| 1. |
- Engwall, Erik, 1977-
(författare)
-
Low-Energy Ion Escape from the Terrestrial Polar Regions
- 2009
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The contemporary terrestrial atmosphere loses matter at a rate of around 100,000 tons per year. A major fraction of the net mass loss is constituted by ions, mainly H+ and O+, which escape from the Earth’s ionosphere in the polar regions. Previously, the outflow has only been measured at low altitudes, but to understand what fraction actually escapes and does not return, the measurements should be conducted far from the Earth. However, at large geocentric distances the outflowing ions are difficult to detect with conventional ion instruments on spacecraft, since the spacecraft electrostatic potential normally exceeds the equivalent energy of the ions. This also means that little is known about the ion outflow properties and distribution in space far from the Earth. In this thesis, we present a new method to measure the outflowing low-energy ions in those regions where they previously have been invisible. The method is based on the detection by electric field instruments of the large wake created behind a spacecraft in a flowing, low-energy plasma. Since ions with low energy will create a larger wake, the method is more sensitive to light ions, and our measured outflow is essentially the proton outflow. Applying this new method on data from the Cluster spacecraft, we have been able to make an extensive statistical study of ion outflows from 5 to 19 Earth radii in the magnetotail lobes. We show that cold proton outflows dominate in these large regions of the magnetosphere in both flux and density. Our outflow values of low-energy protons are close to those measured at low altitudes, which confirms that the ionospheric outflows continue far back in the tail and contribute significantly to the magnetospheric content. We also conclude that most of the ions are escaping and not returning, which improves previous estimates of the global outflow. The total loss of protons due to high-latitude escape is found to be on the order of 1026 protons/s.
|
|
| 2. |
- Backrud, Marie, 1971-
(författare)
-
Cluster Observations and Theoretical Explanations of Broadband Waves in the Auroral Region
- 2005
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Broadband extremely low-frequency wave emissions below the ion plasma frequency have been observed by a number of spacecraft and rockets on auroral field lines. The importance of these broadband emissions for transverse ion heating and electron acceleration in the auroral regions is now reasonably well established. However, the exact mechanism(s) for mediating this energy transfer and the wave mode(s) involved are not well known. In this thesis we focus on the identification of broadband waves by different methods. Two wave analysis methods, involving different approximations and assumptions, give consistent results concerning the wave mode identification. We find that much of the broadband emissions can be identified as a mixture of ion acoustic, electrostatic ion cyclotron and, ion Bernstein waves, which all can be described as different parts of the same dispersion surface in the linear theory of waves in homogeneous plasma. A new result is that ion acoustic waves occur on auroral magnetic field lines. These are found in relatively small regions interpreted as acceleration regions without cold (tens of eV) electrons.From interferometry we also determine the phase velocity and k vector for parallel and oblique ion acoustic waves. The retrieved characteristic phase velocity is of the order of the ion acoustic speed and larger than the thermal velocity of the protons. The typical wavelength is around the proton gyro radius and always larger than the Debye length which is consistent with ion acoustic waves. We have observed quasi-static parallel electric fields associated with the ion acoustic waves in regions with large-scale currents. Waves, in particular ion acoustic waves, can create an anomalous resistivity due to wave-particle interaction when electrons are retarded or trapped by the electric wave-field. To maintain the large-scale current, a parallel electric field is set up, which then can accelerate a second electron population to high velocities.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ekblom Bak, Elin, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
-
Accelerometer derived physical activity patterns in 27.890 middle‐aged adults : The SCAPIS cohort study
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0905-7188 .- 1600-0838. ; 32:5, s. 866-880
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study aims to describe accelerometer-assessed physical activity (PA) patterns and fulfillment of PA recommendations in a large sample of middle-aged men and women, and to study differences between subgroups of socio-demographic, socio-economic, and lifestyle-related variables. A total of 27 890 (92.5% of total participants, 52% women, aged 50–64 years) middle-aged men and women with at least four days of valid hip-worn accelerometer data (Actigraph GT3X+, wGT3X+ and wGT3X-BT) from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study, SCAPIS, were included. In total, 54.5% of daily wear time was spent sedentary, 39.1% in low, 5.4% in moderate, and only 0.1% in vigorous PA. Male sex, higher education, low financial strain, born in Sweden, and sedentary/light working situation were related to higher sedentary time, but also higher levels of vigorous PA. High BMI and having multiple chronic diseases associated strongly with higher sedentary time and less time in all three PA intensities. All-year physically active commuters had an overall more active PA pattern. The proportion fulfilling current PA recommendations varied substantially (1.4% to 92.2%) depending on data handling procedures and definition used. Twenty-eight percent was defined as having an “at-risk” behavior, which included both high sedentary time and low vigorous PA. In this large population-based sample, a majority of time was spent sedentary and only a fraction in vigorous PA, with clinically important variations between subgroups. This study provides important reference material and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of the individual PA pattern in future research and clinical practice.
|
|
| 4. |
- Ekström, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
-
Exertional breathlessness related to medical conditions in middle-aged people: the population-based SCAPIS study of more than 25,000 men and women.
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Respiratory research. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1465-993X .- 1465-9921. ; 25:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Breathlessness is common in the population and can be related to a range of medical conditions. We aimed to evaluate the burden of breathlessness related to different medical conditions in a middle-aged population.Cross-sectional analysis of the population-based Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study of adults aged 50-64years. Breathlessness (modified Medical Research Council [mMRC]≥2) was evaluated in relation to self-reported symptoms, stress, depression; physician-diagnosed conditions; measured body mass index (BMI), spirometry, venous haemoglobin concentration, coronary artery calcification and stenosis [computer tomography (CT) angiography], and pulmonary emphysema (high-resolution CT). For each condition, the prevalence and breathlessness population attributable fraction (PAF) were calculated, overall and by sex, smoking history, and presence/absence of self-reported cardiorespiratory disease.We included 25,948 people aged 57.5±[SD] 4.4; 51% women; 37% former and 12% current smokers; 43% overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), 21% obese (BMI≥30); 25% with respiratory disease, 14% depression, 9% cardiac disease, and 3% anemia. Breathlessness was present in 3.7%. Medical conditions most strongly related to the breathlessness prevalence were (PAF 95%CI): overweight and obesity (59.6-66.0%), stress (31.6-76.8%), respiratory disease (20.1-37.1%), depression (17.1-26.6%), cardiac disease (6.3-12.7%), anemia (0.8-3.3%), and peripheral arterial disease (0.3-0.8%). Stress was the main factor in women and current smokers.Breathlessness mainly relates to overweight/obesity and stress and to a lesser extent to comorbidities like respiratory, depressive, and cardiac disorders among middle-aged people in a high-income setting-supporting the importance of lifestyle interventions to reduce the burden of breathlessness in the population.
|
|
| 5. |
- Norgren, Cecilia
(författare)
-
Electron-scale physics in space plasma : Thin boundaries and magnetic reconnection
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Most of the observable Universe consists of plasma, a kind of ionized gas that interacts with electric and magnetic fields. Large volumes of space are filled with relatively uniform plasmas that convect with the magnetic field. This is the case for the solar wind, and large parts of planetary magnetospheres, the volumes around the magnetized planets that are dominated by the planet's internal magnetic field. Large plasma volumes in space are often separated by thin extended boundaries. Many small-scale processes in these boundaries mediate large volumes of plasma and energy between the adjacent regions, and can lead to global changes in the magnetic field topology. To understand how large-scale plasma regions are created, maintained, and how they can mix, it is important understand how the processes in the thin boundaries separating them work.A process in these thin boundaries that may result in large scale changes in magnetic field topology is magnetic reconnection. Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process that transfers energy from the magnetic field to particles, and occurs both in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. It is a multi-scale process involving both ions and electrons, but is only partly understoodSpace above the Earth's ionosphere is essentially collisionless, meaning that information, energy, and mass transfer have to be mediated through means other than collisions. In a plasma, this can happen through interactions between particles and electrostatic and electromagnetic waves. Instabilities that excites waves can therefore play a crucial role in the energy transfer between fields and particles, and different particle populations, for example between ions and electrons.In this thesis we have used data from ESA's four Cluster and NASA's four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellites to study small-scale – the scale where details of the electron motion becomes important – processes in thin boundaries around Earth. With Cluster, we have made detailed measurements of lower-hybrid waves and electrostatic solitary waves to better understand what role these waves can play in collisionless energy transfer. Here, the use of at least two satellites was crucial to estimate the phase speed of the waves, and associated wavelength, as well as electrostatic potential of the waves. With MMS, we have studied the electron dynamics within thin boundaries undergoing magnetic reconnection, and found that the current is often carried by non-gyrotropic parts of the electron distribution. The non-gyrotropy was caused by finite gyroradius effects due to sharp gradients in the magnetic field and plasma density and temperature. Here, the use of four satellites was crucial to deduce the spatial structure and thickness of the boundaries. Before the MMS mission, these observations of electron dynamics have never been possible in space, due to instrumental limitations of previous missions. All these findings have led to better understanding of both our near-space environment and plasma physics in general.
|
|
| 6. |
- Retinò, Alessandro, 1974-
(författare)
-
Magnetic Reconnection in Space Plasmas : Cluster Spacecraft Observations
- 2007
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Magnetic reconnection is a universal process occurring at boundaries between magnetized plasmas, where changes in the topology of the magnetic field lead to the transport of charged particles across the boundaries and to the conversion of electromagnetic energy into kinetic and thermal energy of the particles. Reconnection occurs in laboratory plasmas, in solar system plasmas and it is considered to play a key role in many other space environments such as magnetized stars and accretion disks around stars and planets under formation. Magnetic reconnection is a multi-scale plasma process where the small spatial and temporal scales are strongly coupled to the large scales. Reconnection is initiated rapidly in small regions by microphysical processes but it affects very large volumes of space for long times. The best laboratory to experimentally study magnetic reconnection at different scales is the near-Earth space, the so-called Geospace, where Cluster spacecraft in situ measurements are available. The European Space Agency Cluster mission is composed of four-spacecraft flying in a formation and this allows, for the first time, simultaneous four-point measurements at different scales, thanks to the changeable spacecraft separation. In this thesis Cluster observations of magnetic reconnection in Geospace are presented both at large and at small scales. At large temporal (a few hours) and spatial (several thousands km) scales, both fluid and kinetic evidence of reconnection is provided. The evidence consist of ions accelerated and transmitted across the Earth’s magnetopause. The observations show that component reconnection occurs at the magnetopause and that reconnection is continuous in time. The microphysics of reconnection is investigated at smaller temporal (a few ion gyroperiods) and spatial (a few ion gyroradii) scales. Two regions are important for the microphysics: the X-region, around the X-line, where reconnection is initiated and the separatrix region, away from the X-line, where most of the energy conversion occurs. Observations of a separatrix region at the magnetopause are shown and the microphysics is described in detail. The separatrix region is shown to be highly structured and dynamic even away from the X-line.Finally the discovery of magnetic reconnection in turbulent plasma is presented by showing, for the first time, in situ evidence of reconnection in a thin current sheet found in the turbulent plasma downstream of the quasi-parallel Earth’s bow shock. It is shown that turbulent reconnection is fast and that electromagnetic energy is converted into heating and acceleration of particles in turbulent plasma. It is also shown that reconnecting current sheets are abundant in turbulent plasma and that reconnection can be an efficient energy dissipation mechanism.
|
|
| 7. |
- Tjulin, Anders, 1974-
(författare)
-
Waves in space plasmas : Lower hybrid cavities and simple-pole distribution functions
- 2003
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Waves are a fundamental feature in many parts of physics, since they transport energy without transporting matter. This is the case also in space physics. Waves are responsible for energy transport both between different parts of space and between different particles in the space plasma. They are also useful for diagnostics of the space plasma itself. The present thesis considers two different parts of the large subject of space plasma waves: Lower hybrid cavities (LHCs) and simple-pole particle distribution functions.The LHCs are localised density depletions that have been observed by several spacecraft. They have increased wave activity in the lower hybrid frequency range, and was previously found on altitudes up to 1750 km. New observations by the Viking and Cluster satellites show that they are common magnetospheric features, at least up to an altitude of 35,000 km. Theoretical results, assuming a cylindrically symmetric density depletion, show that even though the density depletion may decrease slowly with increasing radial distance, and thus be essentially infinite in extent, there is a maximum distance within which a trapped mode, with given wave number kz parallel to the geomagnetic field, may propagate. Furthermore, there is a local relation between the plasma density gradient and the lowest possible frequency that the trapped waves can have, for any monotonic density and given kz. The combined theoretical and observational results indicate that the length of the cavities is larger than the width by a factor of at least 200.Simple-pole particle distribution functions are introduced because they can model high velocity tails of the particle distribution in a way that is not possible to do with Maxwellian distribution functions. These distributions also simplify the calculations. This gives new possibilities for the physical understanding, as well as the numerical calculations, of the dispersion relations of real space plasmas. The dispersion relations of plasmas described by simple-pole distributions are examined, both for unmagnetised and for magnetised plasmas. These examples show how particle populations with the same density and mean particle energy, but with somewhat different distribution functions, have different wave propagation properties that should be observable by existing spacecraft.
|
|
