| 1. |
- Ajello, M., et al.
(författare)
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Bright Gamma-Ray Flares Observed in GRB 131108A
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 886:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- GRB 131108A is a bright long gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by the Large Area Telescope and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Dedicated temporal and spectral analyses reveal three ?-ray flares dominating above 100 MeV, which are not directly related to the prompt emission in the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor band (10 keV?10 MeV). The high-energy light curve of GRB 131108A (100 MeV?10 GeV) shows an unusual evolution: a steep decay, followed by three flares with an underlying emission, and then a long-lasting decay phase. The detailed analysis of the ?-ray flares finds that the three flares are 6?20 times brighter than the underlying emission and are similar to each other. The fluence of each flare, (1.6?2.0)10(?6) erg cm(?2), is comparable to that of emission during the steep decay phase, 1.710(?6) erg cm(?2). The total fluence from three ?-ray flares is 5.310(?6) erg cm(?2). The three ?-ray flares show properties similar to the usual X-ray flares that are sharp flux increases, occurring in ?50% of afterglows, in some cases well after the prompt emission. Also, the temporal and spectral indices during the early steep decay phase and the decaying phase of each flare show the consistency with a relation of the curvature effect (
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| 2. |
- Brandenburg, Axel, et al.
(författare)
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Compensating Faraday Depolarization by Magnetic Helicity in the Solar Corona
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 845:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A turbulent dynamo in spherical geometry with an outer corona is simulated to study the sign of magnetic helicity in the outer parts. In agreement with earlier studies, the sign in the outer corona is found to be opposite to that inside the dynamo. Line-of-sight observations of polarized emission are synthesized to explore the feasibility of using the local reduction of Faraday depolarization to infer the sign of helicity of magnetic fields in the solar corona. This approach was previously identified as an observational diagnostic in the context of galactic magnetic fields. Based on our simulations, we show that this method can be successful in the solar context if sufficient statistics are gathered by using averages over ring segments in the corona separately for the regions north and south of the solar equator.
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| 3. |
- Brandenburg, Axel, et al.
(författare)
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Hemispheric Handedness in the Galactic Synchrotron Polarization Foreground
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 896:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The large-scale magnetic field of the Milky Way is thought to be created by an alpha omega dynamo, which implies that it should have opposite handedness north and south of the Galactic midplane. Here we attempt to detect a variation in handedness using polarization data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. Previous analyzes of the parity-even and parity-odd parts of linear polarization of the global dust and synchrotron emission have focused on quadratic correlations in spectral space of, and between, these two components. Here, by contrast, we analyze the parity-odd polarization itself and show that it has, on average, opposite signs in northern and southern Galactic hemispheres. Comparison with a Galactic mean-field dynamo model shows broad qualitative agreement and reveals that the sign of the observed hemispheric dependence of the azimuthally averaged parity-odd polarization is not determined by the sign of alpha, but by the sense of differential rotation.
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| 4. |
- Chasapis, A., et al.
(författare)
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In Situ Observation of Intermittent Dissipation at Kinetic Scales in the Earth's Magnetosheath
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : Institute of Physics Publishing. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 856:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a study of signatures of energy dissipation at kinetic scales in plasma turbulence based on observations by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS) in the Earth's magnetosheath. Using several intervals, and taking advantage of the high-resolution instrumentation on board MMS, we compute and discuss several statistical measures of coherent structures and heating associated with electrons, at previously unattainable scales in space and time. We use the multi-spacecraft Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) technique to study the intermittent structure of the magnetic field. Furthermore, we examine a measure of dissipation and its behavior with respect to the PVI as well as the current density. Additionally, we analyze the evolution of the anisotropic electron temperature and non-Maxwellian features of the particle distribution function. From these diagnostics emerges strong statistical evidence that electrons are preferentially heated in subproton-scale regions of strong electric current density, and this heating is preferentially in the parallel direction relative to the local magnetic field. Accordingly, the conversion of magnetic energy into electron kinetic energy occurs more strongly in regions of stronger current density, a finding consistent with several kinetic plasma simulation studies and hinted at by prior studies using lower resolution Cluster observations.
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| 5. |
- Jóhannesson, Gudlaugur, et al.
(författare)
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Low-energy Electrons in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow Models
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 859:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows have long provided the most detailed information about the origin of this spectacular phenomenon. The model that is most commonly used to extract physical properties of the event from the observations is the relativistic fireball model, where ejected material moving at relativistic speeds creates a shock wave when it interacts with the surrounding medium. Electrons are accelerated in the shock wave, generating the observed synchrotron emission through interactions with the magnetic field in the downstream medium. It is usually assumed that the accelerated electrons follow a simple power-law distribution in energy between specific energy boundaries, and that no electron exists outside these boundaries. This Letter explores the consequences of adding a low-energy power-law segment to the electron distribution with energy that contributes insignificantly to the total energy budget of the distribution. The low-energy electrons have a significant impact on the radio emission, providing synchrotron absorption and emission at these long wavelengths. Shorter wavelengths are affected through the normalization of the distribution. The new model is used to analyze the light curves of GRB 990510, and the resulting parameters are compared to a model without the extra electrons. The quality of the fit and the best-fit parameters are significantly affected by the additional model component. The new component is in one case found to strongly affect the X-ray light curves, showing how changes to the model at radio frequencies can affect light curves at other frequencies through changes in best-fit model parameters.
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| 6. |
- Marcelli, N., et al.
(författare)
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Helium Fluxes Measured by the PAMELA Experiment from the Minimum to the Maximum Solar Activity for Solar Cycle 24
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 925:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Time-dependent energy spectra of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) carry fundamental information regarding their origin and propagation. When observed at the Earth, these spectra are significantly affected by the solar wind and the embedded solar magnetic field that permeates the heliosphere, changing significantly over an 11 yr solar cycle. Energy spectra of GCRs measured during different epochs of solar activity provide crucial information for a thorough understanding of solar and heliospheric phenomena. The PAMELA experiment collected data for almost 10 years (2006 June 15-2016 January 23), including the minimum phase of solar cycle 23 and the maximum phase of solar cycle 24. In this paper, we present new spectra for helium nuclei measured by the PAMELA instrument from 2010 January to 2014 September over a three-Carrington-rotation time basis. These data are compared to the PAMELA spectra measured during the previous solar minimum, providing a picture of the time dependence of the helium-nuclei fluxes over a nearly full solar cycle. Time and rigidity dependencies are observed in the proton-to-helium flux ratios. The force-field approximation of the solar modulation was used to relate these dependencies to the shapes of the local interstellar proton and helium-nuclei spectra.
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| 7. |
- Marini, Ester, et al.
(författare)
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Discovery of Stars Surrounded by Iron Dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 871:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We consider a small sample of oxygen-rich, asymptotic giant branch stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope, exhibiting a peculiar spectral energy distribution, which can hardly be explained by the common assumption that dust around Asymptotic Giant Branch stars is primarily composed of silicate grains. We suggest that this uncommon class of objects is the progeny of a metal-poor generation of stars, with metallicity Z similar to 1-2 x 10(-3), formed similar to 100 Myr ago. The main dust component in the circumstellar envelope is solid iron. In these stars the poor formation of silicates is set by the strong nucleosynthesis experienced at the base of the envelope, which provokes a scarcity of magnesium atoms and water molecules, required for the silicate formation. The importance of the present results to interpret the data from the incoming James Webb Space Telescope is also discussed.
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| 8. |
- Martucci, M., et al.
(författare)
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Proton Fluxes Measured by the PAMELA Experiment from the Minimum to the Maximum Solar Activity for Solar Cycle 24
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 854:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Precise measurements of the time-dependent intensity of the low-energy (<50 GeV) galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are fundamental to test and improve the models that describe their propagation inside the heliosphere. In particular, data spanning different solar activity periods, i.e., from minimum to maximum, are needed to achieve comprehensive understanding of such physical phenomena. The minimum phase between solar cycles 23 and 24 was peculiarly long, extending up to the beginning of 2010 and followed by the maximum phase, reached during early 2014. In this Letter, we present proton differential spectra measured from 2010 January to 2014 February by the PAMELA experiment. For the first time the GCR proton intensity was studied over a wide energy range (0.08-50 GeV) by a single apparatus from a minimum to a maximum period of solar activity. The large statistics allowed the time variation to be investigated on a nearly monthly basis. Data were compared and interpreted in the context of a state-of-the-art three-dimensional model describing the GCRs propagation through the heliosphere.
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| 9. |
- Wang, Z., et al.
(författare)
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Monitoring the Spatio-temporal Evolution of a Reconnection X-line in Space
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 899:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Inherently, magnetic reconnection-the process responsible for stellar flares and magnetospheric substorms-is very dynamic in space, owing to magnetic fluctuations and unsteady inflows. However, this process was always explained as a static picture in spacecraft measurements, neglecting the temporal evolution. This picture is not correct. Here we provide the first dynamic picture of magnetic reconnection in space, by monitoring the spatio-temporal evolution of a reconnection X-line at the magnetopause. Surprisingly, we find that the angle of a reconnection X-line can change from 448 to 249 during tens of milliseconds, which is significantly smaller than the characteristic timescale of the reconnection process (t=d(i)/V-A similar to 410 ms). Meanwhile, the spacecraft moves from the inflow region to the outflow region (spatial evolution). This result demonstrates that the magnetic reconnection in space can develop rapidly during tens of milliseconds, and thus that the concept of dynamic reconnection should be invoked instead of a static diagram.
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| 10. |
- Xu, J., et al.
(författare)
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Observation of Energy Conversion Near the X-line in Asymmetric Guide-field Reconnection
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 895:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With high-resolution data of the recently launched Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, the present study reports an asymmetric guide-field reconnection at the dayside magnetopause, which has a density asymmetry N-MSP/N-MSH similar to 15 on the two sides of the current sheet and a guide field B-g similar to 1.4B(L, MSH) in the out-of-plane direction, exhibiting all the two-fluid features including Alfvenic plasma jets and Hall field systems. Using the First Order Taylor Expansion method, we identify the X-line of this reconnection. Different from previous observations, the energy conversion dominantly occurs sunward of the X-line, while the local waves arise simultaneously. The qualitative analysis about the electron energization in this reconnection is proposed, suggesting that the guide field may play an important role in modifying the location where the energy conversion occurs together with the electric field near the X-line.
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