Plasma magnetosphere of rotating magnetized neutron star in the braneworld

Plasma magnetosphere surrounding rotating magnetized neutron star in the braneworld has been studied. For the simplicity of calculations Goldreich-Julian charge density is analyzed for the aligned neutron star with zero inclination between magnetic field and rotation axis. From the system of Maxwell equations in spacetime of slowly rotating star in braneworld, second-order differential equation for electrostatic potential is derived. Analytical solution of this equation indicates the general relativistic modification of an accelerating electric field and charge density along the open field lines by brane tension. The implication of this effect to the magnetospheric energy loss problem is underlined. It was found that for initially zero potential and field on the surface of a neutron star, the amplitude of the plasma mode created by Goldreich-Julian charge density will increase in the presence of the negative brane charge. Finally we derive the equations of motion of test particles in magnetosphere of slowly rotating star in the braneworld. Then we analyze particle motion in the polar cap and show that brane tension can significantly change conditions for particle acceleration in the polar cap region of the neutron star.     

On the gravitational instability of a medium in non-uniform rotation and magnetic field

The effect of a non-uniform magnetic field on the gravitational instability for a non-uniformly rotating, infinitely extending axisymmetric cylinder in a homogeneous medium has been studied. The Bel and Schatzman criterion of gravitational instability for a non-uniformly rotating medium is modified under the effect of a non-uniform/uniform magnetic field acting along the tangential and axial directions. As a consequence the stabilizing and destabilizing effect of the non-uniform magnetic field is obtained, a new criterion for the magneto-gravitational instability is deduced in terms of Alfven’s wave velocity; and it is also found that the Jeans criterion determines the gravitational instability in the absence of rotation and when the non-uniform/uniform magnetic field acts along the axis of the cylinder.     

Role of a tachyonic field in accelerating the Universe in the presence of a perfect fluid

Recently, a tachyonic field was presented as a dark energy model to represent the present acceleration of the Universe. In this paper, we consider a mixture of tachyonic fluid with a perfect fluid. For this purpose we consider barotropic fluid and Generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG). We present a particular form of the scale factor. We solve the equations of motion to get exact solutions of the density, tachyonic potential and the tachyonic field. We introduce a coupling term to show that the interaction decays with time. We also show that the nature of the potentials vary, so the interaction term reduces the potential in both cases.     

On the longitudinal response function of interferometers for massive gravitational waves from a bimetric theory of gravity

Recently, some papers in the literature have shown that, from a bimetric theory of gravity, it is possible to produce massive gravitational waves which generate a longitudinal component in a particular polarization of the wave. After a review of previous works, in this paper the longitudinal response function of interferometers for this particular polarization of the wave is computed in two different gauges, showing the gauge invariance, and in its full frequency dependence, with specific application to the Virgo and LIGO interferometers.     

Opacity effects on the polarization of line emissions in astrophysical plasmas

Polarization-based line spectroscopy is a valuable tool in determining the characteristics of electron distribution functions in anisotropic plasmas. For instance, directional electrons can unevenly populate the magnetic sublevels of atomic energy levels resulting in partial polarization of the emitted spectral lines. The large dimensions of astrophysical sources raise the possibility of non-negligible self-absorption effects on spectral line properties. Alternatively, the high densities characteristic of laser-produced laboratory plasmas can also result in substantial optical depth values. We present a modeling study of He-like Fe line emissions in which we investigate the effects of radiation transport on the polarization of selected spectral lines under corona conditions.     

New insights on the interior of solar-like pulsators thanks to CoRoT: the case of HD 49385

The high performance photometric data obtained with space mission CoRoT offer the opportunity to efficiently constrain our models for the stellar interior of solar-like pulsating stars. On the occasion of the analysis of the oscillations of solar-like pulsator HD 49385, a G0-type star in an advanced stage of evolution, we revisit the phenomenon of the avoided crossings. Christensen-Dalgaard proposed a simple analogy to describe an avoided crossing between two modes. We here present an extension of this analogy to the case of n modes, and show that it should lead, in certain cases, to a characteristic behavior of the eigenfrequencies, significantly different from the n=2 case. This type of behavior seems to be observed in HD 49385, from which we infer that the star should be in a Post Main Sequence phase.     

Formation of density inhomogeneity in laser produced plasmas for?a?test bed of magnetic field amplification in supernova remnants

Density inhomogeneities for a test bed of magnetic field amplification in supernova remnants (SNRs) were created in laser produced plasmas. The density inhomogeneity is considered to be essential to the large magnetic field amplification to account for the very fast cosmic ray acceleration. In order to model the density variations about an order of magnitude in an interstellar medium, we performed three types of experiments using a high-power laser system: (1) irradiating a plastic (CH) plane with a single focal spot beams, (2) the same target with spatial separation of laser focal spots, and (3) irradiating a striped target of thin and thick CH plane. By irradiating a CH plane target with a single focal spot laser beams, a plasma plume was produced with the large density range. On the other hand, when the several laser beams with displacements of the focal spots, bumpy structures of electron density were produced. Making thin stripes on a CH plane target, density and velocity inhomogeneities were produced by irradiating the striped target with the laser beams. In the all methods the density variations were very large, which can be used for a model experiment of the magnetic field amplification.     

Numerical simulations of photoionized plasmas: applications to astrophysical and laboratory environments

A wide variety of astrophysical objects, ranging from newly formed stars to accreting black holes, produce ionizing radiation. Nearby material will reprocess these photons into other forms of light. Depending on the geometry, we will observe such gas through either an emission or absorption line spectrum. Such clouds are detected across the electromagnetic spectrum and detailed analysis can reveal such vital parameters as the composition of the gas and the form of the ionizing radiation field. The gas is in a non-equilibrium state due to its low density and the presence of a wide range of non-thermal energy sources. The spectrum is typically analyzed with the help of large-scale numerical simulations. This paper describes recent developments of Cloudy, a code that performs such simulations, and outlines applications to star forming regions, active galactic nuclei, and laboratory plasmas.     

Spectrophotometric variability of the magnetic CP star 56 Arietis in spectral region from 1950 to 3200 Å

We presented a phenomenological mode that attributes the precession of perihelion of planets to the relativistic correction. This modifies Newton’s equation by adding an inversely cube term with distance. The total energy of the new system is found to be the same as the Newtonian one. Moreover, we have deduced the deflection of light formula from Rutherford scattering. The relativistic term can be accounted for quantum correction of the gravitational potential and/or self energy of objects.     

Influence of magnetic field on propagation of five-minute oscillations in the sun’s atmosphere: Phase shifts

From results of spectral (in Ba II λ 455.4-nm line) and spectropolarimetric (in Fe I λλ 1564.3–1565.8-nm lines) observations of the active region (an isolated faculae at the solar disk center) with the German vacuum tower telescope (VTT) at the Institute of Astrophysics on the Canary Islands, the peculiarities of propagation of five-minute oscillations from the photosphere base (h = 0 km) to the lower chromosphere (h = 650 km) were investigated. At the height of the continuum formation (h = 0 km), the nature of wave propagation in the active region does not differ much from that in the quiet region: 80–90% of the investigated areas are occupied by waves moving up and down. In the lower chromosphere (h = 650 km), differences in the behavior of the waves are fundamental. In a quiet area, the waves become standing for 90% of the cases. In contrast to this, in the presence of moderate and strong magnetic fields (B = 30–180 mT), in 47% of the cases, the waves are running upward, which gives the principal possibility to heat the active region. The investigations revealed the presence of the waves in the active region, for which the phase shift Φ _T,V of the temperature and velocity oscillations is between ?90° and 0°. These waves cannot propagate in a quiet atmosphere.     

Periodic motions of a small body in the Newtonian field of a regular polygonal configuration of ν+1 bodies

We study the simple periodic orbits of a particle that is subject to the gravitational action of the much bigger primary bodies which form a regular polygonal configuration of (ν+1) bodies when ν=8. We investigate the distribution of the characteristic curves of the families and their evolution in the phase space of the initial conditions, we describe various types of simple periodic orbits and we study their linear stability. Plots and tables illustrate the obtained material and reveal many interesting aspects regarding particle dynamics in such a multi-body system.     

Simulation of the Chang’E-5 mission contribution in lunar long wavelength gravity field improvement

The precision of lunar gravity field estimation has improved by means of three to five orders of magnitude since the successful GRAIL lunar mission. There are still discrepancies however, in the low degree coefficients and long wavelength components of the solutions developed by two space research centers (JPL and GSFC). These discrepancies hint at the possibilities for improving the accuracy in the long wavelength part of the lunar gravity field. In the near future, China will launch the Chang’E-5 lunar mission. In this sample-return mission, there will be a chance to do KBRR measurements between an ascending module and an orbiting module. These two modules will fly around lunar at an inclination of ～49 degrees, with an orbital height of 100 km and an inter-satellite distance of 200 km. In our research, we simulated the contribution of the KBRR tracking mode for different GRAIL orbital geometries. This analysis indicated possible deficiencies in the low degree coefficient solutions for the polar satellite-to-satellite tracking mode at various orbital heights. We also investigated the potential contributions of the KBRR to the Chang’E-5 mission goal of lunar gravity field recovery, especially in the long wavelength component. Potential improvements were assessed using various power spectrums of the lunar gravity field models. In addition, we also investigated possible improvements in solving lunar tidal Love number K2. These results may assist the implementation of the Chang’E-5 mission.     

Extrapolating SMBH correlations down the mass scale: the case for IMBHs in globular clusters

Empirical evidence for both stellar mass black holes (M _•<10²  M _⊙) and supermassive black holes (SMBHs, M _•>10⁵  M _⊙) is well established. Moreover, every galaxy with a bulge appears to host a SMBH, whose mass is correlated with the bulge mass, and even more strongly with the central stellar velocity dispersion σ _c , the M _•–σ relation. On the other hand, evidence for “intermediate-mass” black holes (IMBHs, with masses in the range 100–10⁵ M _⊙) is relatively sparse, with only a few mass measurements reported in globular clusters (GCs), dwarf galaxies and low-mass AGNs. We explore the question of whether globular clusters extend the M _•–σ relationship for galaxies to lower black hole masses and find that available data for globular clusters are consistent with the extrapolation of this relationship. We use this extrapolated M _•–σ relationship to predict the putative black hole masses of those globular clusters where existence of central IMBH was proposed. We discuss how globular clusters can be used as a constraint on theories making specific predictions for the low-mass end of the M _•–σ relation.     

A theoretical and empirical study of the response of the high latitude thermosphere to the sense of the “Y” component of the interplanetary magnetic field

The strength and direction of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) controls the transfer of solar wind momentum and energy to the high latitude thermosphere in a direct fashion. The sense of “ Y” component of the IMF (BY) creates a significant asymmetry of the magnetospheric convection pattern as mapped onto the high latitude thermosphere and ionosphere. The resulting response of the polar thermospheric winds during periods when BY is either positive or negative is quite distinct, with pronounced changes in the relative strength of thermospheric winds in the dusk-dawn parts of the polar cap and in the dawn part of the auroral oval. In a study of four periods when there was a clear signature of BY, observed by the ISEE-3 satellite, with observations of polar winds and electric fields from the Dynamics Explorer-2 satellite and with wind observations by a ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometer located in Kiruna, Northern Sweden, it is possible to explain features of the high latitude thermospheric circulation using three dimensional global models including BY dependent, asymmetric, polar convection fields. Ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometers often observe anomalously low zonal wind velocities in the (Northern) dawn auroral oval during periods of extremely high geomagnetic activity when BY is positive. Conversely, for BY negative, there is an early transition from westward to southward and eastward winds in the evening auroral oval (excluding the effects of auroral substorms), and extremely large eastward (sunward) winds may be driven in the auroral oval after magnetic midnight. These observations are matched by the observation of strong anti-sunward polar-cap wind jets from the DE-2 satellite, on the dusk side with BY negative, and on the dawn side with BY positive.     

Kinematics and evolution of local features of the large-scale magnetic field – II. Relation to Active Regions

Relationships have been studied between the background magnetic field and the distribution of active regions over the solar surface and time. A series of magnetic-field synoptic maps covering a 20-year period has been cross-correlated with spatio-temporal distributions of three types of active formations (sunspots, calcium plages, and solar flares) used as indicators of the active regions. To make the data analysis more effective, we expanded both the magnetic-field and the active-region distributions in terms of Fourier series in longitude, and then cross-correlated the latitude-dependent Fourier harmonics. Cross-correlation functions calculated from the lower-order Fourier harmonics exhibit prolonged maxima of the amplitude. For the first-order harmonic, the maxima can be tracked throughout a long time interval of at least 13 Carrington rotations, but the time of cross-correlation decreases down to 2 rotations, as the harmonic order increases up to 8. The maxima of the cross-correlation functions indicate moreover a poleward directed drift of the magnetic features that occurred with a velocity of 10–15 m s^–1. The cross-correlation functions calculated separately by using the three types of active formations as indicators of the active regions are similar to each other, although they differ in some details of minor significance. The results of the data analysis make it possible to conclude that the cross-correlation between the magnetic-field and the active-region distributions displays long-term evolution of the magnetic features emerged in the photosphere in the form of the active regions, and that the evolution occurs in accordance with Leighton's (1964) concept known at present as the flux transport model. In order to verify this conclusion, we applied the cross-correlation technique to analyze a magnetic field distribution simulated by means of the flux transport equation by using an ensemble of local-scale magnetic bipoles as a source of magnetic flux. Results of the simulated magnetic field analysis exhibit a substantial qualitative agreement with those obtained by examining the observational data.     

Summary of the First NUVA Conference Space Astronomy: the UV Window to the Universe

In this summary of the conference Space Astronomy: the UV Window to the Universe, held in El?Escorial, Spain, May 28 to June 1, 2007, I identify the important scientific questions posed by the speakers and the corresponding discoveries that future ultraviolet space instruments should enable. The science objectives described by the various speakers naturally fall into groups according to the needed instrumental requirements: wavelength coverage, spectral resolution, sensitivity, rapid access to targets, monitoring, and signal/noise. Although most of the science objectives presented during the conference require UV spectra in the 1,170–3,200 Å range, there are important science objectives that require spectra in the 912–1,170 Å range and at shorter wavelengths. I identify the limitations of present instruments for meeting these requirements. To avoid the upcoming UV dark age, important work must be done to properly build the World Space Observatory (WSO) and to plan future space missions.     

Alfvén node-free vibrations of white dwarf in the model of solid star with toroidal magnetic field

In the context of white dwarf asteroseismology, we investigate the vibrational properties of a non-convective solid star with an axisymmetric purely toroidal intrinsic magnetic field of two different shapes. Focus is laid on the regime of node-free global Lorentz-force-driven vibrations about the symmetry axis at which material displacements have one and the same form as those for nodeless spheroidal and torsional vibrations restored by Hooke’s force of elastic shear stresses. Particular attention is given to the even-parity poloidal Alfvén modes whose frequency spectra are computed in analytic form, showing how the purely toroidal magnetic fields completely buried beneath the star surface can manifest itself in seismic vibrations of non-magnetic white dwarfs. The spectral formulae obtained are discussed in juxtaposition with those for Alfvén modes in the solid star model with the poloidal, homogeneous internal and dipolar external, magnetic field whose inferences are relevant to Alfvén vibrations in magnetic white dwarfs.     

The effect of two-temperature post-shock accretion flow on the linear polarization pulse in magnetic cataclysmic variables

The temperatures of electrons and ions in the post-shock accretion region of a magnetic cataclysmic variable (mCV) will be equal at sufficiently high mass flow rates or for sufficiently weak magnetic fields. At lower mass flow rates or in stronger magnetic fields, efficient cyclotron cooling will cool the electrons faster than the electrons can cool the ions and a two-temperature flow will result. Here we investigate the differences in polarized radiation expected from mCV post-shock accretion columns modeled with one- and two-temperature hydrodynamics. In an mCV model with one accretion region, a magnetic field ?30 MG and a specific mass flow rate of ～0.5 g?cm^?2?s^?1, along with a relatively generic geometric orientation of the system, we find that in the ultraviolet either a single linear polarization pulse per binary orbit or two pulses per binary orbit can be expected, depending on the accretion column hydrodynamic structure (one- or two-temperature) modeled. Under conditions where the physical flow is two-temperature, one pulse per orbit is predicted from a single accretion region where a one-temperature model predicts two pulses. The intensity light curves show similar pulse behavior but there is very little difference between the circular polarization predictions of one- and two-temperature models. Such discrepancies indicate that it is important to model some aspect of two-temperature flow in indirect imaging procedures, like Stokes imaging, especially at the edges of extended accretion regions, were the specific mass flow is low, and especially for ultraviolet data.