Modeling large solar flares

The basic ideas to model the large solar flares are reviewed and illustrated. Some fundamental properties of potential and non-potential fields in the solar atmosphere are recalled. In particular, we consider a classification of the non-potential fields or, more exactly, related electric currents, including reconnecting current layers. The so-called ‘rainbow reconnection’ model is presented with its properties and predictions. This model allows us to understand main features of large flares in terms of reconnection. We assume that in the two-ribbon flares, like the Bastille-day flare, the magnetic separatrices are involved in a large-scale shear photospheric flow in the presence of reconnecting current layers generated by a converging flow.     

Formation of bioorganic compounds in simulated planetary atmospheres by high energy particles or photons.

Various types of organic compounds have been detected in Jupiter, Titan, and cometary coma. It is probable that organic compounds were formed in primitive Earth and Mars atmospheres. Cosmic rays and solar UV are believed to be two major energy sources for organic formation in space. We examined energetics of organic formation in simulated planetary atmospheres. Gas mixtures including a C-source (carbon monoxide or methane) and a N-source (nitrogen or ammonia) was irradiated with the followings: High energy protons or electrons from accelerators, gamma-rays from 60Co, UV light from a deuterium lamp, and soft X-rays or UV light from an electron synchrotron. Amino acids were detected in the products of particles, gamma-rays and soft X-rays irradiation from each gas mixture examined. UV light gave, however, no amino acid precursors in the gas mixture of carbon monoxide, nitrogen and nitrogen. It gave only a trace of them in the gas mixture of carbon monoxide, ammonia and water or that of methane, nitrogen and water. Yield of amino acid precursors by photons greatly depended on their wavelength. These results suggest that nitrogen-containing organic compounds like amino acid precursors were formed chiefly with high energy particles, not UV photons, in Titan or primitive Earth/Mars atmospheres where ammonia is not available as a predominant N-source.     

The sticking probability of a hydrogen atom on icy mantle.

In the present work, we investigate the sticking process of a hydrogen atom on the surface of dust grains. As a realistic model for the icy mantle of dust grains, we produced slab-shaped amorphous water ice with infinite area by classical molecular dynamics (MD) computational simulation using two-dimensional periodic boundary condition. The resulting amorphous water ice slabs at 10 K and 70 K were found to be in good agreement with the experimental high-density and low-density amorphous water ice, respectively. Then, we investigated the dynamical behaviors of an impinging H atom on the surface of it by MD simulations. The sticking probabilities of incident H atoms with several initial temperatures on 10 K and 70 K ice were obtained. It was found that most of H atoms colliding with the 10 K ice stuck on the surface of it. After having stuck, the impinging H atoms diffused on the surface of ice and became trapped in one of potential wells on the surface. The mobility of a H atom on the surface of the amorphous water ice was found to depend only upon the temperature of ice.     

Auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis under simulated microgravity conditions — Relevance to growth and development

Activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes of Arabidopsis thaliana grown under simulated microgravity conditions was studied in relation to the growth and development. Seeds were germinated and allowed to grow on an agar medium in test tubes on a horizontal clinostat. Horizontal clinostat rotation substantially reduced the growth of inflorescence axes and the productivity of seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotypes Landsberg erecta and Columbia), although it little affected seed germination, development of rosette leaves and flowering. The activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes decreased when Arabidopsis plants were grown on a horizontal clinostat from germination stage, being ca. 60% of 1 g control. On the other hand, the auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes of Arabidopsis grown in 1 g conditions was not affected when the segments were exposed to various gravistimuli, including 3-dimensional clinorotation, during transport experiments. Pin-formed mutant of Arabidopsis, having a unique structure of the inflorescence axis with no flower and extremely low levels of the activity of auxin polar transport in inflorescence axes and endogenous auxin, did not continue its vegetative growth under clinostat rotation. These facts suggest that the development of the system of auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis is affected by microgravity, resulting in the inhibition of growth and development, especially during reproductive growth.     

Preliminary study on migration pattern of the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) based on satellite tracking

The spatial and temporal patterns of the endangered Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii) have been studied using satellite-based ARGOS platform transmitter terminal (PTT) tracking data. The data was obtained from the satellite tracking of two female Tibetan antelopes that were collared with satellite transmitters and have been tracked from August 2007 to April 2009.     

Hard X-ray footpoint motion and acceleration mechanism

An intense (X9.4/2B) flare, which occurred on 6 November 1997, was observed with the hard X-ray telescope on board Yohkoh. In the M2- (33 – 53 keV) and H-band (53 – 93 keV), This flare clearly show double footpoint sources during its impulsive phase. We have analyzed the locations and motions of these sources in detail. It is found that, at 11:53:06 UT, one of the footpoint sources in the M2-band moved to a new position earlier than the corresponding source in the H-band. The time-lag is about one second and the separation between the old and new positions is 5 arcsec. This happened between two major spikes in the time profile of hard X-ray intensity. This apparent motion might indicate that an epoch of energy release finished somewhere high in the corona and the next epoch started in another magnetic field system. This observation clearly shows that higher energy electrons precipitate into the footpoint region later. We try to interpret this particular phenomenon under the two assumptions, which are the direct precipitation model and the trap-and-precipitation model.     

Improvements in and actual performance of the Plant Experiment Unit onboard Kibo,the Japanese experiment module on the international space station

In 2004, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency developed the engineered model of the Plant Experiment Unit and the Cell Biology Experiment Facility. The Plant Experiment Unit was designed to be installed in the Cell Biology Experiment Facility and to support the seed-to-seed life cycle experiment of Arabidopsis plants in space in the project named Space Seed. Ground-based experiments to test the Plant Experiment Unit showed that the unit needed further improvement of a system to control the water content of a seedbed using an infrared moisture analyzer and that it was difficult to keep the relative humidity inside the Plant Experiment Unit between 70 and 80% because the Cell Biology Experiment Facility had neither a ventilation system nor a dehumidifying system. Therefore, excess moisture inside the Cell Biology Experiment Facility was removed with desiccant bags containing calcium chloride. Eight flight models of the Plant Experiment Unit in which dry Arabidopsis seeds were fixed to the seedbed with gum arabic were launched to the International Space Station in the space shuttle STS-128 (17A) on August 28, 2009. Plant Experiment Unit were installed in the Cell Biology Experiment Facility with desiccant boxes, and then the Space Seed experiment was started in the Japanese Experiment Module, named Kibo, which was part of the International Space Station, on September 10, 2009 by watering the seedbed and terminated 2 months later on November 11, 2009. On April 19, 2010, the Arabidopsis plants harvested in Kibo were retrieved and brought back to Earth by the space shuttle mission STS-131 (19A). The present paper describes the Space Seed experiment with particular reference to the development of the Plant Experiment Unit and its actual performance in Kibo onboard the International Space Station. Downlinked images from Kibo showed that the seeds had started germinating 3 days after the initial watering. The plants continued growing, producing rosette leaves, inflorescence stems, flowers, and fruits in the Plant Experiment Unit. In addition, the senescence of rosette leaves was found to be delayed in microgravity.     

Possible use of a 3-D clinostat to analyze plant growth processes under microgravity conditions.

A three-dimensional (3-D) clinostat equipped with two rotation axes placed at right angles was constructed, and various growth processes of higher plants grown on this clinostat were compared with ground controls, with plants grown on the conventional horizontal clinostat, and with those under real microgravity in space. On the 3-D clinostat, cress roots developed a normal root cap and the statocytes showed the typical polar organization except a random distribution of statoliths. The structural features of clinostatted statocytes were fundamentally similar to those observed under real microgravity. The graviresponse of cress roots grown on the 3-D clinostat was the same as the control roots. On the 3-D clinostat, shoots and roots exhibited a spontaneous curvature as well as an altered growth direction. Such an automorphogenesis was sometimes exaggerated when plants were subjected to the horizontal rotation, whereas the curvature was suppressed on the vertical rotation. These discrepancies in curvature between the 3-D clinostat and the conventional ones appear to be brought about by the centrifugal force produced. Thus, the 3-D clinostat was proven as a useful device to simulate microgravity.     

Evolution of flare ribbons and energyrelease

We examined the relation between the evolutions of the H flare ribbons and the released magnetic energiesat a solar flare which occurred on 2001 April 10. This is the first study to evaluate the released energy quantitatively, based on the magnetic reconnection model, and by using the data obtained with the multi wavelength observation. We measured the, photospheric magnetic field strengths and the separation speeds of the fronts of the H flare ribbon, and compared them the nonthermal behaviors observed in HXRs and microwaves. Those nonthermal radiation sources tell us when and where large energy releases occur. Then, by using the photospheric and chromospheric features, we estimated the released magnetic energy at the flare. The estimated energy release rates at the H kernels associated with the HXR sources are locally large enough to explain the difference between the spatial distribution the H kernels and the HXR sources. Their temporal evolution of the energy release rates also shows peaks corresponding to HXR bursts.     

Automorphosis of higher plants on a 3-D clinostat.

On a three-dimensional (3-D) clinostat, various plant organs developed statocytes capable of responding to the gravity vector. The graviresponse of primary roots of garden cress and maize grown on the clinostat was the same as the control roots, whereas that of maize coleoptiles was reduced. When maize seedlings were grown in the presence of 10(-4) M gibberellic acid and kinetin, the graviresponse of both roots and shoots was suppressed. The corresponding suppression of amyloplast development was observed in the clinostatted and the hormone-treated seedlings. Maize roots and shoots showed spontaneous curvatures in different portions on the 3-D clinostat. The hormone treatment did not significantly influence such an automorphic curvature. When the root cap was removed, maize roots did not curve gravitropically. However, the removal suppressed the automorphic curvatures only slightly. On the other hand, the removal of coleoptile tip did not influence its graviresponse, whereas the spontaneous curvature of decapitated coleoptiles on the clinostat was strongly suppressed. Also, cytochalasin B differently affected the gravitropic and the automorphic curvatures of maize roots and shoots. From these results it is concluded that the graviperception and the early processes of signal transmission are unnecessary for automorphoses under simulated microgravity conditions. Moreover, the results support the view that the amyloplasts act as statoliths probably via an interaction with microfilaments.