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Previous work has shown that surface modification with orthophosphoric acid can significantly enhance the charge stability on polypropylene (PP) surface by generating deeper traps. In the present study, thermally stimulated potential-decay measurements revealed that the chemical treatment may also significantly increase the number of available trapping sites on the surface. Thus, as a consequence, the so-called "cross-over" phenomenon, which is observed on as-received and thermally treated PP electrets, may be overcome in a certain range of initial charge densities. Furthermore, the discharge behavior of chemically modified samples indicates that charges can be injected from the treated surface into the bulk, and/or charges of opposite polarity can be pulled from the rear electrode into the bulk at elevated temperatures and at the high electric fields that are caused by the deposited charges. In the bulk, a lack of deep traps causes rapid charge decay already in the temperature range around 95 degrees C.
The maximum entropy method is used to predict flows on water distribution networks. This analysis extends the water distribution network formulation of Waldrip et al. (2016) Journal of Hydraulic Engineering (ASCE), by the use of a continuous relative entropy defined on a reduced parameter set. This reduction in the parameters that the entropy is defined over ensures consistency between different representations of the same network. The performance of the proposed reduced parameter method is demonstrated with a one-loop network case study.
The maximum entropy method is used to derive an alternative gravity model for a transport network. The proposed method builds on previous methods which assign the discrete value of a maximum entropy distribution to equal the traffic flow rate. The proposed method however, uses a distribution to represent each flow rate. The proposed method is shown to be able to handle uncertainty in a more elegant way and give similar results to traditional methods. It is able to incorporate more of the observed data through the entropy function, prior distribution and integration limits potentially allowing better inferences to be made.
The ionospheric delay of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals typically is compensated by adding a single correction value to the pseudorange measurement of a GNSS receiver. Yet, this neglects the dispersive nature of the ionosphere. In this context we analyze the ionospheric signal distortion beyond a constant delay. These effects become increasingly significant with the signal bandwidth and hence more important for new broadband navigation signals. Using measurements of the Galileo E5 signal, captured with a high gain antenna, we verify that the expected influence can indeed be observed and compensated. A new method to estimate the total electron content (TEC) from a single frequency high gain antenna measurement of a broadband GNSS signal is proposed and described in detail. The received signal is de facto unaffected by multi-path and interference because of the narrow aperture angle of the used antenna which should reduce the error source of the result in general. We would like to point out that such measurements are independent of code correlation, like in standard receiver applications. It is therefore also usable without knowledge of the signal coding. Results of the TEC estimation process are shown and discussed comparing to common TEC products like TEC maps and dual frequency receiver estimates.
Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing experiments and their theoretical descriptions have determined fast dynamics of the "chromatin and epigenetics" field, with new concepts appearing at high rate. This field includes but is not limited to the study of DNA-protein-RNA interactions, chromatin packing properties at different scales, regulation of gene expression and protein trafficking in the cell nucleus, binding site search in the crowded chromatin environment and modulation of physical interactions by covalent chemical modifications of the binding partners. The current special issue does not pretend for the full coverage of the field, but it rather aims to capture its development and provide a snapshot of the most recent concepts and approaches. Eighteen open-access articles comprising this issue provide a delicate balance between current theoretical and experimental biophysical approaches to uncover chromatin structure and understand epigenetic regulation, allowing free flow of new ideas and preliminary results.
We study the parameter sensitivity of hetero-polymeric DNA within the purview of DNA breathing dynamics. The degree of correlation between the mean bubble size and the model parameters is estimated for this purpose for three different DNA sequences. The analysis leads us to a better understanding of the sequence dependent nature of the breathing dynamics of hetero-polymeric DNA. Out of the 14 model parameters for DNA stability in the statistical Poland-Scheraga approach, the hydrogen bond interaction epsilon(hb)(AT) for an AT base pair and the ring factor. turn out to be the most sensitive parameters. In addition, the stacking interaction epsilon(st)(TA-TA) for an TA-TA nearest neighbor pair of base-pairs is found to be the most sensitive one among all stacking interactions. Moreover, we also establish that the nature of stacking interaction has a deciding effect on the DNA breathing dynamics, not the number of times a particular stacking interaction appears in a sequence. We show that the sensitivity analysis can be used as an effective measure to guide a stochastic optimization technique to find the kinetic rate constants related to the dynamics as opposed to the case where the rate constants are measured using the conventional unbiased way of optimization.
The supercritical Hopf bifurcation is one of the simplest ways in which a stationary state of a nonlinear system can undergo a transition to stable self-sustained oscillations. At the bifurcation point, a small-amplitude limit cycle is born, which already at onset displays a finite frequency. If we consider a reaction-diffusion system that undergoes a supercritical Hopf bifurcation, its dynamics is described by the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE). Here, we study such a system in the parameter regime where the CGLE shows spatio-temporal chaos. We review a type of time-delay feedback methods which is suitable to suppress chaos and replace it by other spatio-temporal solutions such as uniform oscillations, plane waves, standing waves, and the stationary state.
The coupling between molecular excitations and nanoparticles leads to promising applications. It is for example used to enhance the optical cross-section of molecules in surface enhanced Raman scattering, Purcell enhancement or plasmon enhanced dye lasers. In a coupled system new resonances emerge resulting from the original plasmon (ωpl) and exciton (ωex) resonances as
ω±=12(ωpl+ωex)±14(ωpl−ωex)2+g2−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−√,
(1)
where g is the coupling parameter. Hence, the new resonances show a separation of Δ = ω+ − ω− from which the coupling strength can be deduced from the minimum distance between the two resonances, Ω = Δ(ω+ = ω−).
The electromagnetic coupling of molecular excitations to plasmonic nanoparticles offers a promising method to manipulate the light-matter interaction at the nanoscale. Plasmonic nanoparticles foster exceptionally high coupling strengths, due to their capacity to strongly concentrate the light-field to sub-wavelength mode volumes. A particularly interesting coupling regime occurs, if the coupling increases to a level such that the coupling strength surpasses all damping rates in the system. In this so-called strong-coupling regime hybrid light-matter states emerge, which can no more be divided into separate light and matter components. These hybrids unite the features of the original components and possess new resonances whose positions are separated by the Rabi splitting energy h Omega. Detuning the resonance of one of the components leads to an anticrossing of the two arising branches of the new resonances omega(+) and omega(-) with a minimal separation of Omega = omega(+) - omega(-).
Charges dropped
(2015)
Participants of the 2017 European Space Weather Week in Ostend, Belgium, discussed the stakeholder requirements for space weather-related models. It was emphasized that stakeholders show an increased interest in space weather-related models. Participants of the meeting discussed particular prediction indicators that can provide first-order estimates of the impact of space weather on engineering systems.
In an effort to explain the formation of a narrow third radiation belt at ultra-relativistic energies detected during a solar storm in September 20121, Mann et al.2 present simulations from which they conclude it arises from a process of outward radial diffusion alone, without the need for additional loss processes from higher frequency waves. The comparison of observations with the model in Figs 2 and 3 of their Article clearly shows that even with strong radial diffusion rates, the model predicts a third belt near L* = 3 that is twice as wide as observed and approximately an order of magnitude more intense. We therefore disagree with their interpretation that “the agreement between the absolute fluxes from the model and those observed by REPT [the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope] shown on Figs 2 and 3 is excellent.”
Previous studies3 have shown that outward radial diffusion plays a very important role in the dynamics of the outer belt and is capable of explaining rapid reductions in the electron flux. It has also been shown that it can produce remnant belts (Fig. 2 of a long-term simulation study4). However, radial diffusion alone cannot explain the formation of the narrow third belt at multi-MeV during September 2012. An additional loss mechanism is required.
Higher radial diffusion rates cannot improve the comparison of model presented by Mann et al. with observations. A further increase in the radial diffusion rates (reported in Fig. 4 of the Supplementary Information of ref. 2) results in the overestimation of the outer belt fluxes by up to three orders of magnitude at energy of 3.4 MeV.
Observations at 2 MeV, where belts show only a two-zone structure, were not presented by Mann et al. Moreover, simulations of electrons with energies below 2 MeV with the same diffusion rates and boundary conditions used by the authors would probably produce very strong depletions down to L = 3–3.5, where L is radial distance from the centre of the Earth to the given field line in the equatorial plane. Observations do not show a non-adiabatic loss below L ∼ 4.5 for 2 MeV. Such different dynamics between 2 MeV and above 4 MeV at around L = 3.5 are another indication that particles are scattered by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves that affect only energies above a certain threshold.
Observations of the phase space density (PSD) provide additional evidence for the local loss of electrons. Around L* = 3.5–4 PSD shows significant decrease by an order of magnitude starting in the afternoon of 3 September (Fig. 1a), while PSD above L* = 4 is increasing. The minimum in PSD between L* = 3.5–4 continues to decrease until 4 September. This evolution demonstrates that the loss is not produced by outward diffusion. Radial diffusion cannot produce deepening minima, as it works to smooth gradients. Just as growing peaks in PSD show the presence of localized acceleration5, deepening minima show the presence of localized loss.
Figure 1: Time evolution of radiation profiles in electron PSD at relativistic and ultra-relativistic energies.
figure 1
a, Similar to Supplementary Fig. 3 of ref. 2, but using TS07D model10 and for μ = 2,500 MeV G−1, K = 0.05 RE G0.5 (where RE is the radius of the Earth). b, Similar to Supplementary Fig. 3 of ref. 2, but using TS07D model and for μ = 700 MeV G−1, corresponding to MeV energies in the heart of the belt. Minimum in PSD in the heart of the multi-MeV electron radiation belt between 3.5 and 4 RE deepening between the afternoon of 3 September and 5 September clearly show that the narrow remnant belt at multi-MeV below 3.5 RE is produced by the local loss.
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The minimum in the outer boundary is reached on the evening of 2 September. After that, the outer boundary moves up, while the minimum decreases by approximately an order of magnitude, clearly showing that this main decrease cannot be explained by outward diffusion, and requires additional loss processes. The analysis of profiles of PSD is a standard tool used, for example, in the study about electron acceleration5 and routinely used by the entire Van Allen Probes team. In the Supplementary Information, we show that this analysis is validated by using different magnetic field models. The Supplementary Information also shows that measurements are above background noise.
Deepening minima at multi-MeV during the times when the boundary flux increases are clearly seen in Fig. 1a. They show that there must be localized loss, as radial diffusion cannot produce a minimum that becomes lower with time. At lower energies of 1–2 MeV, which corresponds to lower values of the first adiabatic invariant μ (Fig. 1b), the profiles are monotonic between L* = 3–3.5, consistent with the absence of scattering by EMIC waves that affect only electrons above a certain energy threshold6,7,8,9.
In summary, the results of the modelling and observations presented by Mann et al. do not lend support to the claim of explaining the dynamics of the ultra-relativistic third Van Allen radiation belt in terms of an outward radial diffusion process alone. While the outward radial diffusion driven by the loss to the magnetopause2 is certainly operating during this storm, there is compelling observational and modelling2,6 evidence that shows that very efficient localized electron loss operates during this storm at multi-MeV energies, consistent with localized loss produced by EMIC waves.
A hybrid design approach of the hierarchical physical implementation design flow is presented and demonstrated on a fault-tolerant low-power multiprocessor system. The proposed flow allows to implement selected submodules in parallel with contrary requirements such as identical placement and individual block implementation. The overall system contains four Leon2 cores and communicates via the Waterbear framework and supports Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) functionality. Three of the processor core variants are derived from the first baseline reference core but implemented individually at block level based on their clock tree specification. The chip is prepared for space applications and designed with triple modular redundancy (TMR) for control parts. The low-power performance is enabled by contemporary power and clock management control. An ASIC is fabricated in a low-power 0.13 mu m BiCMOS technology process node.
The electret state stability in nonpolar semicrystalline polymers is largely determined by the traps located at crystalline/ amorphous phase interfaces. Thus, the thermal history of such polymers should considerably influence their electret properties. In the present work, we investigate how recrystallization influences charge stability in low-density polyethylene corona electrets. It has been found that electret charge stability in quenched samples is higher than in slowly-crystallized ones. Phenomenologicaly, this can be explained by the increased number of deeper traps in samples with smaller crystallite size.
Tikhonov regularization with oversmoothing penalty for linear statistical inverse learning problems
(2019)
In this paper, we consider the linear ill-posed inverse problem with noisy data in the statistical learning setting. The Tikhonov regularization scheme in Hilbert scales is considered in the reproducing kernel Hilbert space framework to reconstruct the estimator from the random noisy data. We discuss the rates of convergence for the regularized solution under the prior assumptions and link condition. For regression functions with smoothness given in terms of source conditions the error bound can explicitly be established.
The influence of chemical composition and crystallisation conditions on the ferroelectric and paraelectric phases and the resulting morphology in Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE-CFE)) terpolymer films with 55.4/37.2/7.3 mol% or with 62.2/29.4/8.4 mol% of VDF/TrFE/CFE was studied. Poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) with 75/25 mol% VDF/TrFE was employed as reference material. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to determine the fractions of the relevant terpolymer phases, and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was employed to assess the crystalline morphology. The FTIR results show an increase of the fraction of paraelectric phases after annealing. On the other hand, XRD results indicate a more stable paraelectric phase in the terpolymer with higher CFE content.
This is a correction notice for ‘Post-adiabatic supernova remnants in an interstellar magnetic field: oblique shocks and non-uniform environment’ (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty1750), which was published in MNRAS 479, 4253–4270 (2018). The publisher regrets to inform that the colour was missing from the colour scales in Figs 8(a)–(d) and Figs 9(a) and (b). This has now been corrected online. The publisher apologizes for this error.
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are some of the Universe’s most enigmatic and exotic events. However, at energies above 10 GeV their behaviour remains largely unknown. Although space based telescopes such as the Fermi-LAT have been able to detect GRBs in this energy range, their photon statistics are limited by the small detector size. Such limitations are not present in ground based gamma-ray telescopes such as the H.E.S.S. experiment, which has now entered its second phase with the addition of a large 600 m2 telescope to the centre of the array. Such a large telescope allows H.E.S.S. to access the sub 100-GeV energy range while still maintaining a large effective collection area, helping to potentially probe the short timescale emission of these events.
We present a description of the H.E.S.S. GRB observation programme, summarising the performance of the rapid GRB repointing system and the conditions under which GRB observations are initiated. Additionally we will report on the GRB follow-ups made during the 2014-15 observation campaigns.
We describe how inversion symmetry separation of electronic state manifolds in resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering (RIXS) can be applied to probe excited-state dynamics with compelling selectivity. In a case study of Fe L3-edge RIXS in the ferricyanide complex Fe(CN)63−, we demonstrate with multi-configurational restricted active space spectrum simulations how the information content of RIXS spectral fingerprints can be used to unambiguously separate species of different electronic configurations, spin multiplicities, and structures, with possible involvement in the decay dynamics of photo-excited ligand-to-metal charge-transfer. Specifically, we propose that this could be applied to confirm or reject the presence of a hitherto elusive transient Quartet species. Thus, RIXS offers a particular possibility to settle a recent controversy regarding the decay pathway, and we expect the technique to be similarly applicable in other model systems of photo-induced dynamics.
In the present study, the charge distribution and the charge transport across the thickness of 2- and 3-dimensional polymer nanodielectrics was investigated. Chemically surface-treated polypropylene (PP) films and low-density polyethylene nanocomposite films with 3 wt % of magnesium oxide (LDPE/MgO) served as examples of 2-D and 3-D nanodielectrics, respectively. Surface charges were deposited onto the non-metallized surfaces of the one-side metallized polymer films and found to broaden and to thus enter the bulk of the films upon thermal stimulation at suitable elevated temperatures. The resulting space-charge profiles in the thickness direction were probed by means of Piezoelectrically-generated Pressure Steps (PPSs). It was observed that the chemical surface treatment of PP which led to the formation of nano-structures or the use of bulk nanoparticles from LDPE/MgO nanocomposites enhance charge trapping on or in the respective polymer films and also reduce charge transport inside the respective samples.
Published results on LDPE/MgO nanocomposites (3wt%) show that they promise to be good electrical-insulation materials. In this work, the nanocomposites are examined as a potential (ferro-)electret material as well. Isothermal surface-potential decay measurements show that charged LDPE/MgO films still exhibit significant surface potentials after heating for 4 hours at 80 degrees C, which suggests good capabilities of LDPE/MgO nanocomposites to hold electric charges of both polarities. Open-tubular-channel ferroelectrets prepared from LDPE/MgO nanocomposite films show significant piezoelectricity with d(33) coefficients of about 20 pC/N after charging and are stable up to temperatures of at least 80 degrees C. Thus LDPE/MgO nanocomposites may become available as a new ferroelectret material. To increase their d(33) coefficients, it is desirable to optimize the charging conditions and the ferroelectret structure.
Microstructure Characterisation of Advanced Materials via 2D and 3D X-Ray Refraction Techniques
(2018)
3D imaging techniques have an enormous potential to understand the microstructure, its evolution, and its link to mechanical, thermal, and transport properties. In this conference paper we report the use of a powerful, yet not so wide-spread, set of X-ray techniques based on refraction effects. X-ray refraction allows determining internal specific surface (surface per unit volume) in a non-destructive fashion, position and orientation sensitive, and with a nanometric detectability. We demonstrate showcases of ceramics and composite materials, where microstructural parameters could be achieved in a way unrivalled even by high-resolution techniques such as electron microscopy or computed tomography. We present in situ analysis of the damage evolution in an Al/Al2O3 metal matrix composite during tensile load and the identification of void formation (different kinds of defects, particularly unsintered powder hidden in pores, and small inhomogeneity’s like cracks) in Ti64 parts produced by selective laser melting using synchrotron X-ray refraction radiography and tomography.
Gaussianity Fair
(2017)
High storage density magnetic devices rely on the precise, reliable and ultrafast switching times of the magnetic states. Optical control of magnetization using femtosecond laser without applying any external magnetic field offers the advantage of switching magnetic states at ultrashort time scales, which has attracted a significant attention. Recently, it has been reported and demonstrated the,so-called, all-optical helicity-dependent switching (AO-HDS) in which a circularly polarized femtosecond laser pulse switches the magnetization of a ferromagnetic thin film as function of laser helicity [1]. Afterward, in more recent studies, it has been reported that AO-HDS is a general phenomenon existing in magnetic materials ranging from rare earth - transition metals ferrimagnetic (e.g. alloys, multilayers and hetero-structures system) to even ferromagnetic thin films. Among numerous studies in the literature which are discussing the microscopic origin of AO-HDS in ferromagnets or ferrimagnetic alloys, the most renowned concepts are momentum transfer via Inverse Faraday Effect (IFE) [1-3]and the concept of preferential thermal demagnetization for one magnetization direction by heating close to Tc (Curie temperature) in the presence of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) [4-6]. In this study, we investigate all-optical magnetic switching using a stationary femtosecond laser spot (3-5 μm) in TbFe alloys via photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) with a spatial resolution of approximately 30 nm. We spatially characterize the effect of laser heating and local temperature profile created across the laser spot on AO-HDS in TbFe thin films. We find that AO-HDS occurs only in a `ring' shaped region surrounding the thermally demagnetized region formed by the laser spot and the formation of switched domains relies further on thermally induced domain wall motion. Our temperature dependent measurements highlight the importance of attainin...
This paper presents the concept of a community-accessible stratospheric balloon-based observatory that is currently under preparation by a consortium of European research institutes and industry. We present the technical motivation, science case, instrumentation, and a two-stage image stabilization approach of the 0.5-m UV/visible platform. In addition, we briefly describe the novel mid-sized stabilized balloon gondola under design to carry telescopes in the 0.5 to 0.6 m range as well as the currently considered flight option for this platform. Secondly, we outline the scientific and technical motivation for a large balloon-based FIR telescope and the ESBO DS approach towards such an infrastructure.
This book aims at understanding the diversity of planetary and lunar magnetic fields and their interaction with the solar wind. A synergistic interdisciplinary approach combines newly developed tools for data acquisition and analysis, computer simulations of planetary interiors and dynamos, models of solar wind interaction, measurement of terrestrial rocks and meteorites, and laboratory investigations. The following chapters represent a selection of some of the scientific findings derived by the 22 projects within the DFG Priority Program Planetary Magnetism" (PlanetMag). This introductory chapter gives an overview of the individual following chapters, highlighting their role in the overall goals of the PlanetMag framework. The diversity of the different contributions reflects the wide range of magnetic phenomena in our solar system. From the program we have excluded magnetism of the sun, which is an independent broad research discipline, but include the interaction of the solar wind with planets and moons. Within the subsequent 13 chapters of this book, the authors review the field centered on their research topic within PlanetMag. Here we shortly introduce the content of all the subsequent chapters and outline the context in which they should be seen.
Nowadays, structural health monitoring of critical infrastructures is considered as of primal importance especially for managing transport infrastructure however most current SHM methodologies are based on point-sensors that show various limitations relating to their spatial positioning capabilities, cost of development and measurement range. This publication describes the progress in the SENSKIN EC co-funded research project that is developing a dielectric-elastomer sensor, formed from a large highly extensible capacitance sensing membrane and is supported by an advanced micro-electronic circuitry, for monitoring transport infrastructure bridges. The sensor under development provides spatial measurements of strain in excess of 10%, while the sensing system is being designed to be easy to install, require low power in operation concepts, require simple signal processing, and have the ability to self-monitor and report. An appropriate wireless sensor network is also being designed and developed supported by local gateways for the required data collection and exploitation. SENSKIN also develops a Decision-Support-System (DSS) for proactive condition-based structural interventions under normal operating conditions and reactive emergency intervention following an extreme event. The latter is supported by a life-cycle-costing (LCC) and life-cycle-assessment (LCA) module responsible for the total internal and external costs for the identified bridge rehabilitation, analysis of options, yielding figures for the assessment of the economic implications of the bridge rehabilitation work and the environmental impacts of the bridge rehabilitation options and of the associated secondary effects respectively. The overall monitoring system will be evaluated and benchmarked on actual bridges of Egnatia Highway (Greece) and Bosporus Bridge (Turkey).
Structural health monitoring activities are of primal importance for managing transport infrastructure, however most SHM methodologies are based on point-based sensors that have limitations in terms of their spatial positioning requirements, cost of development and measurement range. This paper describes the progress on the SENSKIN EC project whose objective is to develop a dielectric-elastomer and micro-electronics-based sensor, formed from a large highly extensible capacitance sensing membrane supported by advanced microelectronic circuitry, for monitoring transport infrastructure bridges. Such a sensor could provide spatial measurements of strain in excess of 10%. The actual sensor along with the data acquisition module, the communication module and power electronics are all integrated into a compact unit, the SENSKIN device, which is energy-efficient, requires simple signal processing and it is easy to install over various surface types. In terms of communication, SENSKIN devices interact with each other to form the SENSKIN system; a fully distributed and autonomous wireless sensor network that is able to self-monitor. SENSKIN system utilizes Delay-/Disruption-Tolerant Networking technologies to ensure that the strain measurements will be received by the base station even under extreme conditions where normal communications are disrupted. This paper describes the architecture of the SENSKIN system and the development and testing of the first SENSKIN prototype sensor, the data acquisition system, and the communication system.
The quintuplet cluster III. Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and cluster age (vol 540, pg A14, 2012)
(2014)
We review the evidence for a putative early 21st-century divergence between global mean surface temperature (GMST) and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) projections. We provide a systematic comparison between temperatures and projections using historical versions of GMST products and historical versions of model projections that existed at the times when claims about a divergence were made. The comparisons are conducted with a variety of statistical techniques that correct for problems in previous work, including using continuous trends and a Monte Carlo approach to simulate internal variability. The results show that there is no robust statistical evidence for a divergence between models and observations. The impression of a divergence early in the 21st century was caused by various biases in model interpretation and in the observations, and was unsupported by robust statistics.
Abrupt monsoon transitions as seen in paleorecords can be explained by moisture-advection feedback
(2016)
Diffusion of cosmic rays (CRs) is the key process for understanding their propagation and acceleration. We employ the description of spatial separation of magnetic field lines in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in Lazarian & Vishniac to quantify the divergence of the magnetic field on scales less than the injection scale of turbulence and show that this divergence induces superdiffusion of CR in the direction perpendicular to the mean magnetic field. The perpendicular displacement squared increases, not as the distance x along the magnetic field, which is the case for a regular diffusion, but as the x 3 for freely streaming CRs. The dependence changes to x 3/2 for the CRs propagating diffusively along the magnetic field. In the latter case, we show that it is important to distinguish the perpendicular displacement with respect to the mean field and to the local magnetic field. We consider how superdiffusion changes the acceleration of CRs in shocks and show how it decreases efficiency of the CRs acceleration in perpendicular shocks. We also demonstrate that in the case when the small-scale magnetic field is generated in the pre-shock region, an efficient acceleration can take place for the CRs streaming without collisions along the magnetic loops.
During their evolution, massive stars are characterized by a significant loss of mass either via spherically symmetric stellar winds or by aspherical mass-loss mechanisms, namely outflowing equatorial disks. However, the scenario that leads to the formation of a disk or rings of gas and dust around these objects is still under debate. Is it a viscous disk or an ouftlowing disk-forming wind or some other mechanism? It is also unclear how various physical mechanisms that act on the circumstellar environment of the stars affect its shape, density, kinematic, and thermal structure. We assume that the disk-forming mechanism is a viscous transport within an equatorial outflowing disk of a rapidly or even critically rotating star. We study the hydrodynamic and thermal structure of optically thick dense parts of outflowing circumstellar disks that may form around,e.g., Be stars, sgB[e] stars, or Pop m stars. We calculate self-consistent time dependent models of the inner dense region of the disk that is strongly affected either by irradiation from the central star and by contributions of viscous heating effects. We also simulate the dynamic effects of collision between expanding ejecta of supernovae and circumstellar disks that may be form in sgB[e] stars and, e.g., LBVs or Pop in stars.
Already for decades it has been known that the winds of massive stars are inhomogeneous (i.e. clumped). To properly model observed spectra of massive star winds it is necessary to incorporate the 3-D nature of clumping into radiative transfer calculations. In this paper we present our full 3-D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code for inhomogeneous expanding stellar winds. We use a set of parameters to describe dense as well as the rarefied wind components. At the same time, we account for non-monotonic velocity fields. We show how the 3-D density and velocity wind inhomogeneities strongly affect the resonance line formation. We also show how wind clumping can solve the discrepancy between P v and H alpha mass-loss rate diagnostics.