the star is single and radial velocity monitoring indicated that the dimming events cannot be due to an eclipsing stellar or brown dwarf companion. Archival and follow-up photometry suggest the dimming events are transient in nature. The variable morphology of the dimming events suggests they are not due to a single spherical body. The ingress of each dimming event is always shallower than egress, as one would expect for an orbiting body with a leading tail. The dimming events are periodic and synchronous with the stellar rotation. However, we argue it is unlikely the dimming events could be attributed to anything on the stellar surface based on the observed depths and durations. Variable obscuration by a protoplanetary disk is unlikely on the basis that the star is not actively accreting and lacks the infrared excess associated with an inner disk. Rather, we explore the possibilities that the dimming events are due to magnetospheric clouds, a transiting protoplanet surrounded by circumplanetary dust and debris, eccentric orbiting bodies undergoing periodic tidal disruption, or an extended field of dust or debris near the corotation radius.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Gamma-ray flares in the Crab Nebula: A case of relativistic reconnection?

The Crab Nebula was formed after the collapse of a massive star about a thousand years ago, leaving behind a pulsar that inflates a bubble of ultra-relativistic electron-positron pairs permeated with magnetic field. The observation of brief but bright flares of energetic gamma rays suggests that pairs are accelerated to PeV energies within a few days; such rapid acceleration cannot be driven by shocks. Here, it is argued that the flares may be the smoking gun of magnetic dissipation in the Nebula. Using 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations, it is shown that the observations are consistent with relativistic magnetic reconnection, where pairs are subject to strong radiative cooling. The Crab flares may highlight the importance of relativistic magnetic reconnection in astrophysical sources.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nonlinear magnetosonic waves in dense plasmas with non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic degenerate electrons

Linear and nonlinear propagation of magnetosonic waves in the perpendicular direction to the ambient magnetic field is studied in dense plasmas for non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic degenerate electrons pressure. The sources of nonlinearities are the divergence of the ions and electrons fluxes, Lorentz forces on ions and electrons fluids and the plasma current density in the system. The Korteweg-de Vries equation for magnetosonic waves propagating in the perpendicular direction of the magnetic field is derived by employing reductive perturbation method for non-relativistic as well as ultra-relativistic degenerate electrons pressure cases in dense plasmas. The plots of the magnetosonic wave solitons are also shown using numerical values of the plasma parameters such a plasma density and magnetic field intensity of the white dwarfs from literature. The dependence of plasma density and magnetic field intensity on the magnetosonic wave propagation is also pointed out in dense plasmas for both non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic degenerate electrons pressure cases.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

ON POSSIBLE VARIATIONS OF BASAL Ca II K CHROMOSPHERIC LINE PROFILES WITH THE SOLAR CYCLE

We use daily observations of the Ca II K line profiles of the Sun-as-a-star taken with the Integrated Sunlight Spectrometer from 2006 December through 2011 July to deconvolve the contributions from the quiet (basal) chromosphere and with magnetic network/plage areas. The 0.5 A emission index computed from basal profiles shows a significantly reduced modulation (as compared with one derived from the observed profiles) corresponding to the Sun's rotation. For basal contribution of the Ca II K line, the peak in power spectrum corresponding to solar rotation is broad and not well defined. Power spectra for the plage contribution show two narrow well-defined peaks corresponding to solar rotation at two distinct latitudes, in agreement with the latitudinal distribution of activity on the Sun at the end of Cycle 23 and beginning of Cycle 24. We use the lack of a signature of solar rotation in the basal (quiet Sun) component as an indication of a successful removal of the active Sun (plage) component. Even though the contribution from solar activity is removed from the basal line profiles, we find a weak dependency of intensity in the line core (K3) of basal profiles with the phase of the solar cycle. Such dependency could be the result of changes in thermal properties of basal chromosphere with the solar cycle. As an alternative explanation, we also discuss a possibility that the basal component does not change with the phase of the solar cycle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

GRB060218 AS A TIDAL DISRUPTION OF A WHITE DWARF BY AN INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLE

The highly unusual pair of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB060218 and an associated supernova, SN2006aj, has puzzled theorists for years. A supernova shock breakout and a jet from a newborn stellar mass compact object have been proposed to explain this pair's multiwavelength signature. Alternatively, we propose that the source is naturally explained by another channel: the tidal disruption of a white dwarf (WD) by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). This tidal disruption is accompanied by a tidal pinching, which leads to the ignition of a WD and a supernova. Some debris falls back onto the IMBH, forms a disk, which quickly amplifies the magnetic field, and launches a jet. We successfully fit soft X-ray spectra with the Comptonized blackbody emission from a jet photosphere. The optical/UV emission is consistent with self-absorbed synchrotron emission from the expanding jet front. The temporal dependence of the accretion rate M-dot (t) in a tidal disruption provides a good fit to the soft X-ray light curve. The IMBH mass is found to be about 10{sup 4} M{sub Sun} in three independent estimates: (1) fitting the tidal disruption M-dot (t) to the soft X-ray light curve, (2) computing the jet base radius in a jet photospheric emission model, and (3) inferring the mass of the central black hole based on the host dwarf galaxy's stellar mass. The position of the supernova is consistent with the center of the host galaxy, while the low supernova ejecta mass is consistent with that of a WD. The high expected rate of tidal disruptions in dwarf galaxies is consistent with one source observed by the Swift satellite over several years at a distance of 150 Mpc measured for GRB060218. Encounters with WDs provide much fuel for the growth of IMBHs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

UBIQUITOUS NON-THERMALS IN ASTROPHYSICAL PLASMAS: RESTATING THE DIFFICULTY OF MAINTAINING MAXWELLIANS

This paper outlines the rather narrow conditions on a radiatively decoupled plasma where a Maxwell-Boltzmann (MB) distribution can be assumed with confidence. The complementary non-thermal distribution with non-perturbative kurtosis is argued to have a much broader purview than has previously been accepted. These conditions are expressed in terms of the electron Knudsen number, K{sub e} , the ratio of the electron mean free path to the scale length of electron pressure. Rather generally, f(v < v{sub 2}(K{sub e} )) will be Gaussian, so that MB atomic or wave particle effects controlled by speeds v < v{sub 2} {identical_to} w(15/8K{sub e} ){sup 1/4} will remain defensible, where w is the most probable speed. The sufficient condition for Spitzer-Braginskii plasma fluid closure at the energy equation requires globally K{sub e} (s) {<=} 0.01; this global condition pertains to the maximum value of K{sub e} along the arc length s of the magnetic field (to its extremities) provided that contiguous plasma remains uncoupled from the radiation field. The non-thermal regime K{sub e} > 0.01 is common in all main-sequence stellar atmospheres above approximately 0.05 stellar radii from the surface. The entire solar corona and wind are included in this regime where non-thermal distributions with kurtosis are shown to be ubiquitous, heat flux is not well modeled by Spitzer-Braginskii closure, and fluid modeling is qualitative at best.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Why is there a dearth of close-in planets around fast-rotating stars?

We propose that the reported dearth of Kepler objects of interest (KOIs) with orbital periods P {sub orb} ≲ 2-3 days around stars with rotation periods P {sub rot} ≲ 5-10 days can be attributed to tidal ingestion of close-in planets by their host stars. We show that the planet distribution in this region of the log P {sub orb}-log P {sub rot} plane is qualitatively reproduced with a model that incorporates tidal interaction and magnetic braking as well as the dependence on the stellar core-envelope coupling timescale. We demonstrate the consistency of this scenario with the inferred break in the P {sub orb} distribution of close-in KOIs and point out a potentially testable prediction of this interpretation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

On the origin of GeV emission in gamma-ray bursts

The most common progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are massive stars with strong stellar winds. We show that the GRB blast wave in the wind should emit a bright GeV flash. It is produced by inverse-Compton cooling of the thermal plasma behind the forward shock. The main part of the flash is shaped by scattering of the prompt MeV radiation (emitted at smaller radii) which streams through the external blast wave. The inverse-Compton flash is bright due to the huge e {sup ±} enrichment of the external medium by the prompt radiation ahead of the blast wave. At late times, the blast wave switches to normal synchrotron-self-Compton cooling. The mechanism is demonstrated by a detailed transfer simulation. The observed prompt MeV radiation is taken as an input of the simulation; we use GRB 080916C as an example. The result reproduces the GeV flash observed by the Fermi telescope. It explains the delayed onset, the steep rise, the peak flux, the time of the peak, the long smooth decline, and the spectral slope of GeV emission. The wind density required to reproduce all these features is typical of Wolf-Rayet stars. Our simulation predicts strong TeV emission 1 minute after the burst trigger; then a cutoff in the observed high-energy spectrum is expected from absorption by extragalactic background light. In addition, a bright optical counterpart of the GeV flash is predicted for plausible values of the magnetic field; such a double (optical+GeV) flash has been observed in GRB 130427A.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Constraining the physical conditions in the jets of γ-ray flaring blazars using centimeter-band polarimetry and radiative transfer simulations. I. Data and models for 0420–014, OJ 287, and 1156+295

To investigate parsec-scale jet flow conditions during GeV γ-ray flares detected by the Fermi Large Angle Telescope, we obtained centimeter-band total flux density and linear polarization monitoring observations from 2009.5 through 2012.5 with the 26 m Michigan radio telescope for a sample of core-dominated blazars. We use these data to constrain radiative transfer simulations incorporating propagating shocks oriented at an arbitrary angle to the flow direction in order to set limits on the jet flow and shock parameters during flares temporally associated with γ-ray flares in 0420–014, OJ 287, and 1156+295; these active galactic nuclei exhibited the expected signature of shocks in the linear polarization data. Both the number of shocks comprising an individual radio outburst (3 and 4) and the range of the compression ratios of the individual shocks (0.5-0.8) are similar in all three sources; the shocks are found to be forward-moving with respect to the flow. While simulations incorporating transverse shocks provide good fits for 0420–014 and 1156+295, oblique shocks are required for modeling the OJ 287 outburst, and an unusually low value of the low-energy cutoff of the radiating particles' energy distribution is also identified. Our derived viewing angles and shock speeds are consistent with independent Very Long Baseline Array results. While a random component dominates the jet magnetic field, as evidenced by the low fractional linear polarization, to reproduce the observed spectral character requires that a significant fraction of the magnetic field energy is in an ordered axial component. Both straight and low pitch angle helical field lines are viable scenarios.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Magnetic field generation in core-sheath jets via the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability

We have investigated magnetic field generation in velocity shears via the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (kKHI) using a relativistic plasma jet core and stationary plasma sheath. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations consider plasma jet cores with Lorentz factors of 1.5, 5, and 15 for both electron-proton and electron-positron plasmas. For electron-proton plasmas, we find generation of strong large-scale DC currents and magnetic fields that extend over the entire shear surface and reach thicknesses of a few tens of electron skin depths. For electron-positron plasmas, we find generation of alternating currents and magnetic fields. Jet and sheath plasmas are accelerated across the shear surface in the strong magnetic fields generated by the kKHI. The mixing of jet and sheath plasmas generates a transverse structure similar to that produced by the Weibel instability.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Dynamical instability of white dwarfs and breaking of spherical symmetry under the presence of extreme magnetic fields

Massive, highly magnetized white dwarfs with fields up to 10{sup 9} G have been observed and theoretically used for the description of a variety of astrophysical phenomena. Ultramagnetized white dwarfs with uniform interior fields up to 10{sup 18} G have been recently purported to obey a new maximum mass limit, M {sub max} ≈ 2.58 M {sub ☉}, which largely overcomes the traditional Chandrasekhar value, M {sub Ch} ≈ 1.44 M {sub ☉}. Such a larger limit would make these astrophysical objects viable candidates for the explanation of the superluminous population of Type Ia supernovae. We show that several macro and micro physical aspects such as gravitational, dynamical stability, breaking of spherical symmetry, general relativity, inverse β decay, and pycnonuclear fusion reactions are of most relevance for the self-consistent description of the structure and assessment of stability of these objects. It is shown in this work that the first family of magnetized white dwarfs indeed satisfy all the criteria of stability, while the ultramagnetized white dwarfs are very unlikely to exist in nature since they violate minimal requests of stability. Therefore, the canonical Chandrasekhar mass limit of white dwarfs still has to be applied.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Interacting tilt and kink instabilities in repelling current channels

We present a numerical study in resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) where the initial equilibrium configuration contains adjacent, oppositely directed, parallel current channels. Since oppositely directed current channels repel, the equilibrium is liable to an ideal magnetohydrodynamic tilt instability. This tilt evolution, previously studied in planar settings, involves two magnetic islands or flux ropes, which on Alfvénic timescales undergo a combined rotation and separation. This in turn leads to the creation of (near) singular current layers, posing severe challenges to numerical approaches. Using our open-source grid-adaptive MPI-AMRVAC software, we revisit the planar evolution case in compressible MHD, as well as its extension to two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5D) and full three-dimensional (3D) scenarios. As long as the third dimension can be ignored, pure tilt evolutions result that are hardly affected by out of plane magnetic field components. In all 2.5D runs, our simulations do show secondary tearing type disruptions throughout the near singular current sheets in the far nonlinear saturation regime. In full 3D runs, both current channels can be liable to additional ideal kink deformations. We discuss the effects of having both tilt and kink instabilities acting simultaneously in the violent, reconnection-dominated evolution. In 3D, both the tilt and the kink instabilities can be stabilized by tension forces. As a concrete space plasma application, we argue that interacting tilt-kink instabilities in repelling current channels provide a novel route to initiate solar coronal mass ejections, distinctly different from the currently favored pure kink or torus instability routes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

ACCRETING CIRCUMPLANETARY DISKS: OBSERVATIONAL SIGNATURES

I calculate the spectral energy distributions of accreting circumplanetary disks using atmospheric radiative transfer models. Circumplanetary disks only accreting at 10{sup –10} M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} around a 1 M{sub J} planet can be brighter than the planet itself. A moderately accreting circumplanetary disk ( M-dot ∼10{sup −8} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}; enough to form a 10 M{sub J} planet within 1 Myr) around a 1 M{sub J} planet has a maximum temperature of ∼2000 K, and at near-infrared wavelengths (J, H, K bands), this disk is as bright as a late-M-type brown dwarf or a 10 M{sub J} planet with a ''hot start''. To use direct imaging to find the accretion disks around low-mass planets (e.g., 1 M{sub J} ) and distinguish them from brown dwarfs or hot high-mass planets, it is crucial to obtain photometry at mid-infrared bands (L', M, N bands) because the emission from circumplanetary disks falls off more slowly toward longer wavelengths than those of brown dwarfs or planets. If young planets have strong magnetic fields (≳100 G), fields may truncate slowly accreting circumplanetary disks ( M-dot ≲10{sup −9} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}) and lead to magnetospheric accretion, which can provide additional accretion signatures, such as UV/optical excess from the accretion shock and line emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A theoretical model of a thinning current sheet in the low-β plasmas

Magnetic reconnection is an important physical process in various explosive phenomena in the universe. In previous studies, it was found that fast reconnection takes place when the thickness of a current sheet becomes on the order of a microscopic length such as the ion Larmor radius or the ion inertial length. In this study, we investigated the pinching process of a current sheet by the Lorentz force in a low-β plasma using one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations. It is known that there is an exact self-similar solution for this problem that neglects gas pressure. We compared the non-linear MHD dynamics with the analytic self-similar solution. From the MHD simulations, we found that with the gas pressure included the implosion process deviates from the analytic self-similar solution as t→t{sub 0}, where t{sub 0} is the explosion time when the thickness of a current sheet of the analytic solution becomes 0. We also found that a pair of MHD fast-mode shocks is generated and propagates after the formation of the pinched current sheet as t→t{sub 0}. On the basis of the Rankine–Hugoniot relations, we derived the scaling law of the physical quantities with respect to the initial plasma beta in the pinched current sheet. Our study could help us estimate the physical quantities in the pinched current sheet formed in a low-β plasma.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Intrinsic Rotation in Axisymmetric Devices

Toroidal rotation is critical for fusion in tokamaks, since it stabilizes instabilities that can otherwise cause disruptions or degrade confinement. Unlike present-day devices, ITER might not have enough neutral-beam torque to easily avoid these instabilities. We must therefore understand how the plasma rotates intrinsically, that is, without applied torque. Experimentally, torque-free plasmas indeed rotate, with profiles that are often non-flat and even non-monotonic. The rotation depends on many plasma parameters including collisionality and plasma current, and exhibits sudden bifurcations (rotation reversals) at critical parameter values.Since toroidal angular momentum is conserved in axisymmetric systems, and since experimentally inferred momentum transport is much too large to be neoclassical, theoretical work has focused on rotation drive by nondiffusive turbulent momentum fluxes. In the edge, intrinsic rotation relaxes to a steady state in which the total momentum outflux from the plasma vanishes. Ion drift orbits, scrape-off-layer flows, separatrix geometry, and turbulence intensity gradient all play a role. In the core, nondiffusive and viscous momentum fluxes balance to set the rotation gradient at each flux surface. Although many mechanisms have been proposed for the nondiffusive fluxes, most are treated in one of two distinct but related gyrokinetic formulations. In a radially local fluxtube, appropriate for rho star <<1, the lowest-order gyrokinetic formulations exhibit a symmetry that prohibits nondiffusive momentum flux for nonrotating plasmas in an up- down symmetric magnetic geometry with no ExB shear. Many symmetry-breaking mechanisms have been identified, but none have yet been conclusively demonstrated to drive a strong enough flux to explain commonly observed experimental rotation profiles. Radially global gyrokinetic simulations naturally include many symmetry-breaking mechanisms, and have shown cases with experimentally relevant levels of nondiffusive flux. These promising early results motivate further work to analyze, verify, and validate.This article provides a pedagogical introduction to intrinsic rotation in axisymmetric devices. Intended for both newcomers to the topic and experienced practitioners, the article reviews a broad range of topics including experimental and theoretical results for both edge and core rotation, while maintaining a focus on the underlying concepts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗