Search Results
The solar photospheric silicon abundance according to CO5BOLD: Investigating line broadening, magnetic fields, and model effects
2022, Deshmukh, S.A., Ludwig, H.-G., Kučinskas, A., Steffen, M., Barklem, P.S., Caffau, E., Dobrovolskas, V., Bonifacio, P.
Context. In this work, we present a photospheric solar silicon abundance derived using CO5BOLD model atmospheres and the LINFOR3D spectral synthesis code. Previous works have differed in their choice of a spectral line sample and model atmosphere as well as their treatment of observational material, and the solar silicon abundance has undergone a downward revision in recent years. We additionally show the effects of the chosen line sample, broadening due to velocity fields, collisional broadening, model spatial resolution, and magnetic fields. Aims. Our main aim is to derive the photospheric solar silicon abundance using updated oscillator strengths and to mitigate model shortcomings such as over-broadening of synthetic spectra. We also aim to investigate the effects of different line samples, fitting configurations, and magnetic fields on the fitted abundance and broadening values. Methods. CO5BOLD model atmospheres for the Sun were used in conjunction with the LINFOR3D spectral synthesis code to generate model spectra, which were then fit to observations in the Hamburg solar atlas. We took pixel-to-pixel signal correlations into account by means of a correlated noise model. The choice of line sample is crucial to determining abundances, and we present a sample of 11 carefully selected lines (from an initial choice of 39 lines) in both the optical and infrared, which has been made possible with newly determined oscillator strengths for the majority of these lines. Our final sample includes seven optical Si i lines, three infrared Si i lines, and one optical Si ii line. Results. We derived a photospheric solar silicon abundance of log ϵSi = 7.57 ± 0.04, including a - 0.01 dex correction from Non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (NLTE) effects. Combining this with meteoritic abundances and previously determined photospheric abundances results in a metal mass fraction Z/X = 0.0220 ± 0.0020. We found a tendency of obtaining overly broad synthetic lines. We mitigated the impact of this by devising a de-broadening procedure. The over-broadening of synthetic lines does not substantially affect the abundance determined in the end. It is primarily the line selection that affects the final fitted abundance.
Water as a "glue" : Elasticity-enhanced wet attachment of biomimetic microcup structures
2022, Wang, Yue, Li, Zhengwei, Elhebeary, Mohamed, Hensel, René, Arzt, Eduard, Saif, M. Taher A.
Octopus, clingfish, and larva use soft cups to attach to surfaces under water. Recently, various bioinspired cups have been engineered. However, the mechanisms of their attachment and detachment remain elusive. Using a novel microcup, fabricated by two-photon lithography, coupled with in situ pressure sensor and observation cameras, we reveal the detailed nature of its attachment/detachment under water. It involves elasticity-enhanced hydrodynamics generating “self-sealing” and high suction at the cup-substrate interface, converting water into “glue.” Detachment is mediated by seal breaking. Three distinct mechanisms of breaking are identified, including elastic buckling of the cup rim. A mathematical model describes the interplay between the attachment/detachment process, geometry, elasto-hydrodynamics, and cup retraction speed. If the speed is too slow, then the octopus cannot attach; if the tide is too gentle for the larva, then water cannot serve as a glue. The concept of “water glue” can innovate underwater transport and manufacturing strategies.
Innovative and automated method for vortex identification
2022, Canivete Cuissa, J. R., Steiner, O.
Context. As a universally accepted definition of a vortex has not yet been established, the community lacks an unambiguous and rigorous method for identifying vortices in fluid flows. Such a method would be useful for conducting robust statistical studies on vortices in highly dynamical and turbulent systems such as the solar atmosphere. Aims. We aim to develop an innovative and robust automated methodology for the identification of vortices based on local and global characteristics of the flow, while avoiding the use of a threshold that could potentially prevent the detection of weak vortices in the process. Methods. We present a new method that combines the rigor of mathematical criteria with the global perspective of morphological techniques. The core of the method consists of an estimation of the center of rotation for every point of the flow that presents some degree of curvature in its neighborhood. For this purpose, we employed the Rortex criterion and combined it with morphological considerations of the velocity field. We then identified coherent vortical structures based on clusters of estimated centers of rotation. Results. We demonstrate that the Rortex is a more reliable criterion than the swirling strength and the vorticity for the extraction of physical information from vortical flows, because it measures the rigid-body rotational part of the flow alone and is not biased by the presence of pure or intrinsic shears. We show that the method performs well in the context of a simplistic test case composed of two Lamb-Oseen vortices. We combined the proposed method with a state-of-the-art clustering algorithm to build an automated vortex identification algorithm. The algorithm was applied to an artificial flow composed of multiple Lamb- Oseen vortices, with a random noisy background, and to the turbulent flow of a simulated magneto-hydrodynamical Orszag-Tang vortex test. The results demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the method. Conclusions. The present automated vortex identification method can be considered a new tool for the detection and study of vortices in dynamical and turbulent (magneto)hydrodynamical flows. By applying the implemented algorithm to numerical simulations and observational data, as well as comparing it to existing detection methods, we seek to successively improve the reliability of the detections and, ultimately, our knowledge on swirling motions in the solar, stellar, and planetary atmospheres.
Micromotor-mediated sperm constrictions for improved swimming performance
2021, Striggow, Friedrich, Nadporozhskaia, Lidiia, Friedrich, Benjamin M., Schmidt, Oliver G., Medina-Sánchez, Mariana
Sperm-driven micromotors, consisting of a single sperm cell captured in a microcap, utilize the strong propulsion generated by the flagellar beat of motile spermatozoa for locomotion. It enables the movement of such micromotors in biological media, while being steered remotely by means of an external magnetic field. The substantial decrease in swimming speed, caused by the additional hydrodynamic load of the microcap, limits the applicability of sperm-based micromotors. Therefore, to improve the performance of such micromotors, we first investigate the effects of additional cargo on the flagellar beat of spermatozoa. We designed two different kinds of microcaps, which each result in different load responses of the flagellar beat. As an additional design feature, we constrain rotational degrees of freedom of the cell’s motion by modifying the inner cavity of the cap. Particularly, cell rolling is substantially reduced by tightly locking the sperm head inside the microcap. Likewise, cell yawing is decreased by aligning the micromotors under an external static magnetic field. The observed differences in swimming speed of different micromotors are not so much a direct consequence of hydrodynamic effects, but rather stem from changes in flagellar bending waves, hence are an indirect effect. Our work serves as proof-of-principle that the optimal design of microcaps is key for the development of efficient sperm-driven micromotors.
Charged polymers transport under applied electric fields in periodic channels
2013, Nedelcu, S., Sommer, J.-U.
By molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the transport of charged polymers in applied electric fields in confining environments, which were straight cylinders of uniform or non-uniform diameter. In the simulations, the solvent was modeled explicitly and, also, the counterions and coions of added salt. The electrophoretic velocities of charged chains in relation to electrolyte friction, hydrodynamic effects due to the solvent, and surface friction were calculated. We found that the velocities were higher if counterions were moved away from the polymeric domain, which led to a decrease in hydrodynamic friction. The topology of the surface played a key role in retarding the motion of the polyelectrolyte and, even more so, in the presence of transverse electric fields. The present study showed that a possible way of improving separation resolution is by controlling the motion of counterions or electrolyte friction effects.