Rapid changes in the fine structure of a coronal ‘bright point’ and a small coronal ‘active region’

A coronal bright point is resolved into a pattern of emission which, at any given time, consists of 2 or 3 miniature loops (each 2500 km in diameter and 12 000 km long). During the half-day lifetime of the bright point individual loops evolved on a time scale 6 min. A small ctive region seemed to evolve in this way, but the occasional blurring together of several loops made it difficult to follow individual changes.     

Containment of an adiabatic plasma on magnetic lines of force by a self-generated electrostatic field

One component of a three-fluid adiabatic plasma is under certain conditions contained in a restricted region of space by a large-scale electrostatic field generated within the plasma. The containment is discussed here for plasma consisting of ions and two populations of electrons characterized by different pitch angle distribution functions.The bouncing motion of electrons along open fieldlines between a magnetic mirror and an electrostatic mirror produces a velocity distribution function similar to that generated by bouncing particles on closed fieldlines.     

A pulsating regime of stream instability and the origin of ‘rain’ type radio bursts

An interpretation is suggested for the rain type radio bursts on the basis of a pulsating regime of the stream instability. This regime may occur in ejected stabilized ion streams trapped in the region in which the magnetic field of the corona has a typical bipolar structure.     

An apparent ‘even-odd’ cycle distribution in Mt. Wilson ‘numbers of spots’ data

Mt. Wilson numbers of spots data (as defined in Howard et al., 1984) appear to be distributed according to even-odd cycle numbering. Linear fits of annual numbers of spots versus annual sunspot number for even- and odd-numbered cycles have slopes which are statistically different at the 5% level of significance. The existence of an even-odd split in Mt. Wilson numbers of spots data may be due either to a real difference in even- and odd-numbered cycles on the Sun or to a difference in weather at Mt. Wilson (perhaps, related to the 22-yr rhythm of drought in the western United States) during even- and odd-numbered cycles, or both. For cycle 22, an even-numbered cycle, the peak numbers of spots is estimated to be near 2600.     

The abelian higgs sunspot endowed with a local conformal symmetry

We show that the requirement of alocal conformal symmetry of the Abelian Higgs sunspot leads, at least formally, to a complex-valued electromagnetic potential, whose imaginary part is a conformal compensating potential. It is shown that there exists a fundamental difference between conformal and ordinary electromagnetic fields; whereas the ordinary total magnetic flux of a spot is quantized its conformal analogue has to vanish if the Higgs field is to be single-valued. We further stress that such a complex-valued Abelian Higgs field configuration mimics quite well, under certain conditions (all the salient features of) the classical Abelian Higgs sunspot.     

Some studies on Hα-flares and microwave bursts in relation to sunspot magnetic configurations

Sunspot associated H-flares and microwave bursts occurring during the period 1972 to 1974 have been examined in relation to the magnetic strength and configurations of the sunspots and sunspot groups (abbreviated as spots). Important results obtained are: (i) percentage occurrences of flares exceeds those of microwave bursts up to a magnetic field strength of 2000 G while the reverse is true for higher field strength of spots, (ii) flare productivity (average number of flares per spot) and also burst productivity are comparatively higher in the case of and types of spots than in the case of other types of spots, (iii) the above productivities are predominantly high when magnetic configuration of spots changes during their life time, and (iv) impulsive type of microwave bursts are more associated with spots having changing type of magnetic configuration.     

Magnetic reconnection in high-temperature plasma of solar flares

Quasi-steady high-temperature current sheets are an energy source during the main or hot phase of solar flares. Such sheets are shown to be stabilized with respect to the tearing instability by a small transverse component of magnetic field existing in the sheets.     

Bifurcations in systems of three degrees of freedom

We study the bifurcations of families of double and quadruple period orbits in a simple Hamiltonian system of three degrees of freedom. The bifurcations are either simple or double, depending on whether a stability curve crosses or is tangent to the axis b=–2. We have also generation of a new family whenever a given family has a maximum or minimum or .The double period families bifurcate from simple families of periodic orbits. We construct existence diagrams to show where any given family exists in the control space (, ) and where it is stable (S), simply unstable (U), doubly unstable (DU), or complex unstable (), We construct also stability diagrams that give the stability parameters b₁ and b₂ as functions of (for constant ), or of (for constant ).The quadruple period orbits are generated either from double period orbits, or directly from simple period orbits (at double bifurcations). We derive several rules about the various types of bifurcations. The most important phenomenon is the collision of bifurcations. At any such collision of bifurcations the interconnections between the various families change and the general character of the dynamical system changes.     

Microscopic spectral features in solar decametric bursts and coronal irregularities

A crossed Yagi antenna array at 35 MHz was employed in conjunction with a polarization switch so as to enable spectral observations of solar noise storm activity in R and L polarizations. Intense decametric solar noise storms were recorded during the third week of November 1975 and fourth week of March 1976 with the help of a high resolution spectroscope operating near 35 MHz.The paper describes some of the new microscopic spectral features observed during these two noise storms. Three sets of high resolution dynamic spectra of decametric solar bursts, two of which are explained in terms of induced scattering of Langmuir waves by thermal ions and the third in terms of additional propagation effects through dense coronal irregularities, are presented. The microscopic bursts, classified as inverted U U and dots, represent small-scale (10⁴ km) phenomena with durations of less than a second.Some burst spectra appear as chain of dots with individual bandwidths 40 kHz and durations 0.3 sec. It is suggested that the bandwidth of such dot emissions (40 kHz) provides an evidence that they might indeed be generated by the process of induced scattering of plasma waves which predicts emission bandwidth f × 10^–3, where f is the center frequency.Some bursts are observed as a chain of striations showing curvature along the frequency axis which is attributed to dispersion in propagation delays through the dense coronal irregularities.     

On the relationships between sfe (crochet) and solar X-ray and microwave bursts

Geomagnetic crochets (sfe) observed at Kodaikanal over the period 1966–71 have been studied in relation to solar X-ray bursts observed by NRL satellite (SOLRAD-9) in the 0.5–3 Å, 1–8 Å and 8–20 Å bands and radio bursts observed in the frequency range 1000–17000 MHz. The amplitude of sfe is linearly correlated with the peak intensities of X-ray bursts in the 1–8 Å and 8–20 Å bands. The single frequency correlation of sfe with radio bursts is a flat maximum in the frequency range 2000–3750 MHz. Following the spectral classification of AFCRL for microwave bursts, it is noticed that sfe are mostly associated with the A type burst spectra and are very poorly correlated with bursts with the G, C and M type spectra. These features differ from those of other SID's reported earlier.     

Structure and evolution of solar radio bursts at 26.4 MHz

Two dimensional source brightness distributions at 26.4 MHz for solar bursts of spectral type II, III, IV, and V are derived from observations with a multiple-baseline, time-sharing interferometer system. It was designed explicitly to study the large angle (40 halo) component of low frequency solar bursts first reported by Weiss and Sheridan (1962). Thirty-two bursts occurring in the interval of June–August, 1975, were fit with a circular gaussian core and an elliptical gaussian halo component. Half-power halo diameters (E-W×N-S) averaged 30×28 for type III bursts and 42×27, 28×37, 30×25 for type V, II and IV bursts respectively. Typical core sizes fell in the range of 10±4 giving 31 halo to core size ratio. All burst types were found to have some large angle structure: the specific intensity was 10% compared to the core but the total power in each component was comparable. Two processes for producing the core-halo structure of type III bursts are compared: scattering and refraction of a point source and refraction from many sources over an extended region. It is concluded that the core can be explained by either model but the halo is more consistent with emission from an extended source region of 40° in longitude.     

On quasi-integrable problems. The example of the artificial satellites perturbed by the Earth's zonal harmonics

With the Hamiltonian parameters developed for the two-fixed-centers problem a simple and very accurate expression of the quasi-integral can be given for the motion of artificial satellites perturbed by the Earth's zonal harmonics. This motion can be considered as integrable.A theoretical analysis shows that Hénon's semi-ergodic regions or chaotic regions are extremely small in this problem, and almost all orbits are of the regular or quasi-periodic type. Furthermore, the relative difference between the true motion and the corresponding integrable motion remains forever less than 10^–14 for all regular orbits even in the vicinity of critical inclinations.For chaotic orbits this very small difference remains verified at least for centuries, nevertheless there are some exceptional orbits that finally diverge from the integrable model.     

White dwarfs with magnetic field and differential rotation

We compute classical white-dwarf models distorted by magnetic field and differential rotation. In the computations we implement a complex-plane strategy and a multiple-partition technique, which have been developed recently by the first author.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Radio observations of compact solar sources located between sunspots

Data from SSRT form the basis for initiating a study of the properties of long-lived, compact microwave sources located outside sunspots. A step-like birth of such a source was detected and is described in this study. This sheds light on the relationship between the step-like phenomenon detected with SSRT and the peculiar source phenomenon observed at RATAN-600. Peculiar sources precede large flares and are projected onto the photospheric neutral line. It seems likely that the build-up of a large flare is also step-like in character. We also discuss a source overlying the neutral line which accompanied a large active region that did not produce any large flare.     

Scattering in the radiation source and the fundamental-harmonic hypothesis

A model for the radiation source for type III solar radio bursts which includes random density fluctuations is reviewed. This methodology is applied to the burst of 28 September, 1973, 03:19 UT which is an archetype fundamental-harmonic pair. It is found that for scattering inhomogeneities consistent with those necessary to explain the observed sizes of the sources, it is impossible to amplify fundamental radiation in a source with a spatially uniform energy density in plasma waves; i.e., it is impossible to interpret this burst as a fundamental-harmonic pair from such a source. However, the supposed fundamental has fine structure similar to type IIIb bursts and since it is very difficult to explain these features except as fundamental radiation, it is concluded that there must be small clumps of intense plasma waves in the source which allow the fundamental to be amplified. These results are also applied to the hectometric burst of 19 July, 1971 for which a steep rise in brightness is observed between 10 and 50 R ₀. It is argued that the most plausible explanation of this rise is that the density inhomogeneities become sufficiently weak to allow the fundamental to be amplified in this range.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Energy release in solar flares

We examine observational evidence concerning energy release in solar flares. We propose that different processes may be operative on four different time scales: (a) on the sub-second time scale of sub-bursts which are a prominent feature of mm-wave microwave records; (b) on the few-seconds time scale of elementary bursts which are a prominent feature of hard X-ray records; (c) on the few-minutes time scale of the impulsive phase; and (d) on the tens-of-minutes or longer time scale of the gradual phase.We propose that the concentration of magnetic field into magnetic knots at the photosphere has important consequences for the coronal magnetic-field structure such that the magnetic field in this region may be viewed as an array of elementary flux tubes. The release of the free energy of one such tube may produce an elementary burst. The development of magnetic islands during this process may be responsible for the sub-bursts. The impulsive phase may be simply the composite effect of many elementary bursts.We propose that the gradual phase of energy release, with which flares typically begin and with which many flares end, involves a steady process of reconnection, whereas the impulsive phase involves a more rapid stochastic process of reconnection which is a consequence of mode interaction.In the case of two-ribbon flares, the late part of the gradual phase may be attributed to reconnection of a large current sheet which is being produced as a result of filament eruption. A similar process may be operative in smaller flares.Also, Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University.     

A classification of magnetic field configurations associated with solar flares

On the assumption that solar flares are due to instabilities which occur in current sheets in the Sun's atmosphere, one may classify magnetic-field configurations associated with flares into two types. One is characterized by closed current sheets, magnetic-field lines adjacent to these sheets beginning and ending at the Sun's surface. The other is characterized by open current sheets, magnetic-field lines adjacent to these sheets beginning at the Sun's surface but extending out into interplanetary space. Flares associated with open current sheets can produce Type III radio bursts and high-energy-particle events, but flares associated with closed current sheets cannot. The flare of July 6, 1966 apparently consisted of one flare of each type.     

The ‘critical inclination’: Another look

The occurrence and uniqueness of the critical inclination in satellite theory is discussed.An infinite set of canonical transformations in Hill variables are shown to exist whereby the first order secular part of the disturbing function can be changed into an alternative form. As a result of such a transformation the critical inclination can become (a)any other real or complex inclination or a function independent of the satellite's orbital inclination and (b) a function dependent on the semi-major axis, eccentricity and inclination of the satellite's orbit. It is also shown that all transformations of types (a) and (b) are only valid for short intervals of time of the order of a few satellite revolutions. Furthermore if such transformations are modified so that they become valid for greater intervals of time, then the resulting solutions in all cases containno singular divisor other than the critical inclination.It is concluded that the singularity at the critical inclination is unique and that it represents an actual physical resonance rather than something resulting from the method of solution or the type of variable used in the analysis. This conclusion is supported by numerical evidence which shows that a satellite's perigee height does suffer resonant changes when the orbital inclination is equal to the critical inclination of 63.°4.     

The SOHO–Stellar Connection

The solar–stellar connection bridges the daytime and nighttime communities; an essential link between the singular, but detailed, views of our Sun, and the broad, but coarse, glimpses of the distant stars. One area in particular – magnetic activity – has profited greatly from the two way traffic in ideas. In that spirit, I present an evolutionary context for coronal activity, focusing on the very different circumstances of low-mass main-sequence stars like the Sun, compared with more massive stars. The former are active mainly very early in their lives, whereas the latter become coronal only near the end of theirs, during the brief incursion into the cool half of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram as yellow, then red, giants. I describe tools at the disposal of the stellar astronomer; especially spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and X-ray bands where coronae leave their most obvious imprints. I compare HST STIS spectra of solar-type dwarfs – Dor (F7 V), an active coronal source, and Cen A (G2 V), near twin of the Sun – to the SOHO SUMER UV solar atlas. I also compare the STIS line profiles of the active coronal dwarf to the corresponding features in the mixed activity hybrid chromosphere bright giant TrA (K2 II) and the archetype non-coronal red giant Arcturus ( Boo; K2 III). The latter shows dramatic evidence for a cool absorber in its outer atmosphere that is extinguishing the hot lines (like Siiv 1393 and Nv 1238) below about 1500 Å; the corona of the red giant seems to lie beneath its extended chromosphere, rather than outside as in the Sun. I present an early taste of the moderate resolution spectra we can expect from the recently launched Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), and contemporaneous STIS high resolution UV measurements of the CXO calibration star Capella ( Aur; G8 III + G1 III). Last, I describe preliminary results from a May 1999 observing campaign involving SOHO SUMER, TRACE, and the Kitt Peak Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (IRIS). The purpose was to explore the dynamics of the quiet solar atmosphere through the key magnetic transition zone that separates the kinetically dominated deep photosphere from the magnetically dominated coronal regime. Linking spatially and temporally resolved solar phenomena to properties of the average line shapes (widths, asymmetries, intensity ratios, and Doppler shifts) is a crucial step in carrying physical insights from the solar setting to the realm of the distant stars.     

On verification of the asymptotic model of the first kind

For the case of closed Friedmann models with the cosmological constant, an N - dependence is plotted, whereN is the conformal time of existence of the Universe, and is the ratio of the cosmological constant to its Einstein's value. The observational properties of the asymptotic model of the first kind (the so-called Al model) corresponding to the maximum of this dependence are analyzed. For the matter-dominated models, the maximum is achieved at the point = 1. Formulae for the calculation of the age of the Universe and for that of the photometric distance in the Al model are deduced. The observational properties of the A1 model are compared to the corresponding properties of the standard cosmological model ( = 0) which does not occupy any special distinguished position on the N - diagram. It is shown that from the standpoint of the modern observational cosmology these two models cannot be told one from another. However, the A1 model has better standing from the viewpoint of the strong wordings of the anthropic cosmological principle.