Some solar action in 195A - FINALLY!

[michaelmozina]

It may be (should be) a pretty interesting week for sunspot activity. There are two active regions in the upper hemisphere coming over the horizon in SOHO that have been quite active in the STEREO-Behind images. The two active regions in the northern hemisphere seem to be interacting with one another. That is typical of the activity we observe in the sun's more active phases. These active regions do seem to be first signs of life in the higher energy wavelengths in quite some time. In active cycles, there may be a dozen such active regions on the sun, whereas there are only two of them at the moment. Even still, they are interacting with each other, and they've been pretty persistent over the last week or so.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Spectacular animation from Stereo of interaction between the 2 regions.

Here's a direct link to the large (6.8 MB) version:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/pickofth ... 1_2ARs.mpg

Here's the base page where you can select smaller versions :


http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/

 

[michaelmozina]

Spectacular animation from Stereo of interaction between the 2 regions.

Here's a direct link to the large (6.8 MB) version:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/pickofth ... 1_2ARs.mpg

Here's the base page where you can select smaller versions :


http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/

Hey Thanks! That was a very cool video, particularly at high resolution. These are the first two regions I've seen interacting with one another in a very long time. There is a third active region in the lower hemisphere as well. It's not necessarily a "lot" of high energy action, not enough evidently for sunspot activity, but at least there are signs of life at the higher energy wavelengths.

 

[harrycostas]

G'day from the land of ozzzzzzz

This is a good image showing magnetic reconnection and the flare produced.

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/bestofso ... eit195.mpg

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/bestofso ... tripsm.mpg

Magnetic reconnection has the property of changing normal matter to Neutrons and the ability of the magnetic radiation to transport such degenerate and normal matter at close to the speed of light..

 

[MeteorWayne]

G'day from the land of ozzzzzzz


Magnetic reconnection has the property of changing normal matter to Neutrons and the ability of the magnetic radiation to transport such degenerate and normal matter at close to the speed of light..

Huh? Last time I checked, neutrons ARE normal matter.

 

[yevaud]

Last time I checked, yes it was.

Also: "Degenerate matter?" Meaning what, precisely? There's degenerate matter just...floating around out there, or magnetic reconnection alters normal matter to a degenerate form? In either case, that's so very wrong.

 

[michaelmozina]

Last time I checked, yes it was.

Also: "Degenerate matter?" Meaning what, precisely? There's degenerate matter just...floating around out there, or magnetic reconnection alters normal matter to a degenerate form? In either case, that's so very wrong.

Z-pinch processes in electrical discharges are known to "pinch" free neutrons from plasma. In that specific sense, yes, "reconnection" is generating a form of matter that will "degenerate" into free protons and electrons in about 10 minutes.

 

[yevaud]

Hmm. That's not what I meant, and that's also not what the term"degenerate" means in this context. You know...Pauli Exclusion Principle, Electron or Neutron Degenerate Matter, and all that.

 

[michaelmozina]

Hmm. That's not what I meant, and that's also not what the term"degenerate" means in this context. You know...Pauli Exclusion Principle, Electron or Neutron Degenerate Matter, and all that.

Ok. I would agree with that. His statement however was:

Magnetic reconnection has the property of changing normal matter to Neutrons and the ability of the magnetic radiation to transport such degenerate and normal matter at close to the speed of light..

I guess the term "degenerate" should probably have been "unstable" or "decaying". It is true however that neutrons are pinched from plasma and neutron capture signatures are observed in solar activity as he described. They are observed in solar flares in general. The term 'degenerate' however is typically used as you note to describe neutrons that are compressed to the point of being "stable" again in some bundled fashion, and therefore this part of Harry's comment is somewhat less than accurate.

 

[DrRocket]

G'day from the land of ozzzzzzz

This is a good image showing magnetic reconnection and the flare produced.

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/bestofso ... eit195.mpg

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/bestofso ... tripsm.mpg

Magnetic reconnection has the property of changing normal matter to Neutrons and the ability of the magnetic radiation to transport such degenerate and normal matter at close to the speed of light..

Please explain in detail how a magnetic field can change normal matter to neutrons, and how it can accelerate a neutron or any other electrically neutral particle at all, let alone to close to the speed of light. If you have an alternative to the Lorentz force equation, please provide it. Please also define "magnetic radiation" if it is any way different from classical "electromagnetic radiation" and if not please so state.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Not just typical, michael, it has a very specific definition. One can not go defining words willy nilly when they have a specific meaning withing the realm of physics.

"Degenerate matter is matter which has such very high density that the dominant contribution to its pressure rises from the Pauli exclusion principle[1]. The pressure maintained by a body of degenerate matter is called the degeneracy pressure, and arises because the Pauli principle prevents the constituent particles from occupying identical quantum states. Any attempt to force them close enough together that they are not clearly separated by position must place them in different energy levels. Therefore, reducing the volume requires forcing many of the particles into higher-energy quantum states. This requires additional compression force, and is made manifest as a resisting pressure."

.....

"Degenerate matter is matter which has sufficiently high density that the dominant contribution to its pressure arises from the Pauli exclusion principle. The pressure maintained by a body of degenerate matter is called the degeneracy pressure, and arises because the Pauli principle forbids the constituent particles from occupying identical quantum states. Therefore, reducing the volume requires forcing the particles into higher-energy quantum states. The species of fermion is sometimes identified, so that we may speak of electron degeneracy pressure, neutron degeneracy pressure, and so forth.

Unlike gases, degenerate matter is difficult to compress and the volume of degenerate matter does not change much in response to changes in temperature or pressure.

Exotic examples of degenerate matter include neutronium, strange matter, metallic hydrogen and white dwarf matter. Degeneracy pressure contributes to the pressure of conventional solids, but these are not usually considered to be degenerate matter as a significant contribution to their pressure is provided by the interplay between the electrical repulsion of atomic nuclei and the screening of nuclei from each other by electrons allocated among the quantum states determined by the nuclear electrical potentials. In metals it is useful to treat the conduction electrons alone as a degenerate, free electron gas while the majority of the electrons are regarded as occupying bound quantum states. This contrasts with the case of the degenerate matter that forms the body of a white dwarf where all the electrons would be treated as occupying free particle momentum states. "

Categories: Astrophysics | Quantum mechanics | Condensed matter physics

http://www.chemistrydaily.com/chemistry ... ate_matter

 

[michaelmozina]

FYI.....

It seems very likely to me that we have/are entering a more "active" solar phase. There is another region in the lower hemisphere that just became active today around 15:50 on the 22nd in the SOHO 195A images at about the 7:30 position. Assuming this active region continues to grow over the next few days and weeks, that will make at least 3 active areas in the southern hemisphere and 2 larger ones in the northern hemisphere that are all showing signs of longevity. I would say we're definitely moving out of the sun's quiet phase based on what I've been observing in SOHO images recently.

 

[michaelmozina]

Not just typical, michael, it has a very specific definition. One can not go defining words willy nilly when they have a specific meaning withing the realm of physics.

I agree. I was simply noting that neutrons are in fact released from high energy EM events in the lab and have been observed in solar activity as well.

 

[michaelmozina]

Please explain in detail how a magnetic field can change normal matter to neutrons,

ELECTROmagnetic fields have been demonstrated to release neutrons from plasma in a lab.

and how it can accelerate a neutron or any other electrically neutral particle at all, let alone to close to the speed of light.

The z-pinch process accelerates *charged particles and ions (which include neutrons)* to very high speeds and the collisions that follow release the neutrons at very high rates of speed. Integral has also observed lines consistent with C12p-p reactions.

 

[harrycostas]

G'day from the land of ozzzzzz

When magnetic fields connect the resultant product is in degenerate form.

Ultra dense Neutron matter are produced by such events.

We are looking at a key process that maybe invoved in the formation of a Neutron Core resulting in a Neutron star.

Experiments with various forms of Z pinch and magnetic fields and lasers has aided in understanding such events.

There are many papers here, just get the gist of it.

Z Pinch and Neutron Production
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-b ... &version=1

 

[DrRocket]

Please explain in detail how a magnetic field can change normal matter to neutrons,

ELECTROmagnetic fields have been demonstrated to release neutrons from plasma in a lab.

The emission of neutrons from a fusion event, whether induced by a z-pinch effect in a plasma or otherwise has absolutely nothing whatever to do with changing normal matter to neutrons. Your answer is a non-sequitar

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and how it can accelerate a neutron or any other electrically neutral particle at all, let alone to close to the speed of light.

The z-pinch process accelerates *charged particles and ions (which include neutrons)* to very high speeds and the collisions that follow release the neutrons at very high rates of speed. Integral has also observed lines consistent with C12p-p reactions.

Yes you can accelerate a positive ion that contains neutrons, but that has little or nothing to do with the original question in the context in which it was posed.

I am a bit surprised at your invoking a z-pinch expereiment as an explantion of a phenomena attributed to magnetic reconnection. I didn't think that you were particularly fond of the notion of magnetic reconnection.

In any case in the context in which harrycostas made his assertion, this seems to be unrelated physics.

 

[michaelmozina]

The emission of neutrons from a fusion event, whether induced by a z-pinch effect in a plasma or otherwise has absolutely nothing whatever to do with changing normal matter to neutrons. Your answer is a non-sequitar

Huh? Your answer is meaningless and non responsive. The EM field can and does "pinch" neutrons from plasma ions. It's been demonstrated in a lab and in nature.

Yes you can accelerate a positive ion that contains neutrons, but that has little or nothing to do with the original question in the context in which it was posed.

How do you know that? All that was suggested is that the EM field is responsible for *all* these acceleration processes, including neutrons. Neutron capture signatures are routinely observed in satellite images.

I am a bit surprised at your invoking a z-pinch expereiment as an explantion of a phenomena attributed to magnetic reconnection. I didn't think that you were particularly fond of the notion of magnetic reconnection.

I'm certainly not fond of the name for obvious (and often stated) reasons. It is clear however that lightning strikes on Earth and other controlled discharges in plasma can and do generate similar high energy emissions. I'm sure that the magnetic field topology changes over time as the particles that makeup the current flows change their flight path over time. Call it what you like, but it is certainly the EM field that is responsible for the acceleration of charged particles and also neutrons.

 

[harrycostas]

G'day rom the land of ozzzzzz

This paper may give some info to the topic. I can discuss this paper at will.

Magnetic reconnection and topological trigger in physics of large solar flares
Authors: Boris V. Somov

(Submitted on 29 Jan 2009)

Abstract: Solar flares are accessible to a broad variety of observational methods to see and investigate the {\em magnetic reconnection} phenomenon in high-temperature strongly-magnetized plasma of the solar corona. An analysis of the topological peculiarities of magnetic field in active regions shows that the {\em topological trigger} effect is necessary to allow for in order to construct models for large eruptive flares. The topological trigger is not a resistive instability which leads to a change of the topology of the field configuration from pre- to post reconnection state. On the contrary, the topological trigger is a quick change of the global topology, which dictates the fast reconnection of collisional or collisionless nature. The current state of the art and development potential of the theory of collisionless reconnection in the strong magnetic fields related to large flares are briefly reviewed. Particle acceleration is considered in collapsing magnetic traps created by reconnection. In order to explain the formation of coronal X-ray sources, the Fermi acceleration and betatron mechanism are simultaneously taken into account analytically in a collisionless approximation. Finally, the emphasis is on urgent unsolved problems of solar flare physics.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Sometime today, I am going to split this into two threads. The original one is to discuss current (haha) activity on the sun. This side track issue discussing degenerate matter, neutrons that are not normal matter, etc will be split into it's own thread.

 

[harrycostas]

G'day from the land of ozzzzzzzz

It is part of the solar action.

The process of magnetic reconnections leads to a critical process that is recyclic in rejuvinating the core.

I will come back to this.

I'm off to bed.