A time dependent model for spicule flow

A time dependent model for the flow of gas in a spicule is studied. In this model, the flow occurs in a magnetic flux sheath. Starting from hydrostatic equilibrium, the flux sheath is allowed to collapse normal to itself. The collapse induces a flow of gas along the magnetic field and this flow is identified as a spicule. A variety of sheath geometries and velocity patterns for the normal flow have been studied. It is observed that a large curvature in the field geometry and a large initial value for the normal flow are necessary to achieve spicule-like velocities. The duration for which a large velocity of normal flow is required is much shorter than the average lifetime of a spicule. It is proposed that the initial rapid collapse occurs during an impulsive spicule phase and it is the subsequent gradual relaxation of the flow which is observed as a spicule.     

A model study on the decay of volcanic aerosol layer and verification with Pinatubo and El Chichon data

The time evolution of stratospheric aerosol layer formed after a volcanic eruption is studied taking into account the aerosol microphysical processes of growth, coagulation and sedimentation. Using a simple model we could explain the observed evolution of the Pinatubo volcanic layer which decayed in about 3 years. The experimental data obtained by Nd:YAG backscatter lidar over Ahmedabad further supports this finding. The data obtained after the El Chichon volcanic eruption also showed that the El Chichon aerosol layer decayed in about 3 years time. Thus, though the amount of SO₂ injected has been higher, in the case of Pinatubo, about two to three times more than El Chichon, it has resulted in the production of larger aerosol particles due to faster growth and coagulation processes, and subsequently a faster removal rate, to give more or less a similar background aerosol amount at the stratosphere in about 3 years time.     

Imaging Spectropolarimeter for the Multi-Application Solar Telescope at Udaipur Solar Observatory: Characterization of Polarimeter and Preliminary Observations

The Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST) is a 50 cm off-axis Gregorian telescope that has recently become operational at the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO). An imaging spectropolarimeter is being developed as one of the back-end instruments of MAST to gain a better understanding of the evolution and dynamics of solar magnetic and velocity fields. This system consists of a narrow-band filter and a polarimeter. The polarimeter includes a linear polarizer and two sets of liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVRs). The instrument is intended for simultaneous observations in the spectral lines 6173 Å and 8542 Å, which are formed in the photosphere and chromosphere, respectively. In this article, we present results from the characterization of the LCVRs for the spectral lines of interest and the response matrix of the polarimeter. We also present preliminary observations of an active region obtained using the spectropolarimeter. For verification purposes, we compare the Stokes observations of the active region obtained from the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) with that of MAST observations in the spectral line 6173 Å. We find good agreement between the two observations, considering the fact that MAST observations are limited by seeing.     

Aerosol concentrations and size distribution in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over Thumba

Rocket-borne ultraviolet photometers operating at =0.31 m have been used at Thumba (8°33N, 76°52E) to make measurements of atmospheric scattering at tropospheric and lower stratospheric altitudes. Measurements could be made of the amplitude of the scattered fluxes and the angular distribution up to an altitude of about 24 km on three rocket flights conducted as part of the 16 February 1980 solar eclipse campaign. These measurements have been used to study the size distribution as well as the number densities of aerosols in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over Thumba.     

Search for Spatial Variability in the Solar Acoustic Spectrum

Motivated by the various examples of spatial variability in the power of the acoustic spectrum, we attempted to look for spatial variability in the peak frequency of the spectrum. However, the determination of this peak frequency on a spatial scale of a single pixel (8 arc sec for the GONG data) is limited by the stochastic variations in the power spectrum presumably caused by the stochastic nature of the excitation process. Averaging over a large number of spectra (100 spectra from a 10 × 10 pixel area) produced stabler spectra. The peak frequencies of 130 such locations were found to be distributed with a FWHM of about 130 Hz. A map of the spatial variation of this peak frequency did not show any strong feature with statistically significant deviation from the mean of the distribution. Likewise, the scatter in the peak frequencies masked the detection of magnetic-field-induced changes in the peak frequency. On a much larger scale, the N latitudes showed a slightly lower value of the peak frequency as compared to the S latitudes, although the difference (25 Hz) is barely larger than the r.m.s. spread (20 Hz).     

Estimation of Fried's Parameter From Specklegrams of Solar Features

A few methods of estimating Fried's parameter (r ₀) from specklegrams of solar features are described. Some of these methods were used to estimate r ₀ for the speckle data obtained from Kodaikanal Observatory (KO), Uttar Pradesh State Observatory (UPSO) and Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO). The average value of r ₀ was found to be 3 cm at USO and UPSO during our observations. At KO, values of r ₀ ranging from 6 to 10 cm were estimated.     

ESR dating of tooth enamel in Mousterian layer 20, El Castillo,Spain

Nine faunal teeth from layer 20 of El Castillo cave in Cantabrian Spain were dated using electron spin resonance (ESR). Two teeth were rejected due to inconsistent subsample ages, while the remaining teeth yielded a mean age that is consistent with the stratigraphic expectations: 42.7±3.5. Uncertainty in the external γ dose rate results in a potential systematic uncertainty of±6.4ka that should affect all samples equally. The results provide independent confirmation of previously reported ¹⁴C ages for layer 20. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Adaptation of the Estuarine Fish Fundulus heteroclitus (Atlantic Killifish) to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

In this study, we describe remarkable intraspecific variation in sensitivity to the broadly distributed pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), among wild populations of the nonmigratory estuarine Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus). Variation among killifish populations was characterized in 28-day laboratory challenges using embryonic and larval life stages and the highly toxic, dioxin-like PCB congener, 3,3′4,4′,5-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB126). In summarizing results for 24 populations, we show that killifish populations vary over four orders of magnitude in their sensitivity to PCB126 and that this variation is adaptive to the magnitude of contamination at their residence site. The four least-sensitive killifish populations reside in US Atlantic coast urban harbors >100 km apart from one another: New Bedford, MA, Bridgeport, CT, Newark, NJ, and Norfolk, VA, USA. Prior studies examining all but the CT population have shown that these killifish are relatively insensitive to local contaminants, with mixed evidence concerning the heritability of this trait. We show here that tolerance to PCB126 is extreme, with some mechanistic similarities among these four killifish populations. However, these populations do not respond identically to each other, and in at least one population, tolerance appears to degrade over the F1 and F2 generations tested. Complementary ongoing studies using molecular approaches provide opportunity to identify unique and shared mechanisms of tolerance in these independently evolving populations and explore the adaptive benefits and costs of contemporary evolutionary responses in the wild.     

Observability of coronal heating processes

The mechanisms that could possibly heat the corona are briefly reviewed with emphasis on their observability. Observing enhanced wave flux at footpoints of active regions would confirm wave heating. Observation of nonthermal electrons in tiny coronal events (nanoflares) would confirm dissipation of current sheets. Presence of large scale flows in coronal arcades would underline the importance of turbulent resistivity for coronal heating. A comparison of HeI absorption in quiet and active regions demonstrates the difficulty of interpreting data that connect chromospheric dynamics with coronal heating. Finally, the implications of the search for observations of coronal heating processes are mentioned.     

Off disk-center potential field calculations using vector magnetograms

We investigate a potential field calculation for off disk-center vector magnetograms that uses all the three components of the measured field. There is neither any need for interpolation of grid points between the image plane and the heliographic plane nor for an extension or a truncation to a heliographic rectangle. Hence, the method provides the maximum information content from the photospheric field as well as the most consistent potential field independent of the viewing angle. The introduction of polarimetric noise produces a less tolerant extrapolation procedure than using the line-of-sight extrapolation, but the resultant standard deviation is still small enough for the practical utility of this method.National Research Council Resident Research Associate on leave from Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore 560034, India.