Sort by
X-ray cool core remnants heated by strong radio AGN feedback

ABSTRACT Strong AGN heating provides an alternative means for the disruption of cluster cool cores (CCs) to cluster mergers. In this work, we present a systematic Chandra study of a sample of 108 nearby (z < 0.1) galaxy clusters, to investigate the effect of AGN heating on CCs. About 40 per cent of clusters with small offsets between the BCG and the X-ray centre (≤50 kpc) have small CCs. For comparison, 14 of 17 clusters with large offsets have small CCs, which suggests that mergers or sloshing can be efficient in reducing the CC size. Relaxed, small CC clusters generally have weak radio AGNs ($P_{1.4\rm GHz}\lt 10^{23}$ W Hz−1), and they show a lack of systems hosting a radio AGN with intermediate radio power ($2\times 10^{23}\lt P_{1.4\rm GHz}\lt 2\times 10^{24}$ W Hz−1). We found that the strongest circumnuclear (<1 kpc) X-ray emission only exists in clusters with strong radio AGN. The duty cycle of relaxed, small CC clusters is less than half of that for large CC clusters. It suggests that the radio activity of BCGs is affected by the properties of the surrounding gas beyond the central ∼10 kpc, and strong radio AGNs in small X-ray CCs fade more rapidly than those embedded in large X-ray CCs. A scenario is also presented for the transition of large CCs and coronae due to radio AGN feedback. We also present a detailed analysis of galaxy cluster 3C 129.1 as an example of a CC remnant possibly disrupted by radio AGN.

Open Access
Relevant
Chemical Compositions and Enantiomeric Distributions of Foliar Essential Oils of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray bis) Parl, Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don, and Tsuga heterophylla Sarg.

As part of our continuing interest in the essential oil compositions of gymnosperms, particularly the distribution of chiral terpenoids, we have obtained the foliar essential oils of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (two samples), Thuja plicata (three samples), and Tsuga heterophylla (six samples) from locations in the state of Oregon, USA. The essential oils were obtained via hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques, including chiral gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major components in C. lawsoniana foliar essential oil were limonene (27.4% and 22.0%; >99% (+)-limonene), oplopanonyl acetate (13.8% and 11.3%), beyerene (14.3% and 9.0%), sabinene (7.0% and 6.5%; >99% (+)-sabinene), terpinen-4-ol (5.0% and 5.3%; predominantly (+)-terpinen-4-ol), and methyl myrtenate (2.0% and 5.4%). The major components in T. plicata essential oil were (-)-α-thujone (67.1-74.6%), (+)-β-thujone (7.8-9.3%), terpinen-4-ol (2.7-4.4%; predominantly (+)-terpinen-4-ol), and (+)-sabinene (1.1-3.5%). The major components in T. heterophylla essential oil were myrcene (7.0-27.6%), α-pinene (14.4-27.2%), β-phellandrene (6.6-19.3%), β-pinene (6.4-14.9%; >90% (-)-β-pinene), and (Z)-β-ocimene (0.7-11.3%). There are significant differences between the C. lawsoniana essential oils from wild trees in Oregon and those of trees cultivated in other geographical locations. The essential oil compositions of T. plicata are very similar, regardless of the collection site. There are no significant differences between T. heterophylla essential oils from the Oregon Coastal Range or those from the Oregon Cascade Range. Comparing essential oils of the Cupressaceae with the Pinaceae, there are some developing trends. The (+)-enantiomers seem to dominate for α-pinene, camphene, sabinene, β-pinene, limonene, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpineol in the Cuppressaceae. On the other hand, the (-)-enantiomers seem to predominate for α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, limonene, β-phellandrene, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpineol in the Pinaceae.

Open Access
Relevant
Tip gap effects on film cooling performance of a transonic turbine blade with a distinctive coolant supply arrangement

Considered are the influences of tip gap on film cooling performance variations near to and along the tip or end of a turbine blade with a squealer rim contained within a linear cascade with five airfoils. The film coolant is supplied by two plenums which are positioned at forward and aft locations within the blade. The aft blowing ratio varies between 0.88 and 1.48, the forward blowing ratio is set to be approximately constant in the vicinity of 2.75 to 3.0, and a value of about 1.3 is utilized for the ratio of coolant density relative to the main flow density. Measured results include linearly-averaged and spatially-resolved variations of adiabatic effectiveness, which are presented both for the top portion of the pressure surface and end surface of the blade with the squealer rim. Local effectiveness variations along the top pressure side of the blade show significant effectiveness values downstream of aft pressure side hole outlet locations mostly because film lift-off downstream of these holes is less substantial than observed downstream of the forward holes. Spatially-resolved effectiveness data for the end of the blade with a squealer rim show that the largest values of effectiveness are evident near to and immediately downstream of dusting hole outlet locations. Associated linearly-averaged effectiveness data for the tip of the blade recess region with the 1.2 mm tip gap are as much as about two times higher than values for the 2.0 mm tip gap when compared at each surface location. Local and linearly-averaged surface effectiveness variations for the downstream edge region of the blade squealer tip are most strongly influenced by the film cooling holes which are aft and by the dusting hole which is positioned along the tip of the blade rim near the downstream edge. Here, effectiveness magnitudes are also often higher along the downstream edge rim region with the 1.2 mm tip gap, compared to data associated with the 2.0 mm tip gap.

Relevant
Jupiter’s  Polar Vortices in the Mid-Infrared as Observed by Subaru/COMICS Prior to and During the Juno Mission

MotivationRecent close-up views of Jupiter’s polar regions by NASA’s Juno spacecraft are providing a wealth of information about the dynamics and composition of Jupiter’s poles. We present thermal imaging observations from a series of repeated observations over fifteen years.  These images complement the observations made by the Juno spacecraft by observing in a spectral region not covered by its instrumentation, providing a near-global context for the narrow fields-of-view of Juno’s Microwave Radiometer and JunoCam instruments and providing a long term baseline to study Jovian atmospheric evolution. In this work, we specifically focus on the distinct thermal signatures of Jupiter’s northern and southern polar regions in both the troposphere and stratosphere. Although Cassini CIRS maps of Jupiter in 2000 could see this transition to coll polar vortices (e.g. Simon-Miler et al. 2006, Fletcher et al. 2016), the spatial resolution of the 8-m facility provides access to higher latitudes.DataWe present thermal imaging from the Subaru Telescope using the COoled Mid-Infrared Camera and Spectrometer (COMICS, Kataza et al., 2000), between 7.8 and 25 μm. These data map temperatures in the upper troposphere (100 – 500 mbar) and stratosphere (20 – 0.5 mbar), and they constrain the distribution of tropospheric gases and condensate aerosols. This data set covers 2005 to 2020, allowing for the investigation of long-term trends, as well as comparisons with Juno and Juno-supporting observations at other wavelengths from 2016 onward.   Preliminary ResultsFigure 1 illustrates the composite polar maps of brightness temperature for each hemisphere using images measured in January, 2017. The retrieved temperatures in each latitude circle were derived from these data were binned over  μ (= cosine of emission angle) and the centre-to-limb variation was inverted using the NEMESIS radiative transfer code (Irwin et al., 2008). The results demonstrated that tropospheric temperatures exhibit a steep decline of at least 2 K poleward of 60°N-63°N (planetocentric), which we believe marks the boundary of a tropospheric polar vortex. A similar drop in temperature takes place more gradually over 54°S-64°S. The precise latitude of the inferred vortex boundary varies slightly between observations in both hemispheres. No seasonal trends in these latitude variations were observed. Stratospheric polar temperatures are affected by auroral-related heating at 140° – 230°W (System III) at high-northern latitudes (>55°N) and 330° – 90°W at high-southern latitudes (

Relevant
A New Method for Analyzing F‐Region Neutral Wind Response to Ion Convection in the Nightside Auroral Oval

AbstractHigh‐latitude neutral winds have a number of drivers, both from solar and magnetospheric origins. Because of this, the neutral wind response to changes in ionospheric convection is not well understood. Previous calculations of response times resulted in a wide range of responses, from tens of minutes to hours. We present a new weighted windowed time‐lagged correlation (weighted WTLC) method for calculating the neutral wind response time. This method provides a time evolution of the neutral wind response time and considers the effects of all thermospheric forces, while previous methods were only capable of one or the other. We use data from SDIs, ASIs, and PFISR to calculate the neutral wind response time using this new method in three case studies. The results are visually validated, and the weighted WTLC method was able to correctly calculate the neutral wind response time. The time evolution of the weighted WTLC time is then compared to previous neutral wind response time calculations in order to investigate the role of ion‐drag on neutral winds. For the substorm event on 2013 Feb 28, we see a shorter response time from the weighted WTLC method, ranging from 0 to 15 min, than the e‐folding time, ranging from 30 to 355 min. The relationship between the two calculation methods and their implications about the ion‐drag force is discussed. Using the time‐dependent feature of the weighted WTLC method, we observe the neutral wind response time decrease over the course of a substorm event, indicating ion‐neutral coupling increased as the substorm progressed.

Relevant
A Comprehensive Northern Hemisphere Particle Microphysics Data Set From the Precipitation Imaging Package

AbstractMicrophysical observations of precipitating particles are critical data sources for numerical weather prediction models and remote sensing retrieval algorithms. However, obtaining coherent data sets of particle microphysics is challenging as they are often unindexed, distributed across disparate institutions, and have not undergone a uniform quality control process. This work introduces a unified, comprehensive Northern Hemisphere particle microphysical data set from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration precipitation imaging package (PIP), accessible in a standardized data format and stored in a centralized, public repository. Data is collected from 10 measurement sites spanning 34° latitude (37°N–71°N) over 10 years (2014–2023), which comprise a set of 1,070,000 precipitating minutes. The provided data set includes measurements of a suite of microphysical attributes for both rain and snow, including distributions of particle size, vertical velocity, and effective density, along with higher‐order products including an approximation of volume‐weighted equivalent particle densities, liquid equivalent snowfall, and rainfall rate estimates. The data underwent a rigorous standardization and quality assurance process to filter out erroneous observations to produce a self‐describing, scalable, and achievable data set. Case study analyses demonstrate the capabilities of the data set in identifying physical processes like precipitation phase‐changes at high temporal resolution. Bulk precipitation characteristics from a multi‐site intercomparison also highlight distinct microphysical properties unique to each location. This curated PIP data set is a robust database of high‐quality particle microphysical observations for constraining future precipitation retrieval algorithms, and offers new insights toward better understanding regional and seasonal differences in bulk precipitation characteristics.

Open Access
Relevant