@article{ZhangYanRichter2018, author = {Zhang, Heshou and Yan, Huirong and Richter, Philipp}, title = {The influence of atomic alignment on absorption and emission spectroscopy}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {479}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, number = {3}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/sty1594}, pages = {3923 -- 3935}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Spectroscopic observations play essential roles in astrophysics. They are crucial for determining physical parameters in our Universe, providing information about the chemistry of various astronomical environments. The proper execution of the spectroscopic analysis requires accounting for all the physical effects that are compatible to the signal-to-noise ratio. We find in this paper the influence on spectroscopy from the atomic/ground state alignment owing to anisotropic radiation and modulated by interstellar magnetic field, has significant impact on the study of interstellar gas. In different observational scenarios, we comprehensively demonstrate how atomic alignment influences the spectral analysis and provide the expressions for correcting the effect. The variations are even more pronounced for multiplets and line ratios. We show the variation of the deduced physical parameters caused by the atomic alignment effect, including alpha-to-iron ratio ([X/Fe]) and ionization fraction. Synthetic observations are performed to illustrate the visibility of such effect with current facilities. A study of Photodissociation regions in rho Ophiuchi cloud is presented to demonstrate how to account for atomic alignment in practice. Our work has shown that due to its potential impact, atomic alignment has to be included in an accurate spectroscopic analysis of the interstellar gas with current observational capability.}, language = {en} } @article{VafinRafighiPohletal.2018, author = {Vafin, Sergei and Rafighi, Iman and Pohl, Martin and Niemiec, Jacek}, title = {The Electrostatic Instability for Realistic Pair Distributions in Blazar/EBL Cascades}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {857}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aab552}, pages = {12}, year = {2018}, abstract = {This work revisits the electrostatic instability for blazar-induced pair beams propagating through the intergalactic medium (IGM) using linear analysis and PIC simulations. We study the impact of the realistic distribution function of pairs resulting from the interaction of high-energy gamma-rays with the extragalactic background light. We present analytical and numerical calculations of the linear growth rate of the instability for the arbitrary orientation of wave vectors. Our results explicitly demonstrate that the finite angular spread of the beam dramatically affects the growth rate of the waves, leading to the fastest growth for wave vectors quasi-parallel to the beam direction and a growth rate at oblique directions that is only a factor of 2-4 smaller compared to the maximum. To study the nonlinear beam relaxation, we performed PIC simulations that take into account a realistic wide-energy distribution of beam particles. The parameters of the simulated beam-plasma system provide an adequate physical picture that can be extrapolated to realistic blazar-induced pairs. In our simulations, the beam looses only 1\% of its energy, and we analytically estimate that the beam would lose its total energy over about 100 simulation times. An analytical scaling is then used to extrapolate the parameters of realistic blazar-induced pair beams. We find that they can dissipate their energy slightly faster by the electrostatic instability than through inverse-Compton scattering. The uncertainties arising from, e.g., details of the primary gamma-ray spectrum are too large to make firm statements for individual blazars, and an analysis based on their specific properties is required.}, language = {en} } @article{LopezBarqueroXuDesiatietal.2017, author = {Lopez-Barquero, Vanessa and Xu, S. and Desiati, Paolo and Lazarian, Alex and Pogorelov, Nikolai V. and Yan, Huirong}, title = {TeV Cosmic-Ray Anisotropy from the Magnetic Field at the Heliospheric Boundary}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {842}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aa74d1}, pages = {14}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @article{ArchambaultArcherBenbowetal.2017, author = {Archambault, S. and Archer, A. and Benbow, W. and Buchovecky, M. and Bugaev, V. and Cerruti, M. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, W. and Falcone, A. and Alonso, M. Fernandez and Finley, J. P. and Fleischhack, H. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Griffin, S. and Hutten, M. and Hervet, O. and Holder, J. and Humensky, T. B. and Johnson, C. A. and Kaaret, P. and Kar, P. and Kieda, D. and Krause, M. and Krennrich, F. and Lang, M. J. and Lin, T. T. Y. and Maier, G. and McArthur, S. and Moriarty, P. and Nieto, D. and Ong, R. A. and Otte, A. N. and Pohl, M. and Popkow, A. and Pueschel, Elisa and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Reynolds, P. T. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Rovero, A. C. and Sadeh, I. and Shahinyan, K. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tyler, J. and Wakely, S. P. and Weinstein, A. and Weisgarber, T. and Wilcox, P. and Wilhelm, Alina and Williams, D. A. and Zitzer, B.}, title = {Search for Magnetically Broadened Cascade Emission from Blazars with VERITAS}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {835}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/835/2/288}, pages = {12}, year = {2017}, abstract = {We present a search for magnetically broadened gamma-ray emission around active galactic nuclei (AGNs), using VERITAS observations of seven hard-spectrum blazars. A cascade process occurs when multi-TeV gamma-rays from an AGN interact with extragalactic background light (EBL) photons to produce electron-positron pairs, which then interact with cosmic microwave background photons via inverse-Compton scattering to produce gamma-rays. Due to the deflection of the electron- positron pairs, a non-zero intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) would potentially produce detectable effects on the angular distribution of the cascade emission. In particular, an angular broadening compared to the unscattered emission could occur. Through non-detection of angularly broadened emission from 1ES 1218 vertical bar 304, the source with the largest predicted cascade fraction, we exclude a range of IGMF strengths around 10(-14) G at the 95\% confidence level. The extent of the exclusion range varies with the assumptions made about the intrinsic spectrum of 1ES. 1218+304 and the EBL model used in the simulation of the cascade process. All of the sources are used to set limits on the flux due to extended emission.}, language = {en} } @article{VafinDekaPohletal.2019, author = {Vafin, Sergei and Deka, Pranab Jyoti and Pohl, Martin and Bohdan, Artem}, title = {Revisit of Nonlinear Landau Damping for Electrostatic Instability Driven by Blazar-induced Pair Beams}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {873}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ab017b}, pages = {12}, year = {2019}, abstract = {We revisit the effect of nonlinear Landau (NL) damping on the electrostatic instability of blazar-induced pair beams, using a realistic pair-beam distribution. We employ a simplified 2D model in k-space to study the evolution of the electric-field spectrum and to calculate the relaxation time of the beam. We demonstrate that the 2D model is an adequate representation of the 3D physics. We find that nonlinear Landau damping, once it operates efficiently, transports essentially the entire wave energy to small wave numbers where wave driving is weak or absent. The relaxation time also strongly depends on the intergalactic medium temperature, T-IGM, and for T-IGM << 10 eV, and in the absence of any other damping mechanism, the relaxation time of the pair beam is longer than the inverse Compton (IC) scattering time. The weak late-time beam energy losses arise from the accumulation of wave energy at small k, that nonlinearly drains the wave energy at the resonant k of the pair-beam instability. Any other dissipation process operating at small k would reduce that wave-energy drain and hence lead to stronger pair-beam energy losses. As an example, collisions reduce the relaxation time by an order of magnitude, although their rate is very small. Other nonlinear processes, such as the modulation instability, could provide additional damping of the nonresonant waves and dramatically reduce the relaxation time of the pair beam. An accurate description of the spectral evolution of the electrostatic waves is crucial for calculating the relaxation time of the pair beam.}, language = {en} } @article{GreenKliemWallace2011, author = {Green, Luci M. and Kliem, Bernhard and Wallace, A. J.}, title = {Photospheric flux cancellation and associated flux rope formation and eruption}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {526}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, number = {2}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {0004-6361}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201015146}, pages = {10}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Aims. We study an evolving bipolar active region that exhibits flux cancellation at the internal polarity inversion line, the formation of a soft X-ray sigmoid along the inversion line and a coronal mass ejection. The aim is to investigate the quantity of flux cancellation that is involved in flux rope formation in the time period leading up to the eruption. Methods. The active region is studied using its extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray emissions as it evolves from a sheared arcade to flux rope configuration. The evolution of the photospheric magnetic field is described and used to estimate how much flux is reconnected into the flux rope. Results. About one third of the active region flux cancels at the internal polarity inversion line in the 2.5 days leading up to the eruption. In this period, the coronal structure evolves from a weakly to a highly sheared arcade and then to a sigmoid that crosses the inversion line in the inverse direction. These properties suggest that a flux rope has formed prior to the eruption. The amount of cancellation implies that up to 60\% of the active region flux could be in the body of the flux rope. We point out that only part of the cancellation contributes to the flux in the rope if the arcade is only weakly sheared, as in the first part of the evolution. This reduces the estimated flux in the rope to similar to 30\% or less of the active region flux. We suggest that the remaining discrepancy between our estimate and the limiting value of similar to 10\% of the active region flux, obtained previously by the flux rope insertion method, results from the incomplete coherence of the flux rope, due to nonuniform cancellation along the polarity inversion line. A hot linear feature is observed in the active region which rises as part of the eruption and then likely traces out the field lines close to the axis of the flux rope. The flux cancellation and changing magnetic connections at one end of this feature suggest that the flux rope reaches coherence by reconnection immediately before and early in the impulsive phase of the associated flare. The sigmoid is destroyed in the eruption but reforms quickly, with the amount of cancellation involved being much smaller than in the course of its original formation.}, language = {en} } @article{NishikawaHardeeDutanetal.2014, author = {Nishikawa, Ken-Ichi and Hardee, P. E. and Dutan, I. and Niemiec, J. and Medvedev, M. and Mizuno, Y. and Meli, A. and Sol, H. and Zhang, B. and Pohl, Martin and Hartmann, D. H.}, title = {Magnetic agnetic field generation in core-sheath jets via the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {793}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/793/1/60}, pages = {16}, year = {2014}, abstract = {We have investigated magnetic field generation in velocity shears via the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (kKHI) using a relativistic plasma jet core and stationary plasma sheath. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations consider plasma jet cores with Lorentz factors of 1.5, 5, and 15 for both electron-proton and electron-positron plasmas. For electron-proton plasmas, we find generation of strong large-scale DC currents and magnetic fields that extend over the entire shear surface and reach thicknesses of a few tens of electron skin depths. For electron-positron plasmas, we find generation of alternating currents and magnetic fields. Jet and sheath plasmas are accelerated across the shear surface in the strong magnetic fields generated by the kKHI. The mixing of jet and sheath plasmas generates a transverse structure similar to that produced by the Weibel instability.}, language = {en} } @article{RuedigerSchultz2020, author = {R{\"u}diger, G{\"u}nther and Schultz, Manfred}, title = {Large-scale dynamo action of magnetized Taylor-Couette flows}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {493}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, number = {1}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/staa293}, pages = {1249 -- 1260}, year = {2020}, abstract = {A conducting Taylor-Couette flow with quasi-Keplerian rotation law containing a toroidal magnetic field serves as a mean-field dynamo model of the Tayler-Spruit type. The flows are unstable against non-axisymmetric perturbations which form electromotive forces defining a effect and eddy diffusivity. If both degenerated modes with m = +/- 1 are excited with the same power then the global a effect vanishes and a dynamo cannot work. It is shown, however, that the Tayler instability produces finite alpha effects if only an isolated mode is considered but this intrinsic helicity of the single-mode is too low for an alpha(2) dynamo. Moreover, an alpha Omega dynamo model with quasi-Keplerian rotation requires a minimum magnetic Reynolds number of rotation of Rm similar or equal to 2000 to work. Whether it really works depends on assumptions about the turbulence energy. For a steeper-than-quadratic dependence of the turbulence intensity on the magnetic field, however, dynamos are only excited if the resulting magnetic eddy diffusivity approximates its microscopic value, eta(T) similar or equal to eta. By basically lower or larger eddy diffusivities the dynamo instability is suppressed.}, language = {en} } @article{Poppenhaeger2019, author = {Poppenh{\"a}ger, Katja}, title = {How stars and planets interact}, series = {Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes}, volume = {340}, journal = {Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {0004-6337}, doi = {10.1002/asna.201913619}, pages = {329 -- 333}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The architecture of exoplanetary systems is often different from the solar system, with some exoplanets being in close orbits around their host stars and having orbital periods of only a few days. In analogy to interactions between stars in close binary systems, one may expect interactions between the star and the exoplanet as well. From theoretical considerations, effects on the host star through tidal and magnetic interaction with the exoplanet are possible; for the exoplanet, some interesting implications are the evaporation of the planetary atmosphere and potential effects on the planetary magnetism. In this review, several possible interaction pathways and their observational prospects and existing evidence are discussed. A particular emphasis is put on observational opportunities for these kinds of effects in the high-energy regime.}, language = {en} } @article{KliemSeehafer2022, author = {Kliem, Bernhard and Seehafer, Norbert}, title = {Helicity shedding by flux rope ejection}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {659}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {0004-6361}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202142422}, pages = {9}, year = {2022}, abstract = {We quantitatively address the conjecture that magnetic helicity must be shed from the Sun by eruptions launching coronal mass ejections in order to limit its accumulation in each hemisphere. By varying the ratio of guide and strapping field and the flux rope twist in a parametric simulation study of flux rope ejection from approximately marginally stable force-free equilibria, different ratios of self- and mutual helicity are set and the onset of the torus or helical kink instability is obtained. The helicity shed is found to vary over a broad range from a minor to a major part of the initial helicity, with self helicity being largely or completely shed and mutual helicity, which makes up the larger part of the initial helicity, being shed only partly. Torus-unstable configurations with subcritical twist and without a guide field shed up to about two-thirds of the initial helicity, while a highly twisted, kink-unstable configuration sheds only about one-quarter. The parametric study also yields stable force-free flux rope equilibria up to a total flux-normalized helicity of 0.25, with a ratio of self- to total helicity of 0.32 and a ratio of flux rope to external poloidal flux of 0.94. These results numerically demonstrate the conjecture of helicity shedding by coronal mass ejections and provide a first account of its parametric dependence. Both self- and mutual helicity are shed significantly; this reduces the total initial helicity by a fraction of ∼0.4--0.65 for typical source region parameters.}, language = {en} }