Butterfly distribution of Earth’s radiation belt relativistic electrons induced by dayside chorus

Previous theoretical studies have shown that dayside chorus can produce butterfly distribution of energetic electrons in the Earth’s radiation belts by preferentially accelerating medium pitch angle electrons, but this requires the further confirmation from high-resolution satellite observation. Here, we report correlated Van Allen Probes data on wave and particle during the 11–13 April, 2014 geomagnetic storm. We find that a butterfly pitch angle distribution of relativistic electrons is formed around the location L = 4.52, corresponding to the presence of enhanced dayside chorus. Using a Gaussian distribution fit to the observed chorus spectra, we calculate the bounce-averaged diffusion rates and solve two-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation. Numerical results demonstrate that acceleration by dayside chorus can yield the electron flux evolution both in the energy and butterfly pitch angle distribution comparable to the observation, providing a further evidence for the formation of butterfly distribution of relativistic electrons driven by very low frequency (VLF) plasma waves.     

Variations of the relativistic electron flux after a magnetospheric compression event

On January 21, 2015, a sharp increase of the solar wind dynamic pressure impacted the magnetosphere. The magnetopause moved inward to the region L 8 without causing a geomagnetic storm. The flux of the relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt decreased by half during this event based on the observations of the particle radiation monitor(PRM) of the fourth of the China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellites(CBERS-4). The flux remained low for approximately 11 d; it did not recover after a small magnetic storm on January 26 but after a small magnetic storm on February 2. The loss and recovery of the relativistic electrons during this event are investigated using the PRM data, medium-and high-energy electron observations of NOAA-15 and the Van Allen Probes, medium-energy electron observations of GOES-13, and wave observations of the Van Allen Probes. This study shows that the loss of energetic electrons in this event is related to magnetospheric compression. The chorus waves accelerate the medium-energy electrons, which causes the recovery of relativistic electrons. The Van Allen Probes detected strong chorus waves in the region L =3–6 from January 21 to February 2. However, the flux of medium-energy electrons was low in the region. This implies that the long-lasting lack of recovery of the relativistic electrons after this event is due to the lack of the medium-energy"seed" electrons. The medium-energy electrons in the outer radiation belt may be a clue to predict the recovery of relativistic electrons.     

Electron dynamics and wave activities associated with mirror mode structures in the near-Earth magnetotail

We report the observation of mirror mode structures by Cluster spacecraft at around X~-16 RE in the Earth’s magnetotail.The wavelength of the mirror structure is larger than 7000 km,corresponding to tens of ion gyroradii.Features of the mirror structures are similar to those detected in the magnetosheath:the anti-correlation between the magnetic field strength and plasma density,zero phase velocity in the plasma rest frame and linear polarization.The structures were observed in a region bounded by two dipolarizations during a substorm intensification.Thus,the dipolarization process may provide a plasma condition facilitating the growth of the mirror mode structures.Another interesting feature is the electron dynamics within the mirror structures.Thermal electron energy flux has an enhancement at 0°and 180°pitch angles inside the magnetic dips of the first three mirror structures and an enhancement at 90°pitch angle inside the magnetic dip of the last structure.The different electron distribution inside the mirror structures might be a result of different evolution stages of the mirror wave.The last structure may be in the nonlinear stage of the mirror instability,whereas the three others with quasi-sinusoidal waveforms may be in the linear stage.In addition,we found that intense whistler waves were confined within the magnetic dips.We conjecture that whistler waves observed in the first three dips were generated in a remote region,then they were trapped in the mirror mode troughs and transported toward the spacecraft;while the whistler wave detected in the last dip was excited locally by the electron anisotropy instability.     

The possibility of using all-sky meteor radar to observe ionospheric E-region field-aligned irregularities

All-sky meteor radars are primarily used for meteor observations. This paper reports the first observations of ionospheric E-region field-aligned irregularities (FAIs) from a conventional all-sky meteor radar located at Wuhan (31°N, 114°E) for the period of March–June 2018. E-region FAI echoes evident in range-time intensity (RTI) maps show quasiperiodic striations with positive and negative slopes, which are consistent with multiple FAI structures moving across the wide beam of the meteor radar. A statistical analysis shows that out of a total of 111 d, there are 73 d with E-region FAI echoes detected by the meteor radar. The FAI events correspond well with the presence of sporadic-E layers which provide the necessary plasma density gradient for the development of gradient drift instability producing FAIs. The results demonstrate the capability of conventional meteor radars to make simultaneous routine observations of meteors and ionospheric E-region FAIs through incorporating RTI and spectral analysis into the online realtime data processing. Meteor radar observations could potentially address the limitations of ionospheric radars, which cannot provide simultaneous measurements of neutral winds and irregularity structures, and thereby contribute to better understanding of the dynamical processes producing E-region irregularities.

     

Quasi-periodic pulsations with double periods observed in Lyα emission during solar flares

Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) are very common oscillation features during solar flares, which have been observed in almost the entire wavelengths. However, the flare-related QPPs with double periods in the Lyα emission, particularly within a period ratio of about 2, were rarely detected. In this paper, we report the QPPs with double periods in the full-disk Lyα emission during the impulsive phase of four solar flares, i.e., SOL2016-Feb-12, SOL2014-Oct-24, SOL2014-Jun-10, and SOL2012-Nov-21. The full-disk Lyα fluxes were recorded by the extreme-ultraviolet sensor on board the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. Then, the quasi-periods are estimated by the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling techniques. Finally, the double periods of around 3 and 1.5 min are detected in Lyα emissions, and their period ratio is roughly equal to 2. The 3-min QPP could also be detected in the local light curves measured by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly at wavelengths of 304 and 1600 Å. Our observations suggest that the double periodic QPPs could be regarded as the fundamental and harmonic modes of acoustic waves, which should be helpful to understand magnetohydrodynamic waves in the solar chromosphere. However, we cannot rule out that the double periods are each caused by a different generation mechanism.

     

Ablation properties of C/C composites with various needled preforms prepared by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration

The ablation properties of C/C composites with four different needled preforms prepared by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration (ICVI),which are super-thin mat lay-up,0°/90° weftless fabric lay-up,0°/45° weftless fabric lay-up and 0°/45° twill fabric lay-up,were quantitatively evaluated by performing the ablation tests with an engine torch.And their ablation discrepancies were analyzed according to the surface characteristic,porosity and thermal diffusivity.The results show that the 0°/45° weftless composite has a flat eroded surface with no obvious macroscopic pits.Its thickness and mass erosion rates are decreased by about 46.8% and 34.8%,25.0% and 27.5%,and 17.5% and 19.4% compared with those of the mat,the 0°/90° weftless and the 0°/45° twill composites,respectively.The ablation properties are mainly controlled by the thermo-chemical effect (oxidation),and a little by the thermo-mechanical effect (mechanical denudation).The needling fiber bundles play an important role in accelerating the ablation process and resulting in the heterogeneous ablation.     

Ultralow frequency wave characteristics extracted from particle data: Application of IGSO observations

Interaction between ultralow frequency (ULF) waves and charged particles plays an important role in the acceleration of particles in the Van Allen radiation belts. The strong wave-particle interaction predicts an energy-dependent observational signature of particle flux variations during different stages of the ULF wave evolution. In this paper, we find that the energetic particle data newly available from an IGSO spacecraft are quite consistent with theoretical predictions, which enables the application of a best-fit procedure to quantitatively extract key parameters of the ULF waves from the particle data. The general agreement between observations and the best-fit results validates the scenario of wave-particle drift resonance within the entire ULF life span, and provides a new technique to understand the ULF wave characteristics in the absence of electromagnetic field data. We also examine the minor differences between observations and the best-fit results, and propose that the differences may result from a longitudinal dependence of the ULF wave power to be considered in a future study.     

Study of oxidization of coal–pitch by O_3

For the purpose of obtaining small molecular and oxygen-containing aromatic compounds,taking a toluene-extracted coal pitch as the research object,the oxidation of coal–pitch by ozone(O_3) in formic acid was studied.The coal–pitch sample and the oxidized pitch residue were characterized by elementary analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),while the small molecular products were analyzed by a gas chromatography–mass spectrometer(GC–MS).The results show that the highest oxygen content of oxidized coal pitch had been acquired at a reaction temperature of 50 °C,an O_3 flow rate of6300 mg/h and a reaction time of 4 h.Quite a lot of hydroxyls and carbonyls were introduced into the structure of the oxidized coal–pitch,while the small molecules produced mainly involve nonpolar aromatic compounds,aromatic anhydride and quinone compounds.It is speculated that the mechanism is direct electrophilic oxidation in which the molecules of O_3 directly attack the aromatic ring at its carbon atoms with high electron density,and then generate hydroxyl or carbonyl until the aromatic ring cracks.This study shows that O_3 can make the fused aromatic ring of coal–pitch become oxidized and depolymerized,and hence the ozonization of coal–pitch can be a potential method for obtaining oxygencontaining aromatic compounds.     

Corrosion and irradiation behavior of Fe-based amorphous coating in lead-bismuth eutectic liquids

Lead-bismuth eutectics (LBE) have considerable potential as a candidate material for accelerator-driven sub-critical systems (ADS). However, LBE corrosion and irradiation damage are two urgent challenges remaining to be solved for impellers of primary pumps. In this study, we have explored the possibility of using Fe-based amorphous coatings to overcome LBE corrosion and concurrently to sustain irradiation damage. Specifically, the Fe₅₄Cr₁₈Mo₂Zr₈B₁₈ amorphous coating was prepared by high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) spraying on 316L steel and exposed to saturated oxygen static LBE for 500 h at 400°C. The coating with high thermal stability (T_g=615°C and T_x=660°C) effectively prevented the substrate steel from being corroded by LBE owing to its unique long-range disordered atomic packing. The coating also exhibited strong irradiation resistance when being subjected to 45 dpa (displacement per atom) Au ion irradiation at room temperature, with no sign of crystallization even at the maximum implantation depth of 300 nm. Consequently, the hardness of the coatings before and after irradiation increased slightly. The current findings shed new insights into understanding corrosion mechanism and irradiation behavior of amorphous solids in LBE and expand the application range of amorphous materials.

     

The HEPD particle detector of the CSES satellite mission for investigating seismo-associated perturbations of the Van Allen belts

CSES(China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite) is a mission developed by CNSA(Chinese National Space Administration) and ASI(Italian Space Agency), to investigate the near-Earth electromagnetic, plasma and particle environment, for studying the seismo-associated disturbances in the ionosphere-magnetosphere transition zone. The anthropogenic and electromagnetic noise,as well as the natural non-seismic electromagnetic emissions is mainly due to tropospheric activity. In particular, the mission aims to confirming the existence of possible temporal correlations between the occurrence of earthquakes for medium and strong magnitude and the observation in space of electromagnetic perturbations, plasma variations and precipitation of bursts with highenergy charged particles from the inner Van Allen belt. In this framework, the high energy particle detector(HEPD) of the CSES mission has been developed by the Italian LIMADOU Collaboration. HEPD is an advanced detector based on a tower of scintillators and a silicon tracker that provides good energy and angular resolution and a wide angular acceptance, for electrons of 3–100 Me V, protons of 30–200 Me V and light nuclei up to the oxygen. CSES satellite has been launched on February 2~(nd), 2018 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center(China).     

Influence of wave normal angle on gyroresonance between chorus waves and outer radiation belt electrons

In this paper,using a Gaussian distribution of wave normal angle X=tan,and considering contributions of harmonic resonances n up to±5,we analyze the effect of normal angle on diffusion coefficients induced by gyroresonance between chorus waves and electrons with energies 0.1 and 1.0 MeV on the dayside and nightside at L=4.5.When pitch angle e>10°,for 0.1and 1.0 MeV electrons on the dayside and nightside,diffusion coefficients of five orders(2,1,0,1,2)decrease with increasing normal angle peak,leading to the total diffusion coefficients decreasing with increasing peak.When e<10°,for 1.0MeV electrons on the dayside and 0.1 MeV electrons on the dayside and nightside,the positive order diffusion coefficients are generally smaller than the same negative order ones;in the meanwhile,diffusion coefficients of orders(2,1,2)are very small,the dominant order n=1 diffusion coefficients change very little,hence the total diffusion coefficients almost remain unchanged.However,for 1.0 MeV electrons on the nightside,diffusion coefficients of orders(2,1,2)which are larger than those of the order(1)resonance increase with increasing peak,hence the total diffusion coefficients increase with increasing peak.The current results show that the wave normal angle plays an important role in the quantitative analysis of gyroresonance between chorus waves and electrons in the outer radiation belt.     

Effect of annealing on microstructure and properties of Si_3N_4-AlN composite ceramics

Aiming at developing novel microwave-transparent ceramics with low dielectric loss,high thermal conductivity and high strength,Si3N4-AlN(30%,mass fraction) composite ceramics with La2O3 as sintering additive were prepared by hot-pressing at 1 800 °C and subsequently annealed at 1 450 °C and 1 850 °C for 2 h and 4 h,respectively.The materials were characterized by XRD and SEM.The effect of annealing process on the phase composition,sintering performance,microstructure,bending strength,dielectric loss and the...     

Phase structure and electrical properties of La<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-doped BiInO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-PbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics with high curie temperature

The phase structure and electrical properties of pure and La2O3-doped Bi-InO3-PbTiO3 （BI-PT） ceramics were studied respectively. In （1 -x）BI-xPT （x=0.72-0.80） ceramics, the stability of tetragonal phase increased with increasing x, and pure perovskite structure was obtained for x=-0.80 ceramics. The phase transition temperature range was between 575 ℃ and 600 ℃ for x=0.72-0.80 ceramics, higher than that of PT （-490 ℃）. The c/a ratio almost linearly decreased with increasing La2O3 content in x-0.80 ceramics. It is believed that Pb^2＋ vacancies were formed by La^3＋ substituting Pb^2＋ in La2O3-doped BI-PT ceramics. Tc shifted to lower temperature by 30 ℃/mol% La2O3. The maximum dielectric constant 8557 around 559 ℃ was exhibited in 0.5mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics. La2O3-doped ceramics could be poled resulting from decreasing of c/a ratio and improving of dielectric loss and resistivity. The maximum piezoelectric coefficient d33 was 12 pC/N for 2mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics.     

Effect of liquid-solid ratio on the morphology,structure, conductivity,and electromagnetic characteristics of iron particles

Using a ball-milling technique, polymorphous iron particles were prepared by changing only the liquid-solid ratio λ. Effects of λ on their morphology, structure, conductivity, and electromagnetic properties were studied. The results show that an increase of λ from 0 to 0.25 causes a nonlinear decrease of the conductivity in the ranges of 88.50–2.25 S cm^?1 and a regular variation of the electromagnetic parameters, corresponding to the as-obtained iron particles. This is ascribed to a combination of the increased shape anisotropy and the decreased fresh surface with active atoms deriving from the weakened welding-on action and the enhanced micro-malleation action in the ball-milling process. Hereinto, the iron flakes formed at wet-milling with λ=0.08?0.25 have lower conductivity, higher permittivity and permeability, and more excellent absorption property compared with the irregular iron particles obtained at dry-milling with λ=0. It is a consequence of the synergistic effect of dielectric relaxation loss, exchange energy and conductance loss originating from the flake-shape structures. This indicates that the morphology, structure, conductivity, and electromagnetic properties of the products can be effectively controlled by changing λ.

     

Effect of thermal crosslink conditions on dynamic mechanical behaviors of flexible epoxy

The dynamic mechanical behavior of a new kind of flexible epoxy FE-1,which was crosslinked under four different thermal crosslink conditions,was studied.Dynamic mechanical measurement was carried out from 10 ℃ to 120 ℃,and loss factor,tan δ and the storagemodulus as functions of temperature were presented under five different frequencies of 0.1 Hz, 1 Hz,5 Hz,50 Hz and 100 Hz. The experimental results show that temperature has dramatic effects on the dynamic mechanical behavior of flexible epoxy. Compared with other common available epoxy, the flexible epoxy has higher loss factor over broad frequency and common temperature range. Activation energy corresponding to glass transition process of FE-1 was calculated from the temperature corresponding to tan 8 rna~ values, obtained at different measurement frequencies. The maximum value of loss factor is 0.75 and the Tg varies from 6 ℃ to 50 ℃, indicating the flexible epoxy can be used as damping polymer materials at common temperature or frequency range.     

Strength and failure characteristics of brittle jointed rock-like specimens under uniaxial compression:Digital speckle technology and a particle mechanics approach

The strength and failure characteristics of most natural rock mass are influenced by discontinues such as fissures, joints, and weak surfaces. In the present study, the strength and failure behavior of ubiquitousjoint rock-like specimens under uniaxial loading have been investigated by DIC(digital image correlation) and discrete element numerical method(PFC2 D). The results are obtained. Firstly, the UCSJof specimens with c = 15° or 30° shows similar tendency while a goes from 0° to 75°. With c = 45° or 60°, the UCSJof specimens increases when a goes from 0° to 30° and decreases after a goes beyond 30°. With c = 75°, the peak UCSJvalue is reached when a = 0°. The UCSJvalue shows an increasing trend when a goes from 60° to 75°. Secondly, the ubiquitous-joint specimens present different failure modes for various levels of a and c(b-a). Based on the experimental results, the failure mode of ubiquitous-joint specimens can be classified into three categories: stepped path failure, failure through parallel plane, and failure through cross plane.     

Failure analysis of polycrystalline diamond compact cutters for breaking rock by bending waves theory

The breakage mechanism of the polycrystalline diamond compact（PDC） cutters was analyzed by the energy theory of bending waves. The cutting tests of granite block were conducted on a multifunctional testing device by using the cutter at three kinds of negative fore angles of 30°, 45°and 60°. The results show that, when the edge of the PDC layer is broken, the layer of tungsten cobalt is broken a little under the angle of 30°, while the layer of tungsten cobalt is broken continuously under the angle of 60°, their maximum depths are about 2 and 7 mm respectively in the two cases. The eccentric distance mainly depends on the negative fore angle of the cutter. When the cutter thrusts into the rock under an attack angle of 60°, the energy of bending waves reaches the maximum since the eccentric distance is the maximum. So the damage of cutter is the most serious. This test result is consistent with the conclusion of theoretical analysis well. The eccentric distance from the axial line of cutter to the point of action between the rock and cutter has great effect on the breakage of the cutter. Thus during the process of cutting, the eccentric distance should be reduced to improve the service life of PDC cutters.     

Enhanced Low-field Magnetoresistence in the Absence of Mn Content in Polycrystalline La0.67Ca0.33MnO3

Magnetic and electrical transport properties of the La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xO3 （x=0-0.16）, which were prepared by the sol-gel method followed by sintering treatment at 1 450, 1 100 and 900 ℃, respectively, were investigated. Experimental results show that, with the increase of x, the resistivity of samples increases and the insulator-metal transition temperature shifts towards lower temperature. Meanwhile, the intrinsic megnetoresistance effect is weakened and the extrinsic magnetoresistance is enhanced. For the samples with x=0.16 and 0.10 sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, respectively, low field magnetoresistance as high as about 50% can be observed. Furthermore, for the samples sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, the grain size is not only controlled by about sintering temperature, but also by the absence of Mn content x.     

Structures and magnetic properties of nanocomposite CoFe2O4-BaTiO3 fibers by organic gel-thermal decomposition process

The nanocomposite xCoFe₂O₄-(1−x)BaTiO₃ (x=0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, molar fraction) fibers with fine diameters and high aspect ratios (length to diameter ratios) were prepared by the organic gel-thermal decomposition process from citric acid and metal salts. The structures and morphologies of gel precursors and fibers derived from thermal decomposition of the gel precursors were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The magnetic properties of the nanocomposite fibers were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer. The nanocomposite fibers consisting of ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) and perovskite (BaTiO₃) are formed at the calcination temperature of 900 °C for 2 h. The average grain sizes of CoFe₂O₄ and BaTiO₃ in the nanocomposite fibers increase from 25 to 65 nm with the calcination temperature from 900 to 1 180 °C. The single fiber constructed from these nanograins of CoFe₂O₄ and BaTiO₃ has a necklace-like morphology. The saturation magnetization of the nanocomposite 0.4CoFe₂O₄-0.6BaTiO₃ fibers increases with the increase of CoFe₂O₄ grain size, while the coercivity reaches a maximum value when the average grain size of CoFe₂O₄ is around the critical single-domain size of 45 nm obtained at 1 000 °C. The saturation magnetization and remanence of the nanocomposite xCoFe₂O₄-(1−x)BaTiO₃ (x=0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) fibers almost exhibit a linear relationship with the molar fraction of CoFe₂O₄ in the nanocomposites.