scholarly journals Oscillatory magnetic flux tube slippage in the plasma sheet

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1695-1704 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Petrukovich ◽  
T. l. Zhang ◽  
W. Baumjohann ◽  
R. Nakamura ◽  
A. Runov ◽  
...  

Abstract. Cluster observations in the magnetotail revealed an abundance of strongly inclined current sheets. We determine the magnetic configuration of a particular subset of such phenomena: a series of sheet crossings, having significantly differing inclinations and occurring during quiet conditions. These wave-like variations appear to propagate azimuthally and their magnetic amplitude and magnetic gradient (current density) inside the sheet are proportional to their steepness (degree of inlcination). In spite of significant normal direction changes between neighboring crossings up to 150°, the magnetic field direction inside the neutral sheet remains almost constant. The wavelengths and spatial amplitudes are of the order of 2–5 RE. These observations are interpreted as crossings of a quasi-periodic dynamical structure produced by almost vertical slippage motion of the neighboring magnetic flux tubes in the high-β plasma sheet, rather than large-scale flapping of a stationary structure.

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1273-1288 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Grigorenko ◽  
T. M. Burinskaya ◽  
M. Shevelev ◽  
J.-A. Sauvaud ◽  
L. M. Zelenyi

Abstract. We present a comprehensive analysis of magnetic field and plasma data measured in the course of 170 crossings of the lobeward edge of Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer (PSBL) in the Earth's magnetotail by Cluster spacecraft. We found that large-scale fluctuations of the magnetic flux tubes have been registered during intervals of propagation of high velocity field-aligned ions. The observed kink-like oscillations propagate earthward along the main magnetic field with phase velocities of the order of local Alfvén velocity and have typical wavelengths ~5–20 RE, and frequencies of the order of 0.004–0.02 Hz. The oscillations of PSBL magnetic flux tubes are manifested also in a sudden increase of drift velocity of cold lobe ions streaming tailward. Since in the majority of PSBL crossings in our data set, the densities of currents corresponding to electron-ion relative drift have been low, the investigation of Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability in a bounded flow sandwiched between the plasma sheet and the lobe has been performed to analyze its relevance to generation of the observed ultra-low frequency oscillations with wavelengths much larger than the flow width. The calculations have shown that, when plasma conditions are favorable for the excitation of K-H instability at least at one of the flow boundaries, kink-like ultra-low frequency waves, resembling the experimentally observed ones, could become unstable and efficiently develop in the system.


2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. L. Vaisberg ◽  
L. A. Avanov ◽  
T. E. Moore ◽  
V. N. Smirnov

Abstract. We analyze two LLBL crossings made by the Interball-Tail satellite under a southward or variable magnetosheath magnetic field: one crossing on the flank of the magnetosphere, and another one closer to the subsolar point. Three different types of ion velocity distributions within the LLBL are observed: (a) D-shaped distributions, (b) ion velocity distributions consisting of two counter-streaming components of magnetosheath-type, and (c) distributions with three components, one of which has nearly zero parallel velocity and two counter-streaming components. Only the (a) type fits to the single magnetic flux tube formed by reconnection between the magnetospheric and magnetosheath magnetic fields. We argue that two counter-streaming magnetosheath-like ion components observed by Interball within the LLBL cannot be explained by the reflection of the ions from the magnetic mirror deeper within the magnetosphere. Types (b) and (c) ion velocity distributions would form within spiral magnetic flux tubes consisting of a mixture of alternating segments originating from the magnetosheath and from magnetospheric plasma. The shapes of ion velocity distributions and their evolution with decreasing number density in the LLBL indicate that a significant part of the LLBL is located on magnetic field lines of long spiral flux tube islands at the magnetopause, as has been proposed and found to occur in magnetopause simulations. We consider these observations as evidence for multiple reconnection Χ-lines between magnetosheath and magnetospheric flux tubes. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers; solar wind-magnetosphere interactions)


1990 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 60-61
Author(s):  
Sydney D'Silva ◽  
Arnab Rai Choudhuri

Working under the hypothesis that magnetic flux in the sun is generated at the bottom of the convection zone, Choudhuri and Gilman (1987; Astrophys. J. 316, 788) found that a magnetic flux tube symmetric around the rotation axis, when released at the bottom of the convection zone, gets deflected by the Coriolis force and tends to move parallel to the rotation axis as it rises in the convection zone. As a result, all the flux emerges at rather high latitudes and the flux observed at the typical sunspot latitudes remains unexplained. Choudhuri(1989; Solar Physics, in press) finds that non-axisymmetric perturbations too cannot subdue the Coriolis force. In this paper, we no longer treat the convection zone to be passive as in the previous papers, but we consider the role of turbulence in the convection zone in inhibiting the Coriolis force. The interaction of the flux tubes with the turbulence is treated in a phenomenological way as follows: (1) Large scale turbulence on the scale of giant cells can physically drag the tubes outwards, thus pulling the flux towards lower latitudes by dominating over the Coriolis force. (2) Small scale turbulence of the size of the tubes can exchange angular momentum with the tube, thus suppressing the growth of the Coriolis force and making the tubes emerge at lower latitudes. Numerical simulations show that the giant cells can drag the tubes and make them emerge at lower latitudes only if the velocities within the giant cells are unrealistically large or if the radii of the flux tubes are as small as 10 km. However, small scale turbulence can successfully suppress the growth of the Coriolis force if the tubes have radii smaller than about 300 km which may not be unreasonable. Such flux tubes can then emerge at low latitudes where sunspots are seen.


1996 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 201-216
Author(s):  
Sami K. Solanki

The magnetic field of the Sun is mainly concentrated into intense magnetic flux tubes having field strengths of the order of 1 kG. In this paper an overview is given of the thermal and magnetic properties of these flux tubes, which are known to exhibit a large range in size, from the smallest magnetic elements to sunspots. Differences and similarities between the largest and smallest features are stressed. Some thoughts are also presented on how the properties of magnetic flux tubes are expected to scale from the solar case to that of solar-like stars. For example, it is pointed out that on giants and supergiants turbulent pressure may dominate over gas pressure as the main confining agent of the magnetic field. Arguments are also presented in favour of a highly complex magnetic geometry on very active stars. Thus the very large starspots seen in Doppler images probably are conglomerates of smaller (but possibly still sizable) spots.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-79
Author(s):  
Matti Pitkänen ◽  
◽  
Reza Rastmanesh ◽  

Telomeres are associated with the ends of DNA double strands. The lengths of the telomeres are controlled by the telomerase enzyme. The shortening of the telomeres is known to relate to aging. In cancers, telomere lengths are abnormally short. Telomeres could act as buffers shielding the part of DNA coding for the proteins. For cancer cells, germ cells and stem cells the length of the telomeres is not varying. There is an analogy with microtubules, which are highly dynamical and carry a longitudinal electric field, whose strength correlates with the microtubule length. Could sticky ends generate a longitudinal field along DNA double strand with strength determined by the lengths of the sticky ends? In the standard picture the flux of the longitudinal electric field would be proportional to the difference of the negative charges associated with the sticky ends. In TGD framework, DNA strands are accompanied by the dark analog of DNA with codons realized as 3-proton units at magnetic flux tubes parallel to DNA strands and neutralizing the negative charge of ordinary DNA except at the sticky ends. This allows considering the possibility that opposite sticky ends carry opposite charges generating a longitudinal electric field along the magnetic flux tube associated with the system. DNA/Telomere bioelectric field could serve as a novel bioelectric marker to be used for prognostic and diagnostic purposes in researches of cancer, aging, surgery grafts and rejuvenation. We propsed that DNA bioelectric field can be used as a futuristic bioelectric marker of cancer, aging and death.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S273) ◽  
pp. 351-355
Author(s):  
Andrew Gascoyne ◽  
Rekha Jain

AbstractThe magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) sausage tube waves are excited in the magnetic flux tubes by p-mode forcing. These tube waves thus carry energy away from the p-mode cavity which results in the deficit of incident p-mode energy. We calculate the loss of incident p-mode energy as a damping rate of f- and p-modes. We calculate the damping rates of f- and p-modes by a model Sun consisting of an ensemble of many thin magnetic flux tubes with varying plasma properties and distributions. Each magnetic flux tube is modelled as axisymmetric, vertically oriented and untwisted. We find that the magnitude and the form of the damping rates are sensitive to the plasma-β of the tubes and the upper boundary condition used.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 351-351
Author(s):  
Elena A. Kirichek ◽  
Alexandr A. Solov'ev

In recent years, the local helioseismology has become a highly effective tool for investigating subphotospheric layers of the Sun, which can yield fairly detailed distributions of the subphotospheric temperatures and large-scale plasma flows based on the spectra of the oscillations observed at the photospheric layers and the observed peculiarities of propagation of magnetoacoustic waves in this medium (Zhao et al. (2001), Kosovichev (2006)). Unfortunately, the effects of temperature and the magnetic field on the wave propagation speed have not yet been separated Kosovichev (2006), so that the structure of the sunspot magnetic field in deep layers, beneath the photosphere, remains a subject of purely theoretical analysis. In his analysis of some theoretical models of the subphotospheric layers of sunspots based on recent helioseismological data, Kosovichev (2006) concluded that Parker's (“spaghetti”) cluster model Parker (1979) is most appropriate. In this model, the magnetic flux in the sunspot umbra is concentrated into separate, strongly compressed, vertical magnetic flux tubes that are interspaced with plasma that is almost free of magnetic field; the plasma can move between these tubes.


2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. V. Erkaev ◽  
V. A. Shaidurov ◽  
V. S. Semenov ◽  
H. K. Biernat

Abstract. Variations of the plasma pressure in a magnetic flux tube can produce MHD waves evolving into shocks. In the case of a low plasma beta, plasma pressure pulses in the magnetic flux tube generate MHD slow shocks propagating along the tube. For converging magnetic field lines, such as in a dipole magnetic field, the cross section of the magnetic flux tube decreases enormously with increasing magnetic field strength. In such a case, the propagation of MHD waves along magnetic flux tubes is rather different from that in the case of uniform magnetic fields. In this paper, the propagation of MHD slow shocks is studied numerically using the ideal MHD equations in an approximation suitable for a thin magnetic flux tube with a low plasma beta. The results obtained in the numerical study show that the jumps in the plasma parameters at the MHD slow shock increase greatly while the shock is propagating in the narrowing magnetic flux tube. The results are applied to the case of the interaction between Jupiter and its satellite Io, the latter being considered as a source of plasma pressure pulses.


1988 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 168-168
Author(s):  
T. Roudier ◽  
R. Muller ◽  
J.C. Hulot ◽  
F. Vaissière

AbstractThe modification of properties of granules around magnetic flux tubes has been studied for the first time from photographs (at λ = 4803Å and 5770Å) taken with the 50-cm refractor at Pic du Midi. Statistically, these granules are more numerous, smaller, and more elongated than other granules. During their first two minutes of life they show very pronounced radial orientation to the magnetic flux tube.Angular measurements on the same granules have a precision of ± 10°, which is sufficient as theoretical studies show that they rotate by 360° in the course of their life. Initial results appeared to show that only explosive granules had intrinsic rotation, but further examination showed that it is a general trend. It seems that the granules do rotate significantly, but that there is a more important “push-pull” effect, in agreement with A. Title’s theory drawn from SOUP images.


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