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At least 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

LARGE-AMPLITUDE VARIATIONS OF AN L/T TRANSITION BROWN DWARF: MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF PATCHY, HIGH-CONTRAST CLOUD FEATURES

We present multiple-epoch photometric monitoring in the J, H, and K{sub s} bands of the T1.5 dwarf 2MASS J21392676+0220226 (2M2139), revealing persistent, periodic (P = 7.721 {+-} 0.005 hr) variability with a peak-to-peak amplitude as high as 26% in the J band. The light curve shape varies on a timescale of days, suggesting that evolving atmospheric cloud features are responsible. Using interpolations between model atmospheres with differing cloud thicknesses to represent a heterogeneous surface, we find that the multi-wavelength variations and the near-infrared spectrum of 2M2139 can be reproduced by either (1) cool, thick cloud features sitting above a thinner cloud layer, or (2) warm regions of low condensate opacity in an otherwise cloudy atmosphere, possibly indicating the presence of holes or breaks in the cloud layer. We find that temperature contrasts between thick and thin cloud patches must be greater than 175 K and as high as 425 K. We also consider whether the observed variability could arise from an interacting binary system, but this scenario is ruled out. 2M2139 joins the T2.5 dwarf SIMP0136 discovered by Artigau and coworkers as the second L/T transition brown dwarf to display large-amplitude variability on rotational timescales, suggesting that the fragmentation of dust clouds at the L/T transition may contribute to the abrupt decline in condensate opacity and J-band brightening observed to occur over this regime.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

MEASURING BARYON ACOUSTIC OSCILLATIONS ON 21 cm INTENSITY FLUCTUATIONS AT MODERATE REDSHIFTS

After reionization, emission in the 21 cm hyperfine transition provides a direct probe of neutral hydrogen distributed in galaxies. Different from galaxy redshift surveys, observation of baryon acoustic oscillations in the cumulative 21 cm emission may offer an attractive method for constraining dark energy properties at moderate redshifts. Keys to this program are techniques to extract the faint cosmological signal from various contaminants, such as detector noise and continuum foregrounds. In this paper, we investigate the possible systematic and statistical errors in the acoustic scale estimates using ground-based radio interferometers. Based on the simulated 21 cm interferometric measurements, we analyze the performance of a Fourier-space, light-of-sight algorithm in subtracting foregrounds, and further study the observing strategy as a function of instrumental configurations. Measurement uncertainties are presented from a suite of simulations with a variety of parameters, in order to have an estimate of what behaviors will be accessible in the future generation of hydrogen surveys. We find that 10 separate interferometers, each of which contains {approx}300 dishes, observing an independent patch of the sky and producing an instantaneous field of view (FOV) of {approx}100 deg{sup 2}, can be used to make a significant detection of acoustic features over a period of a few years. Compared to optical surveys, the broad bandwidth, wide FOV, and multi-beam observation are all unprecedented capabilities of low-frequency radio experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

GALAXY-SCALE STAR FORMATION ON THE RED SEQUENCE: THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF S0s AND THE QUIESCENCE OF ELLIPTICALS

This paper examines star formation (SF) in relatively massive, primarily early-type galaxies (ETGs) at z {approx} 0.1. A sample is drawn from bulge-dominated Galaxy Evolution Explorer/Sloan Digital Sky Survey (GALEX/SDSS) galaxies on the optical red sequence with strong UV excess and yet quiescent SDSS spectra. High-resolution far-UV imaging of 27 such ETGs using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel (ACS/SBC) reveals structured UV morphology in 93% of the sample, consistent with low-level ongoing SF ({approx}0.5 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}). In 3/4 of the sample the SF is extended on galaxy scales (25-75 kpc), while the rest contains smaller (5-15 kpc) SF patches in the vicinity of an ETG-presumably gas-rich satellites being disrupted. Optical imaging reveals that all ETGs with galaxy-scale SF in our sample have old stellar disks (mostly S0 type). None is classified as a true elliptical. In our sample, galaxy-scale SF takes the form of UV rings of varying sizes and morphologies. For the majority of such objects we conclude that the gas needed to fuel current SF has been accreted from the intergalactic medium, probably in a prolonged, quasi-static manner, leading in some cases to additional disk buildup. The remaining ETGs with galaxy-scale SF have UV and optical morphologies consistent with minor merger-driven SF or with the final stages of SF in fading spirals. Our analysis excludes that all recent SF on the red sequence resulted from gas-rich mergers. We find further evidence that galaxy-scale SF is almost exclusively an S0 phenomenon ({approx}20% S0s have SF) by examining the overall optically red SDSS ETGs. Conclusion is that significant number of field S0s maintain or resume low-level SF because the preventive feedback is not in place or is intermittent. True ellipticals, on the other hand, stay entirely quiescent even in the field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND INDUCED POLARIZATION FROM SINGLE SCATTERING BY CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES AND FILAMENTS

We present light-cone-integrated simulations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization signal induced by a single scattering in the direction of clusters of galaxies and filaments. We characterize the statistical properties of the induced polarization signals from the presence of the CMB quadrupole component (pqiCMB) and as the result of the transverse motion of ionized gas clouds with respect to the CMB rest frame (p{beta}{sup 2}{sub t}SZ). From adiabatic N-body/hydrodynamic simulations, we generated 28 random sky patches integrated along the light cone, each with about 0.86 deg{sup 2} and angular resolution of 6''. Our simulation method involves a box-stacking scheme that allows to reconstruct the CMB quadrupole component and the gas physical properties along the line of sight. We find that the linear polarization degree in the logarithmic scale of both effects follows approximately a Gaussian distribution and the mean total signal is about 10{sup -8} and 10{sup -10} for the pqiCMB and p{beta}{sup 2}{sub t}SZ effects, respectively. The polarization angle is consistent with a flat distribution in both cases. From the mean distributions of the polarization degree with redshift, the highest peak is found at z {approx_equal} 1 for the induced CMB quadrupole and at z {approx_equal} 0.5 for the kinematic component. Our results suggest that most of the contribution for the total polarization signal arises from z {approx}< 4 for the pqiCMB and z {approx}< 3 for p{beta}{sup 2}{sub t}SZ. The spectral dependency of both integrated signals is strong, increasing with the frequency, especially in the case of the p{beta}{sup 2}{sub t}SZ signal, which increases by a factor of 100 from 30 GHz to 675 GHz. The maxima values found at the highest frequency are about 3 {mu}K and 13 {mu}K for the pqiCMB and p{beta}{sup 2}{sub t}SZ, respectively. The angular power spectra of these effects peak at large multipoles l > 10{sup 4}, being of the order of 10{sup -5} {mu}K{sup 2} for pqiCMB polarization and 10{sup -7} {mu}K{sup 2} for the p{beta}{sup 2}{sub t}SZ effect. Therefore, these effects will not be a relevant source of contamination for measurements of the primary polarization modes, and at larger multipoles of roughly l > 40, 000, pqiCMB may be the dominant component over the primary and lensing signals.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ON THE ORIGINS OF THE DIFFUSE H{alpha} EMISSION: IONIZED GAS OR DUST-SCATTERED H{alpha} HALOS?

It is known that the diffuse H{alpha} emission outside of bright H II regions not only are very extended, but also can occur in distinct patches or filaments far from H II regions, and the line ratios of [S II] {lambda}6716/H{alpha} and [N II] {lambda}6583/H{alpha} observed far from bright H II regions are generally higher than those in the H II regions. These observations have been regarded as evidence against the dust-scattering origin of the diffuse H{alpha} emission (including other optical lines), and the effect of dust scattering has been neglected in studies on the diffuse H{alpha} emission. In this paper, we reexamine the arguments against dust scattering and find that the dust-scattering origin of the diffuse H{alpha} emission cannot be ruled out. As opposed to the previous contention, the expected dust-scattered H{alpha} halos surrounding H II regions are, in fact, in good agreement with the observed H{alpha} morphology. We calculate an extensive set of photoionization models by varying elemental abundances, ionizing stellar types, and clumpiness of the interstellar medium (ISM) and find that the observed line ratios of [S II]/H{alpha}, [N II]/H{alpha}, and He I {lambda}5876/H{alpha} in the diffuse ISM accord well with the dust-scattered halos around H II regions, which are photoionized by late O- and/or early B-type stars. We also demonstrate that the H{alpha} absorption feature in the underlying continuum from the dust-scattered starlight ({sup d}iffuse galactic light{sup )} and unresolved stars is able to substantially increase the [S II]/H{alpha} and [N II]/H{alpha} line ratios in the diffuse ISM.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CHARACTER OF PRE-EXPLOSION CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA SHOCK MOTION

We investigate the structure of the stalled supernova shock in both two and three dimensions (2D and 3D, respectively) and explore the differences in the effects of neutrino heating and the standing accretion shock instability (SASI). We find that early on the amplitude of the dipolar mode of the shock is factors of {approx}2-3 smaller in 3D than in 2D. However, later in both 3D and 2D, the monopole and dipole modes start to grow until explosion. Whereas in 2D, the (l, m) = (1, 0) mode changes sign quasi-periodically, producing the 'up-and-down' motion always seen in modern 2D simulations, in 3D this almost never happens. Rather, in 3D when the dipolar mode starts to grow, it grows in magnitude and wanders stochastically in direction until settling before explosion to a particular patch of solid angle. Furthermore, in 2D, we find that the amplitude of the dipolar shock deformation separates into two classes. For the first, identified with the SASI and for a wide range of 'low' neutrino luminosities, this amplitude remains small and roughly constant. For the other, identified with higher luminosities and neutrino-driven convection, the dipolar amplitude grows sharply. Importantly, it is only for this higher luminosity class that we see neutrino-driven explosions within {approx}1 s of bounce. Moreover, for the 'low' luminosity runs (including zero), the power spectra of these dipolar oscillations peak in the 30-50 Hz range associated with advection timescales, while for the high-luminosity runs the power spectra at lower frequencies are significantly more prominent. We associate this enhanced power at lower frequencies with slower convective effects and the secular growth of the dipolar shock amplitude. Though our study involves a simplified, parameterized approach, on the basis of it we hypothesize that neutrino-driven buoyant convection should almost always dominate the SASI when the supernova explosion is neutrino-driven.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

STUDY OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELD OF ACTIVE REGION 11117 AROUND THE TIME OF A CONFINED FLARE USING A DATA-DRIVEN CESE-MHD MODEL

We apply a data-driven magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model to investigate the three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field of NOAA active region (AR) 11117 around the time of a C-class confined flare that occurred on 2010 October 25. The MHD model, based on the spacetime conservation-element and solution-element scheme, is designed to focus on the magnetic field evolution and to consider a simplified solar atomsphere with finite plasma {beta}. Magnetic vector-field data derived from the observations at the photosphere is inputted directly to constrain the model. Assuming that the dynamic evolution of the coronal magnetic field can be approximated by successive equilibria, we solve a time sequence of MHD equilibria based on a set of vector magnetograms for AR 11117 taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory around the time of the flare. The model qualitatively reproduces the basic structures of the 3D magnetic field, as supported by the visual similarity between the field lines and the coronal loops observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, which shows that the coronal field can indeed be well characterized by the MHD equilibrium in most cases. The magnetic configuration changes very little during the studied time interval of 2 hr. A topological analysis reveals that the small flare is correlated with a bald patch (BP, where the magnetic field is tangent to the photosphere), suggesting that the energy release of the flare can be understood by magnetic reconnection associated with the BP separatrices. The total magnetic flux and energy keep increasing slightly in spite of the flare, while the computed magnetic free energy drops during the flare by {approx}10{sup 30} erg, which seems to be adequate in providing the energy budget of a minor C-class confined flare.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

OBSERVATION OF HIGH-SPEED OUTFLOWS IN CORONAL LOOPS ASSOCIATED WITH PHOTOSPHERIC MAGNETIC FIELD EVOLUTION

Using SDO/AIA instruments, we provide an EUV observation of two adjacent loop strands (Loops 1 and 2) with one side of their footpoints rooted in the boundaries of active region (AR) NOAA 11158 and the other side in the quiet-Sun regions. The AR footpoints of Loop 1 were located in monopolar magnetic areas and those of Loop 2 in mixed polar areas (SDO/HMI magnetograms). There were no apparent outflows found in Loop 1 in 10 hr of observations, whereas in Loop 2, the outflows were detected throughout the whole observation with an average speed of 120-150 km s{sup -1}. We find clear evidence of magnetic reconnections occurring in the AR footpoints of Loop 2 (the opposite magnetic polarities came close and then a part of them disappeared) and magnetic flux dispersal in the quiet-Sun footpoints (a patch of positive polarities decayed with time). Furthermore, with Hinode/SOT observations, there were no significant Ca II H brightenings detected at the loop footpoints of Loop 2 at the chromospheric heights in response to those of the AIA 171 A and 304 A channels when four strong outflow events took place in the loops, which seem to differ from the conclusions of previous studies. In other studies, the rapid coronal outflows along the coronal loops were found to originate from the chromosphere through transient events (e.g., type II spicules).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

HST SPECTRAL MAPPING OF L/T TRANSITION BROWN DWARFS REVEALS CLOUD THICKNESS VARIATIONS

Most directly imaged giant exoplanets are fainter than brown dwarfs with similar spectra. To explain their relative underluminosity, unusually cloudy atmospheres have been proposed. However, with multiple parameters varying between any two objects, it remained difficult to observationally test this idea. We present a new method, sensitive time-resolved Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared spectroscopy, to study two rotating L/T transition brown dwarfs (2M2139 and SIMP0136). The observations provide spatially and spectrally resolved mapping of the cloud decks of the brown dwarfs. The data allow the study of cloud structure variations while other parameters are unchanged. We find that both brown dwarfs display variations of identical nature: J- and H-band brightness variations with minimal color and spectral changes. Our light curve models show that even the simplest surface brightness distributions require at least three elliptical spots. We show that for each source the spectral changes can be reproduced with a linear combination of only two different spectra, i.e., the entire surface is covered by two distinct types of regions. Modeling the color changes and spectral variations together reveal patchy cloud covers consisting of a spatially heterogeneous mix of low-brightness, low-temperature thick clouds and brighter, thin, and warm clouds. We show that the same thick cloud patches seen in our varying brown dwarf targets, if extended to the entire photosphere, predict near-infrared colors/magnitudes matching the range occupied by the directly imaged exoplanets that are cooler and less luminous than brown dwarfs with similar spectral types. This supports the models in which thick clouds are responsible for the near-infrared properties of these ''underluminous'' exoplanets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

RESIDUAL ENERGY SPECTRUM OF SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE

It has long been known that the energy in velocity and magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind is not in equipartition. In this paper, we present an analysis of 5 yr of Wind data at 1 AU to investigate the reason for this. The residual energy (difference between energy in velocity and magnetic field fluctuations) was calculated using both the standard magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) normalization for the magnetic field and a kinetic version, which includes temperature anisotropies and drifts between particle species. It was found that with the kinetic normalization, the fluctuations are closer to equipartition, with a mean normalized residual energy of {sigma}{sub r} = -0.19 and mean Alfven ratio of r{sub A} = 0.71. The spectrum of residual energy, in the kinetic normalization, was found to be steeper than both the velocity and magnetic field spectra, consistent with some recent MHD turbulence predictions and numerical simulations, having a spectral index close to -1.9. The local properties of residual energy and cross helicity were also investigated, showing that globally balanced intervals with small residual energy contain local patches of larger imbalance and larger residual energy at all scales, as expected for nonlinear turbulent interactions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

PRIMORDIAL GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTABILITY WITH DEEP SMALL-SKY COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND EXPERIMENTS

We use the Bayesian estimation on direct T - Q - U cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization maps to forecast errors on the tensor-to-scalar power ratio r, and hence on primordial gravitational waves, as a function of sky coverage f{sub sky}. This map-based likelihood filters the information in the pixel-pixel space into the optimal combinations needed for r detection for cut skies, providing enhanced information over a first-step linear separation into a combination of E, B, and mixed modes, and ignoring the latter. With current computational power and for typical resolutions appropriate for r detection, the large matrix inversions required are accurate and fast. Our simulations explore two classes of experiments, with differing bolometric detector numbers, sensitivities, and observational strategies. One is motivated by a long duration balloon experiment like Spider, with pixel noise {proportional_to}{radical}(f{sub sky}) for a specified observing period. This analysis also applies to ground-based array experiments. We find that, in the absence of systematic effects and foregrounds, an experiment with Spider-like noise concentrating on f{sub sky} {approx} 0.02-0.2 could place a 2{sigma}{sub r} Almost-Equal-To 0.014 boundary ({approx}95% confidence level), which rises to 0.02 with an l-dependent foreground residual left over from an assumed efficient component separation. We contrast this with a Planck-like fixed instrumental noise as f{sub sky} varies, which gives a Galaxy-masked (f{sub sky} = 0.75) 2{sigma}{sub r} Almost-Equal-To 0.015, rising to Almost-Equal-To 0.05 with the foreground residuals. Using as the figure of merit the (marginalized) one-dimensional Shannon entropy of r, taken relative to the first 2003 WMAP CMB-only constraint, gives -2.7 bits from the 2012 WMAP9+ACT+SPT+LSS data, and forecasts of -6 bits from Spider (+ Planck); this compares with up to -11 bits for CMBPol, COrE, and PIXIE post-Planck satellites and -13 bits for a perfectly noiseless cosmic variance limited experiment. We thus confirm the wisdom of the current strategy for r detection of deeply probed patches covering the f{sub sky} minimum-error trough with balloon and ground experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A 189 MHz, 2400 deg{sup 2} POLARIZATION SURVEY WITH THE MURCHISON WIDEFIELD ARRAY 32-ELEMENT PROTOTYPE

We present a Stokes I, Q and U survey at 189 MHz with the Murchison Widefield Array 32 element prototype covering 2400 deg{sup 2}. The survey has a 15.6 arcmin angular resolution and achieves a noise level of 15 mJy beam{sup -1}. We demonstrate a novel interferometric data analysis that involves calibration of drift scan data, integration through the co-addition of warped snapshot images, and deconvolution of the point-spread function through forward modeling. We present a point source catalog down to a flux limit of 4 Jy. We detect polarization from only one of the sources, PMN J0351-2744, at a level of 1.8% {+-} 0.4%, whereas the remaining sources have a polarization fraction below 2%. Compared to a reported average value of 7% at 1.4 GHz, the polarization fraction of compact sources significantly decreases at low frequencies. We find a wealth of diffuse polarized emission across a large area of the survey with a maximum peak of {approx}13 K, primarily with positive rotation measure values smaller than +10 rad m{sup -2}. The small values observed indicate that the emission is likely to have a local origin (closer than a few hundred parsecs). There is a large sky area at {alpha} {>=} 2{sup h}30{sup m} where the diffuse polarized emission rms is fainter than 1 K. Within this area of low Galactic polarization we characterize the foreground properties in a cold sky patch at ({alpha}, {delta}) = (4{sup h}, -27. Degree-Sign 6) in terms of three-dimensional power spectra.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DUSTY OB STARS IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD. II. EXTRAGALACTIC DISKS OR EXAMPLES OF THE PLEIADES PHENOMENON?

We use mid-infrared Spitzer spectroscopy and far-infrared Herschel photometry for a sample of 20 main sequence O9-B2 stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with strong 24 {mu}m excesses to investigate the origin of the mid-IR emission. Either debris disks around the stars or illuminated patches of dense interstellar medium (ISM) can cause such mid-IR emission. In a companion paper, Paper I, we use optical spectroscopy to show that it is unlikely for any of these sources to be classical Be stars or Herbig Ae/Be stars. We focus our analysis on debris disks and cirrus hot spots. The local, prototype objects for these models are the debris disk around Vega and the heated dust cloud surrounding the stars in the Pleiades, also known as a cirrus hot spot. These two cases predict different dust masses, radii, origins, and structures, but the cleanest classification tools are lost by the poor physical resolution at the distance of the SMC. We also consider transition disks, which would have observable properties similar to debris disks. We begin classification by measuring angular extent in the highest resolution mid-IR images available. We find 3 out of 20 stars to be significantly extended, establishing them as cirrus hot spots. We then fit the IR spectral energy distributions to determine dust temperatures and masses. Analysis yields minimum grain sizes, thermal equilibrium distances, and the resultant dust mass estimates. We find the dust masses in the SMC stars to be larger than for any known debris disks. The difference in inferred properties is driven by the SMC stars being hotter and more luminous than known debris disk hosts and not in any directly observed dust properties, so this evidence against the debris disk hypothesis is circumstantial. Finally, we created a local comparison sample of bright mid-IR OB stars in the Milky Way (MW) by cross-matching the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Hipparcos catalogs. We find that of the thousands of nearby ({<=}1 kpc) hot stars in the MW that show a mid-IR excess, only a small fraction (few percent) match the high mid-IR luminosities of the SMC stars. All such local stars in the appropriate luminosity range that can be unambiguously classified are young stars with optical emission lines or are spatially resolved by WISE with sizes too large to be plausible debris disk candidates. We conclude that the very strong mid-IR flux excesses are most likely explained as cirrus hot spots, although we cannot rigorously rule out that a small fraction of the sample is made up of debris disks or transition disks. We present suggestive evidence that bow-shock heating around runaway stars may be a contributing mechanism to the interstellar emission. These sources, interpreted as cirrus hot spots, offer a new localized probe of diffuse interstellar dust in a low metallicity environment.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

ELLERMAN BOMBS AT HIGH RESOLUTION. II. TRIGGERING, VISIBILITY, AND EFFECT ON UPPER ATMOSPHERE

We use high-resolution imaging spectroscopy with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) to study the transient brightenings of the wings of the Balmer H{alpha} line in emerging active regions that are called Ellerman bombs. Simultaneous sampling of Ca II 8542 A with the SST confirms that most Ellerman bombs also occur in the wings of this line, but with markedly different morphology. Simultaneous images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) show that Ellerman bombs are also detectable in the photospheric 1700 A continuum, again with differing morphology. They are also observable in 1600 A SDO images, but with much contamination from C IV emission in transition-region features. Simultaneous SST spectropolarimetry in Fe I 6301 A shows that Ellerman bombs occur at sites of strong-field magnetic flux cancellation between small bipolar strong-field patches that rapidly move together over the solar surface. Simultaneous SDO images in He II 304 A, Fe IX 171 A, and Fe XIV 211 A show no clear effect of the Ellerman bombs on the overlying transition region and corona. These results strengthen our earlier suggestion, based on H{alpha} morphology alone, that the Ellerman bomb phenomenon is a purely photospheric reconnection phenomenon.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Plasma composition in a sigmoidal anemone active region

Using spectra obtained by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) instrument onboard Hinode, we present a detailed spatially resolved abundance map of an active region (AR)-coronal hole (CH) complex that covers an area of 359'' × 485''. The abundance map provides first ionization potential (FIP) bias levels in various coronal structures within the large EIS field of view. Overall, FIP bias in the small, relatively young AR is 2-3. This modest FIP bias is a consequence of the age of the AR, its weak heating, and its partial reconnection with the surrounding CH. Plasma with a coronal composition is concentrated at AR loop footpoints, close to where fractionation is believed to take place in the chromosphere. In the AR, we found a moderate positive correlation of FIP bias with nonthermal velocity and magnetic flux density, both of which are also strongest at the AR loop footpoints. Pathways of slightly enhanced FIP bias are traced along some of the loops connecting opposite polarities within the AR. We interpret the traces of enhanced FIP bias along these loops to be the beginning of fractionated plasma mixing in the loops. Low FIP bias in a sigmoidal channel above the AR's main polarity inversion line, where ongoing flux cancellation is taking place, provides new evidence of a bald patch magnetic topology of a sigmoid/flux rope configuration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Case study of a magnetic transient in NOAA 11429 observed by SDO/HMI during the M7.9 flare on 2012 march 13

NOAA 11429 was the source of an M7.9 X-ray flare at the western solar limb (N18° W63°) on 2012 March 13 at 17:12 UT. Observations of the line-of-sight magnetic flux and the Stokes I and V profiles from which it is derived were carried out by the Solar Dynamics Observatory Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (SDO/HMI) with a 45 s cadence over the full disk, at a spatial sampling of 0.''5. During flare onset, a transient patch of negative flux can be observed in SDO/HMI magnetograms to rapidly appear within the positive polarity penumbra of NOAA 11429. We present here a detailed study of this magnetic transient and offer interpretations as to whether this highly debated phenomenon represents a 'real' change in the structure of the magnetic field at the site of the flare, or is instead a product of instrumental/algorithmic artifacts related to particular SDO/HMI data reduction techniques.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Formation and eruption of an active region sigmoid. I. A study by nonlinear force-free field modeling

We present a comprehensive study of the formation and eruption of an active region (AR) sigmoid in AR 11283. To follow the quasi-static evolution of the coronal magnetic field, we reconstruct a time sequence of static fields using a recently developed nonlinear force-free field model constrained by vector magnetograms. A detailed analysis of the fields compared with observations suggests the following scenario for the evolution of the region. Initially, a new bipole emerges into the negative polarity of a preexisting bipolar AR, forming a null-point topology between the two flux systems. A weakly twisted flux rope (FR) is then built up slowly in the embedded core region, largely through flux cancellation, forming a bald patch separatrix surface (BPSS). The FR grows gradually until its axis runs into a torus instability (TI) domain, and the BPSS also develops a full S-shape. The combined effects of the TI-driven expansion of the FR and the line tying at the BP tear the FR into two parts with the upper portion freely expelled and the lower portion remaining behind the postflare arcades. This process dynamically perturbs the BPSS and results in the enhanced heating of the sigmoid and the rope. The accelerated expansion of the upper-portion rope strongly pushes its envelope flux near the null point and triggers breakout reconnection at the null, which further drives the eruption. We discuss the important implications of these results for the formation and disruption of the sigmoid region with an FR.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Properties of solar ephemeral regions at the emergence stage

For the first time, we statistically study the properties of ephemeral regions (ERs) and quantitatively determine their parameters at the emergence stage based on a sample of 2988 ERs observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. During the emergence process, there are three kinds of kinematic performances, i.e., separation of dipolar patches, shift of the ER's magnetic centroid, and rotation of the ER's axis. The average emergence duration, flux emergence rate, separation velocity, shift velocity, and angular speed are 49.3 minutes, 2.6 × 10{sup 15} Mx s{sup –1}, 1.1 km s{sup –1}, 0.9 km s{sup –1}, and 0.°6 minute{sup –1}, respectively. At the end of emergence, the mean magnetic flux, separation distance, shift distance, and rotation angle are 9.3 × 10{sup 18} Mx, 4.7 Mm, 1.1 Mm, and 12.°9, respectively. We also find that the higher the ER magnetic flux is, (1) the longer the emergence lasts, (2) the higher the flux emergence rate is, (3) the further the two polarities separate, (4) the lower the separation velocity is, (5) the larger the shift distance is, (6) the slower the ER shifts, and (7) the lower the rotation speed is. However, the rotation angle seems not to depend on the magnetic flux. Not only at the start time, but also at the end time, the ERs are randomly oriented in both the northern and the southern hemispheres. Finally, neither the anti-clockwise-rotated ERs nor the clockwise rotated ones dominate the northern or the southern hemisphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗