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The origin of the sub-terahertz (sub-THz) component of radio emission from solar flares, which is characterized by the increase flux with frequency in the 100-400 GHz range, is considered. On the basis of equations of 1D non-LTE radiation hydrodynamics we simulated the altitude distribution of the plasma density and temperature inside the flare loop caused by the interaction of non-stationary beam of accelerated electrons in the form of a triangular pulse with the chromospheric plasma. The FLARIX numerical code was used to calculate the dynamics of the flare plasma parameters at different heights which are compared with the RADYN numerical code. We found that the characteristic heights of the formation of sub-THz emission vary over a wide range with time for both codes. The main contribution to the sub-THz emission comes from the chromospheric and transition region plasma with temperatures of 104–105K.
The first quasars at the Reionisation Epoch, z ∼ 6-7.5, probe the early stages of supermassive black holes and host galaxy assembly. In this paper, we present recent results, exploiting VLT, ALMA and NOEMA observations, that allow us to constrain the onset of strong black hole feedback, the dust properties and star formation rates in high redshift quasars with unprecedented accuracy. These results highlight the strategic importance of ALMA high frequency (i.e. Band 9 and 8) observations to obtain a reliable overview of the host galaxy and supermassive black hole growth out to the highest redshifts.
The Sun and solar-type stars exhibit irregular cyclic variations in their magnetic activity over long time scales. To understand this irregularity, we employed the flux transport dynamo models to investigate the behavior of one solar mass star at various rotation rates. To achieve this, we have utilized a mean-field hydrodynamic model to specify differential rotation and meridional circulation, and we have incorporated stochastic fluctuations in the Babcock–Leighton source of the poloidal field to capture inherent fluctuations in the stellar convection. Our simulations successfully demonstrated consistency with the observational data, revealing that rapidly rotating stars exhibit highly irregular cycles with strong magnetic fields and no Maunder-like grand minima. On the other hand, slow rotators produce smoother cycles with weaker magnetic fields, long-term amplitude modulation, and occasional extended grand minima. We observed that the frequency and duration of grand minima increase with the decreasing rotation rate. These results can be understood as the tendency of a less supercritical dynamo in slow rotators to be more prone to produce extended grand minima. We further explore the possible existence of the dynamo in the subcritical regime in a Babcock–Leighton-type framework and in the presence of a small-scale dynamo.
We here present 0.02–0.04″ resolution ALMA observation of the compact obscured nucleus (CON) of IRAS 17578-0400. A dusty torus within the nucleus, approximately 4 pc in radius, has been uncovered, exhibiting a usually flat spectral index at ALMA band 3, likely due to the millimeter corona emission from the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). The dense gas disk, traced by 13CO(1-0), spans 7 pc in radius and suggests an outflow driven by a disk wind due to its asymmetrical structure along the minor axis. Collimated molecular outflows (CMO), traced by the low-velocity components of the HCN(3-2) and HCO+(3-2) lines, align with the minor axis gas disk. Examination of position-velocity plots of HCN(3-2) and HCO+(3-2) reveals a flared dense gas disk extended a radius of ∼60 pc, infalling and rotating at speeds of about 200 km s−1 and 300 km s−1 respectively. A centrifugal barrier, located around 4 pc from the dynamical center, implies an SMBH mass of approximately 108Mȯ, consistent with millimeter corona emission estimates. The CMO maintains a steady rotation speed of 200 km s−1 over the 100 pc scale along the minor axis. The projected speed of the CMO is about 80 km s−1, corresponding to around ∼500 km s−1, assuming an inclination angle of 80°. Such a kinematics structure of disk-driven collimated rotating molecular outflow with gas supplies from a falling rotating disk indicates that the feedback of the compact obscured nucleus is likely regulated by the momentum transfer of the molecular gas that connects to both the feeding of the nuclear starburst and supermassive black hole.
The central parsec of AGN is a key region for the launching of winds, and near-infrared interferometry is a unique tool for its study. With GRAVITY at the VLT interferometer, we can now spatially resolve not just the hot dust continuum on milliarcsecond ‘torus’ scales through imaging but also the broad-line region (BLR) on microarcsecond scales through spectro-astrometry. We have mapped the kinematics of the BLR in seven nearby AGN, measured sizes of the hot dust for seventeen AGN, and reconstructed dust images for two AGN. BLR kinematics has allowed us to measure the BLR size and supermassive black hole mass independent of reverberation mapping. The ongoing GRAVITY+ upgrade will greatly enhance the sensitivity and sky coverage of GRAVITY, and first results demonstrate its power for AGN science at z∼2 and beyond.
We present analysis of the evolution of subsurface flows in and around active regions with peculiar magnetic configurations and compare their characteristics with the normal active regions. We also study the zonal and meridional components of subsurface flows separately in different polarity regions separately to better understand their role in flux migration. We use the techniques of local correlation tracking and ring diagrams for computing surface and subsurface flows, respectively. Our study manifests an evidence that the meridional component of the flows near anti-Hale active regions is predominantly equatorward which disagrees with the poleward flow pattern seen in pro-Hale active regions. We also find clockwise or anti-clockwise flows surrounding the anti-Joy active regions depending on their locations in the Southern or Northern hemispheres, respectively.
The radiative mode of AGN feedback, operated through outflows, plays an essential role in the evolution of galaxies. Quasar outflows are detected as blue-shifted broad absorption lines in the UV/optical spectra of quasars. Thanks to the Sloan digital sky survey, 100,000 broad absorption line quasars are available now for ensemble statistical studies. This rich dataset has also enabled us to identify some peculiar cases of these sources. By quantifying the BAL fraction in radio-loud BAL quasars, our studies demonstrate a clear trend of increasing BAL fraction as the viewing angle approaches an edge-on orientation, favoring the orientation model of BAL quasars. Also, by contrasting the properties of BAL quasars with appearing and disappearing BAL troughs, our analysis suggests that the extreme variations in BAL troughs are driven by ionization changes.
We show that, contrary to simple predictions, most AGNs show at best only a small increase of lags with increasing wavelength in the J, H, K, and L bands. We suggest that a possible cause of this near simultaneity from the near-IR to the mid-IR is that the hot dust is in a hollow bi-conical outflow of which we preferentially see the near side. In the proposed model sublimation or re-creation of dust (with some delay relative luminosity variations) along our line of sight in the hollow cone as the flux varies could be a factor in explaining the AGN changing-look phenomenon (CL). Variations in the dust obscuration can help explain changes in relationship of Hβ time delay on Luv variability. The relative wavelength independence of IR lags simplifies the use of IR lags for estimating cosmological parameters.
The canonical undestanding of stellar convection has recently been put under doubt due to helioseismic results and global 3D convection simulations. This “convective conundrum” is manifested by much higher velocity amplitudes in simulations at large scales in comparison to helioseismic results, and the difficulty in reproducing the solar differential rotation and dynamo with global 3D simulations. Here some aspects of this conundrum are discussed from the viewpoint of hydrodynamic Cartesian 3D simulations targeted at testing the rotational influence and surface forcing on deep convection. More specifically, the dominant scale of convection and the depths of the convection zone and the weakly subadiabatic – yet convecting – Deardorff zone are discussed in detail.
Tidal forces in close binaries and multiple systems that contain magnetically active component are supposed to influence the operation of magnetic dynamo. Through synchronization the tidal effect of a close companion helps maintain fast rotation, thus supporting an efficient dynamo. At the same time, it can also suppress the differential rotation of the convection zone, or even force the formation of active longitudes at certain phases fixed to the orbit. V815 Her is a four-star system consisting of two close binaries orbiting each other, one of which contains an active G-type main-sequence star. Therefore, the system offers an excellent opportunity to investigate the influence of gravitational effects on solar-type magnetic activity using different methods.
In the late 80s of the 20th century, Crimean astronomers, studying the structure of transverse magnetic fields in active regions (ARs), discovered signs of the presence of large-scale vertical electric currents – global electric currents (Abramenko, Gopasyuk 1987). In 2018–2020, we finalized and adapted the method for detecting large-scale electric currents to the data of modern instruments for studying the Sun, and began studying their dynamics on time scales of 3–5 days (Fursyak et. al 2020). Our researches carried out during 2020–2023 showed that: 1) Large-scale electric currents with values of the order of ~ 1013 A exist in ARs with nonzero flare activity. 2) Large-scale electric currents extend to the upper layers of the solar atmosphere in one part of the AR, and close through the chromosphere and corona in the remaining part of the AR. This assumption for the AR NOAA 12192 is confirmed by the results of numerical simulations performed in 2016 (Jiang et al. 2016). 3) The greater the magnitude of the large-scale electric current, the higher the probability of occurrence of M- and X- class solar flares in the AR. 4) At the final stages of AR evolution, a nonzero large-scale electric current can have a stabilizing effect on the sunspot, preventing its decay by its own magnetic field. 5) Large-scale electric currents are involved in coronal heating processes. Ohmic dissipation of a large-scale electric current is one of the mechanisms of quasi-stationary heating of coronal plasma above the AR. Our research on large-scale electric currents and the processes in which they take part continues.
We present a theoretical model of the near-surface shear layer (NSSL) of the Sun. Convection cells deeper down are affected by the Sun’s rotation, but this is not the case in a layer just below the solar surface due to the smallness of the convection cells there. Based on this idea, we show that the thermal wind balance equation (the basic equation in the theory of the meridional circulation which holds inside the convection zone) can be solved to obtain the structure of the NSSL, matching observational data remarkably well.
Planetary influence on a stellar convective shell can result in a periodic modulation of stellar dynamo drivers. Similar modulation can arise in stellar binary systems. Using the Parker low-mode dynamo model we investigate the properties of nonlinear parametric resonance. This model is a system of four ordinary differential equations and, in the first approximation, describes the processes of generation and oscillation of large-scale magnetic fields in stellar systems. In the absence of nonlinear suppression effects, the problem, by analogy with a system of harmonic oscillations, allows an asymptotic selection of multiple resonant frequencies. Despite the fact that at first glance at these frequencies it is reasonable to expect an increase in the amplitude, the behavior of the system can be just the opposite. All this stuff deserves a systematic analysis of swing excitation in the dynamo sistems in comparison with classical swing excitation in the framework of the Mathieu equation.
An accurate description of the center-to-limb variation (CLV) of stellar spectra is becoming an increasingly critical factor in both stellar and exoplanet characterization. In particular, the CLV of spectral lines is extremely challenging as its characterization requires highly detailed knowledge of the stellar physical conditions. To this end, we present the Numerical Empirical Sun-as-a-Star Integrator (NESSI) as a tool for translating high-resolution solar observations of a partial field of view into disk-integrated spectra that can be used to test common assumptions in stellar physics.
We have measured zonal and meridional components of subsurface flows up to a depth of 30 Mm below the solar surface by applying the technique of ring diagram on Dopplergrams which are constructed from the spherical harmonic (SH) coefficients. The SH coefficients are obtained from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) full-disk Dopplergrams. We find a good agreement and some differences between the flows obtained in this study with those from the traditional methods using direct Dopplergrams.
The Sun’s meridional circulation is a crucial component for understanding the Sun’s dynamo and its interior dynamics. However, the determination of meridional circulation is affected by a systematic center-to-limb (CtoL) effect, which introduces systematic errors 5–10 times stronger than the meridional-flow-induced travel-time shifts in deep-flow measurements. Recently, it was found that the CtoL effect has a significant acoustic-frequency dependence, while flow-induced travel-time shifts show little frequency dependence (Chen & Zhao 2018). This discovery forms the basis for designing a new method to remove the CtoL effect. We therefore propose a frequency-dependent approach to measure the CtoL effect and the flow-induced signals in the Fourier domain. In this work, we present this new method and compare time–distance measurements in different frequency bands with those obtained by previous time-domain methods. The results demonstrate consistency with conventional time-domain fitting methods in the dominant frequency range, promising the potential for conducting meridional flow inversion across a broader frequency spectrum.
Coronal rain is formed in the post-impulsive phase of solar flares due to the thermal instability of coronal plasma in EUV loops. As a result, the sub-terahertz (sub-THz) emission flux in the post-impulsive phase of solar flares can be increased due to the increasing of the optical thickness of the thermal source. This suggests that sub-THz observations can be used as a diagnostic tool for coronal rain.
This work is aimed to analyse the relationship between the sub-THz radiation and variations of the temperature and the emission measure of the EUV coronal plasma during the post-impulsive phase of the SOL2022-05-04T08:45 solar flare.
Based on the two-dimensional temperature and emission measure distributions obtained from the AIA/SDO EUV intensity data, it was found that the temperature decreases whereas the emission measure reaches the maximum near the sub-THz flare peak. This circumstance and peculiarities of the radiation time profiles in different wave ranges show evidence in favor of the significant contribution of the thermal coronal loop plasma to the flare sub-THz radiation at least for some flare events. The sub-THz emission may be associated with a coronal condensation, accompanied by the formation of coronal rain.
To create early warning capabilities for upcoming Space Weather disturbances, we have selected a dataset of 61 emerging active regions, which allows us to identify characteristic features in the evolution of acoustic power density to predict continuum intensity emergence. For our study, we have utilized Doppler shift and continuum intensity observations from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The local tracking of 30.66 × 30.66-degree patches in the vicinity of active regions allowed us to trace the evolution of active regions starting from the pre-emergence state. We have developed a machine learning model to capture the acoustic power flux density variations associated with upcoming magnetic flux emergence. The trained Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model is able to predict 5 hours ahead whether, in a given area of the solar surface, continuum intensity values will decrease. The performed study allows us to investigate the potential of the machine learning approach to predict the emergence of active regions using acoustic power maps as input.
Photon-driven flows have been studied for almost a century, and a quantitative description of the radiative forces on atoms and ions is important for understanding a wide variety of systems, including active galactic nuclei (AGN). The colloquially-termed “radiation pressure” of line-driven winds plays an important role in driving outflows in these environments. Quantifying the associated forces is crucial to understanding how these flows enable interactive mechanisms within these environments, such as AGN feedback. Here we provide new calculations of the dimensionless line strength parameter due to radiation driving. For representative AGN, we calculate the photoionization balance at each step along the line of sight (LOS) to the proposed wind-launching region above the accretion disk. We then use a recently compiled database of approximately 5.6 million spectral lines to compute the strength of the line-driving force on the gas and the mass-loss rates resulting from these outflows. We also introduce a “shielding factor’’ that increases the magnitude of the accretion disk column density prior to the launch radius. This shielding factor simulates a proposed inner “failed wind” region that is thought to shield the outflowing gas from becoming over-ionized by the central source. We also revisit and formalize the role of the commonly-used ionization parameter in setting the properties of the accelerating gas.