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At least 1,549 records · Page 86

General Quantum Field Theory of Flavor Mixing and Oscillations

We review the canonical transformation in quantum physics known as the Bogoliubov transformation and present its application to the general theory of quantum field mixing and oscillations with an arbitrary number of mixed particles with either boson or fermion statistics. The mixing relations for quantum states are derived directly from the definition of mixing for quantum fields and the unitary inequivalence of the Fock space of energy and flavor eigenstates is shown by a straightforward algebraic method. The time dynamics of the interacting fields is then explicitly solved and the flavor oscillation formulas are derived in a unified general formulation with emphasis on antiparticle content and effect introduced by nontrivial flavor vacuum.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

TEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF CHROMOSPHERIC OSCILLATIONS IN FLARING REGIONS: A PILOT STUDY

We have analyzed H α intensity images obtained at a 1 minute cadence with the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) system to investigate the properties of oscillations in the 0–8 mHz frequency band at the location and time of strong M- and X-class flares. For each of three subregions within two flaring active regions, we extracted time series from multiple distinct positions, including the flare core and quieter surrounding areas. The time series were analyzed with a moving power-map analysis to examine power as a function of frequency and time. We find that, in the flare core of all three subregions, the low-frequency power (∼1–2 mHz) is substantially enhanced immediately prior to and after the flare, and that power at all frequencies up to 8 mHz is depleted at flare maximum. This depletion is both frequency- and time-dependent, which probably reflects the changing depths visible during the flare in the bandpass of the filter. These variations are not observed outside the flare cores. The depletion may indicate that acoustic energy is being converted into thermal energy at flare maximum, while the low-frequency enhancement may arise from an instability in the chromosphere and provide an early warning of the flare onset. Dark lanes of reduced wave power are also visible in the power maps, which may arise from the interaction of the acoustic waves and the magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Gamma-ray and optical oscillations in PKS 0537–441

We have considered the Fermi γ-ray light curve of the blazar PKS 0537–441 during a high state extending from 2008 August 10 to 2011 August 27. The periodogram exhibits a peak at T ∼ 280 days, with a significance of ∼99.7%. A peak of similar relevance at (1/2)T is found in the optical light curves. Considering the entire duration of the Fermi light curve 2008–2015, no significant peak is revealed, while the optical one remains meaningful. Comparing with recent observations of PKS 2155–304 and PG 1553+113 it seems that month–year oscillations can characterize some blazars. Month-scale oscillations can also show up only during phases of enhanced or bursting emission, such as in the case of PKS 0537–441.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

STUDIES OF THE ORIGIN OF HIGH-FREQUENCY QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS OF MASS-ACCRETING BLACK HOLES IN X-RAY BINARIES WITH NEXT-GENERATION X-RAY TELESCOPES

Observations with RXTE ( Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer ) revealed the presence of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HFQPOs) of the X-ray flux from several accreting stellar-mass black holes. HFQPOs (and their counterparts at lower frequencies) may allow us to study general relativity in the regime of strong gravity. However, the observational evidence today does not yet allow us to distinguish between different HFQPO models. In this paper we use a general-relativistic ray-tracing code to investigate X-ray timing spectroscopy and polarization properties of HFQPOs in the orbiting Hotspot model. We study observational signatures for the particular case of the 166 Hz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the galactic binary GRS 1915+105. We conclude with a discussion of the observability of spectral signatures with a timing-spectroscopy experiment such as the LOFT ( Large Observatory for X-ray Timing ) and polarization signatures with space-borne X-ray polarimeters such as IXPE ( Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ), PolSTAR ( Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array ), PRAXyS ( Polarimetry of Relativistic X-ray Sources ), or XIPE ( X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer ). A mission with high count rate such as LOFT would make it possible to get a QPO phase for each photon, enabling the study of the QPO-phase-resolved spectral shape and the correlation between this and the flux level. Owing to the short periods of the HFQPOs, first-generation X-ray polarimeters would not be able to assign a QPO phase to each photon. The study of QPO-phase-resolved polarization energy spectra would thus require simultaneous observations with a first-generation X-ray polarimeter and a LOFT -type mission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SYNTHETIC HYDROGEN SPECTRA OF OSCILLATING PROMINENCE SLABS IMMERSED IN THE SOLAR CORONA

We study the behavior of H α and H β spectral lines and their spectral indicators in an oscillating solar prominence slab surrounded by the solar corona, using an MHD model combined with a 1D radiative transfer code taken in the line of sight perpendicular to the slab. We calculate the time variation of the Doppler shift, half-width, and maximum intensity of the H α and H β spectral lines for different modes of oscillation. We find a non-sinusoidal time dependence of some spectral parameters with time. Because H α and H β spectral indicators have different behavior for different modes, caused by differing optical depths of formation and different plasma parameter variations in time and along the slab, they may be used for prominence seismology, especially to derive the internal velocity field in prominences.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Supplement to “Torsional oscillations of a magnetar with a tangled magnetic field” (2016, ApJL, 823, L1)

We introduce a mean-field formalism with which to study the oscillations of a neutron star or other stellar object with a dipolar magnetic field plus a topologically distinct isotropic magnetic tangle that stabilizes the field configuration. In terms of the ratio of the energy density of the tangled field to that in the dipolar component b {sub t} {sup 2}, we obtain separable equations for the eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies for a star of uniform density. We show that finite b {sub t} {sup 2} breaks the Alfvén continuum that is supported by the dipolar component of the field into discrete normal modes, and we quantify the splitting. Assuming the estimated dipole fields of 7×10{sup 14} G in SGR 1900+14 and 2×10{sup 15} G in SGR 1806–20, and tuning b {sub t} {sup 2} to match the lowest-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations observed to accompany flares in these objects, we infer b{sub t}{sup 2}=13.3 and 0.17, respectively. The predicted spectrum is about three times denser than that observed in SGR 1900+14, and much denser in SGR 1806–20. If the dipole field of SGR 1806–20 has been overestimated, the spectrum of normal modes will be less dense. We show that for b{sub t}{sup 2}≫1, as stability considerations suggest, the crust is nearly dynamically irrelevant. Moreover, density stratification generally shifts the eigenfrequencies up by about 20%, a change that can be mostly subsumed in a uniform density model with a slightly different choice of stellar radius or mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

REPRODUCING THE CORRELATIONS OF TYPE C LOW-FREQUENCY QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATION PARAMETERS IN XTE J1550–564 WITH A SPIRAL STRUCTURE

While it has been observed that the parameters intrinsic to the type C low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations are related in a nonlinear manner among themselves, there has been, up to now, no model to explain or reproduce how the frequency, the FWHM, and the rms amplitude of the type C low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations behave with respect to one another. Here we are using a simple toy model representing the emission from a standard disk and a spiral such as that caused by the accretion–ejection instability to reproduce the overall observed behavior and shed some light on its origin. This allows us to prove the ability of such a spiral structure to be at the origin of flux modulation over more than an order of magnitude in frequency.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Direct Effect of Toroidal Magnetic Fields on Stellar Oscillations: An Analytical Expression for the General Matrix Element

Where is the solar dynamo located and what is its modus operandi? These are still open questions in solar physics. Helio- and asteroseismology can help answer them by enabling us to study solar and stellar internal structures through global oscillations. The properties of solar and stellar acoustic modes are changing with the level of magnetic activity. However, until now, the inference on subsurface magnetic fields with seismic measures has been very limited. The aim of this paper is to develop a formalism to calculate the effect of large-scale toroidal magnetic fields on solar and stellar global oscillation eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies. If the Lorentz force is added to the equilibrium equation of motion, stellar eigenmodes can couple. In quasi-degenerate perturbation theory, this coupling, also known as the direct effect, can be quantified by the general matrix element. We present the analytical expression of the matrix element for a superposition of subsurface zonal toroidal magnetic field configurations. The matrix element is important for forward calculations of perturbed solar and stellar eigenfunctions and frequency perturbations. The results presented here will help to ascertain solar and stellar large-scale subsurface magnetic fields, and their geometric configuration, strength, and change over the course of activity cycles.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Measuring the Cross-correlation between the Mg II Flux Transmission Field and Quasars and Galaxies at z = 0.59

We introduce the first attempt at measuring the baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs) in the large-scale cross-correlation between the magnesium-II doublet Mg II) flux transmission field and the position of quasar and galaxy tracers. The Mg II flux transmission continuous field at 0.3 < z < 1.6 is measured from 500,589 quasar spectra obtained in the Baryonic Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) and the extended BOSS (eBOSS). The positions of 246,697 quasar tracers and 1346,776 galaxy tracers are extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey I and II, BOSS, and eBOSS catalogs. In addition to measuring the cosmological BAO scale and the biased matter density correlation, this work allows tests and improvements to cosmological Lyα analyses. A feature consistent with that of the BAOs is detected at a significance of Δχ 2 = 7.25. The measured Mg II linear transmission bias parameters are b Mg II(2796) ( z = 0.59) = (-6.82 ± 0.54) × 10 -4 and b Mg II(2804) ( z = 0.59) = (-5.55 ± 0.46) ×10 -4 , and the Mg I bias is b Mg I(2853) ( z = 0.59) = (-1.48 ± 0.24) × 10 -4 . Their redshift evolution is characterized by the power-law index: γ Mg = 3.36 ± 0.46. Moroever, these measurements open a new window toward using BAOs from flux transmission at z < 1 in the final eBOSS sample and in the upcoming sample from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Fast-pairwise Collective Neutrino Oscillations Associated with Asymmetric Neutrino Emissions in Core-collapse Supernovae

We present a linear stability analysis of the fast-pairwise neutrino flavor conversion based on a result of our latest axisymmetric core-collapse supernova (CCSN) simulation with full Boltzmann neutrino transport. In the CCSN simulation, coherent asymmetric neutrino emissions of electron-type neutrinos (νe) and their antiparticles ($\bar{v}$e), in which the asymmetries of νe and $\bar{v}$e are anticorrelated with each other, occur at almost the same time as the onset of aspherical shock expansion. We find that the asymmetric neutrino emissions play a crucial role on occurrences of fast flavor conversions. The linear analysis shows that unstable modes appear in both pre- and post-shock flows; for the latter, they appear only in the hemisphere of higher $\bar{v}$e emissions (the same hemisphere with stronger shock expansion). We analyze the characteristics of electron–lepton number (ELN) crossing in depth by closely inspecting the angular distributions of neutrinos in momentum space. The ELN crossing happens in various ways, and the property depends on the radius: in the vicinity of neutron star, $\bar{v}$e (νe) dominates over ve ($\bar{n}$e) in the forward (backward) direction; at the larger radius, the ELN crossing occurs in the opposite way. We also find that the non-radial ELN crossing occurs at the boundary between no ELN crossing and the radial one, which is an effect of genuine multi-dimensional transport. Our findings indicate that the collective neutrino oscillation may occur more commonly in CCSNe and suggest that the CCSN community needs to accommodate these oscillations self-consistently in the modeling of CCSNe

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

High-frequency Oscillations in Small Magnetic Elements Observed with Sunrise/SuFI

We characterize waves in small magnetic elements and investigate their propagation in the lower solar atmosphere from observations at high spatial and temporal resolution. We use the wavelet transform to analyze oscillations of both horizontal displacement and intensity in magnetic bright points found in the 300 nm and the Ca ii H 396.8 nm passbands of the filter imager on board the Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory. Phase differences between the oscillations at the two atmospheric layers corresponding to the two passbands reveal upward propagating waves at high frequencies (up to 30 mHz). Weak signatures of standing as well as downward propagating waves are also obtained. Both compressible and incompressible (kink) waves are found in the small-scale magnetic features. The two types of waves have different, though overlapping, period distributions. Two independent estimates give a height difference of approximately 450 ± 100 km between the two atmospheric layers sampled by the employed spectral bands. This value, together with the determined short travel times of the transverse and longitudinal waves provide us with phase speeds of 29 ± 2 km s{sup −1} and 31 ± 2 km s{sup −1}, respectively. We speculate that these phase speeds may not reflect the true propagation speeds of the waves. Thus, effects such as the refraction of fast longitudinal waves may contribute to an overestimate of the phase speed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Transverse Oscillations in Slender Ca ii H Fibrils Observed with Sunrise/SuFI

We present observations of transverse oscillations in slender Ca ii H fibrils (SCFs) in the lower solar chromosphere. We use a 1 hr long time series of high- (spatial and temporal-) resolution seeing-free observations in a 1.1 Å wide passband covering the line core of Ca ii H 3969 Å from the second flight of the Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory. The entire field of view, spanning the polarity inversion line of an active region close to the solar disk center, is covered with bright, thin, and very dynamic fine structures. Our analysis reveals the prevalence of transverse waves in SCFs with median amplitudes and periods on the order of 2.4 ± 0.8 km s{sup −1} and 83 ± 29 s, respectively (with standard deviations given as uncertainties). We find that the transverse waves often propagate along (parts of) the SCFs with median phase speeds of 9 ± 14 km s{sup −1}. While the propagation is only in one direction along the axis in some of the SCFs, propagating waves in both directions, as well as standing waves are also observed. The transverse oscillations are likely Alfvénic and are thought to be representative of magnetohydrodynamic kink waves. The wave propagation suggests that the rapid high-frequency transverse waves, often produced in the lower photosphere, can penetrate into the chromosphere with an estimated energy flux of ≈15 kW m{sup −2}. Characteristics of these waves differ from those reported for other fibrillar structures, which, however, were observed mainly in the upper solar chromosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Impact of White Dwarf Luminosity Profiles on Oscillation Frequencies

KIC 08626021 is a pulsating DB white dwarf (WD) of considerable recent interest, and the first of its class to be extensively monitored by Kepler for its pulsation properties. Fitting the observed oscillation frequencies of KIC 08626021 to a model can yield insights into its otherwise-hidden internal structure. Template-based WD models choose a luminosity profile where the luminosity is proportional to the enclosed mass, ${L}_{r}\,\propto \,{M}_{r}$, independent of the effective temperature T eff . Evolutionary models of young WDs with T eff ≳ 25,000 K suggest that neutrino emission gives rise to luminosity profiles with L r ${/}\!\!\!\!\!\!{\propto }$ M r . We explore this contrast by comparing the oscillation frequencies between two nearly identical WD models: one with an enforced ${L}_{r}\propto {M}_{r}$ luminosity profile, and the other with a luminosity profile determined by the star's previous evolution history. We find that the low-order g-mode frequencies differ by up to ≃70 μHz over the range of Kepler observations for KIC 08626021. This suggests that by neglecting the proper thermal structure of the star (e.g., accounting for the effect of plasmon neutrino losses), the model frequencies calculated by using an ${L}_{r}\propto {M}_{r}$ profile may have uncorrected, effectively random errors at the level of tens of μHz. A mean frequency difference of 30 μHz, based on linearly extrapolating published results, suggests a template model uncertainty in the fit precision of ≃12% in WD mass, ≃9% in the radius, and ≃3% in the central oxygen mass fraction.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Cross Check of NOvA Oscillation Probabilities

In this note we perform a cross check of the programs used by NOvA to calculate the 3-flavor oscillation probabilities with a independent program using a different method. The comparison is performed at 6 significant figures and the agreement, $|\Delta P|/P$ is better than $10^{-5}$, as good as can be expected with 6 significant figures. In addition, a simple and accurate alternative method to calculate the oscillation probabilities is outlined and compared in the L/E range and matter density relevant for the NOvA experiment.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

On the stability of oscillations of an airplane wing

During a flight with a Van Berkel W. B. seaplane it was observed that the wing could perform violent oscillations. A theoretical and experimental investigation led to the conclusion, that in some cases an unstable oscillation of the wing-aileron system under the influence of the elastic and aerodynamic forces is possible without further external causes.

FLUTTER - WINGS - VAN BERKEL W B↗