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Arnab Rai Choudhuri

Publications and source records attributed to Arnab Rai Choudhuri.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2024

The Interaction of Matter and Radiation: The Physics of C.V. Raman, S.N. Bose and M.N. Saha. Part 1: Historical Background

Three extraordinary physics discoveries were made from colonial India, which did not have any previous tradition of research in modern physics: Saha ionization equation (1920), Bose statistics (1924), Raman effect (1928). All the three discoverers were founding faculty members of the new small physics department of Calcutta University, which started functioning from 1916. These discoveries were all in the general topic of interaction between matter and radiation. In Part 1 of this article, we describe the social and the intellectual environment in which these discoveries were made. Part 2 will focus on the science involved in these discoveries.

physics.hist-ph↗
arXiv2024

The Interaction of Matter and Radiation: The Physics of C.V. Raman, S.N. Bose and M.N. Saha. Part 2: Physics Highlights

Three extraordinary physics discoveries were made from colonial India, which did not have any previous tradition of research in modern physics: Saha ionization equation (1920), Bose statistics (1924), Raman effect (1928). All the three discoverers were founding faculty members of the new small physics department of Calcutta University, which started functioning from 1916. These discoveries were all in the general topic of interaction between matter and radiation. In Part 1, we have described the social and the intellectual environment in which these discoveries were made. Now, in Part 2, we shall first give a background of the revolutionary developments taking place in physics at that time. Then we shall provide a non-technical account of the three discoveries and point out the kind of impact these discoveries made in the subsequent development of physics.

physics.hist-ph↗
arXiv2024

"Gene": A personal tribute to the Life and Science of Eugene Newman Parker

This review provides a brief account of the life of Eugene Parker (1927-2022) and discusses his contributions to plasma astrophysics. Growing up in Michigan, he went to graduate school at Caltech and then worked at the University of Utah before shifting to the University of Chicago, where he spent the rest of his illustrious career. Parker's most important scientific works are discussed in the context of the historical development of plasma astrophysics. In the study of the Sun, he made enormous contributions both to the MHD of the solar convection zone (including the formulation of turbulent dynamo theory) and to the understanding of the outer solar atmosphere (including the theory of coronal heating and the prediction of the solar wind). Parker's non-solar contributions include the Parker instability in the interstellar gas and the Parker limit of magnetic monopoles. We also try to convey an idea of Parker's highly individualistic personality and his very unique way of doing science.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2023

The Near-surface Shear Layer (NSSL) of the Sun: A Theoretical Model

We present a theoretical model of the near-surface shear layer (NSSL) of the Sun. Convection cells deeper down are affected by the Sun's rotation, but this is not the case in a layer just below the solar surface due to the smallness of the convection cells there. Based on this idea, we show that the thermal wind balance equation (the basic equation in the theory of the meridional circulation which holds inside the convection zone) can be solved to obtain the structure of the NSSL, matching observational data remarkably well.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2023

Mean field models of flux transport dynamo and meridional circulation in the Sun and stars

The most widely accepted model of the solar cycle is the flux transport dynamo model. This model evolved out of the traditional $αΩ$ dynamo model which was first developed at a time when the existence of the Sun's meridional circulation was not known. In these models, the toroidal magnetic field (which gives rise to sunspots) is generated by the stretching of the poloidal field by solar differential rotation. The primary source of the poloidal field in the flux transport models is attributed to the Babcock--Leighton mechanism, in contrast to the mean-field $α$-effect used in earlier models. With the realization that the Sun has a meridional circulation, which is poleward at the surface and is expected to be equatorward at the bottom of the convection zone, its importance for transporting the magnetic fields in the dynamo process was recognized. Much of our understanding about the physics of both the meridional circulation and the flux transport dynamo has come from the mean field theory obtained by averaging the equations of MHD over turbulent fluctuations. The mean field theory of meridional circulation makes clear how it arises out of an interplay between the centrifugal and thermal wind terms. We provide a broad review of mean field theories for solar magnetic fields and flows, the flux transport dynamo modeling paradigm and highlight some of their applications to solar and stellar magnetic cycles. We also discuss how the dynamo-generated magnetic field acts on the meridional circulation of the Sun and how the fluctuations in the meridional circulation, in turn, affect the solar dynamo. We conclude with some remarks on how the synergy of mean field theories, flux transport dynamo models, and direct numerical simulations can inspire the future of this field.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2022

The emergence and growth of the flux transport dynamo model of the sunspot cycle

The sunspot cycle is the magnetic cycle of the Sun produced by the dynamo process. A central idea of the solar dynamo is that the toroidal and the poloidal magnetic fields of the Sun sustain each other. We discuss the relevant observational data both for sunspots (which are manifestations of the toroidal field) and for the poloidal field of the Sun. We point out how the differential rotation of the Sun stretches out the poloidal field to produce the toroidal field primarily at the bottom of the convection zone, from where parts of this toroidal field may rise due to magnetic buoyancy to produce sunspots. In the flux transport dynamo model, the decay of tilted bipolar sunspot pairs gives rise to the poloidal field by the Babcock--Leighton mechanism. In this type of model, the meridional circulation of the Sun, which is poleward at the solar surface and equatorward at the bottom of the convection zone, plays a crucial role in the transport of magnetic fluxes. We finally point out that various stochastic fluctuations associated with the dynamo process may play a key role in producing the irregularities of the sunspot cycle.

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arXiv2021

A Theoretical Model of the Near Surface Shear Layer of the Sun

The Sun has a Near-Surface Shear Layer (NSSL), within which the angular velocity decreases rapidly with radius. We provide an explanation of this layer based on the thermal wind balance equation. Since convective motions are not affected by solar rotation in the top layer of the convection zone, we argue that the temperature falls at the same rate at all latitudes in this layer. This makes the thermal wind term very large in this layer and the centrifugal term has also to become very large to balance it, giving rise to the NSSL. From the values of differential rotation $Ω(r r_c, θ)$ there from $ΔT (r, θ)$. We carry on this exercise using both an analytical expression of the differential rotation and the actual data provided by helioseismology. We find that our theoretical results of the NSSL match the observational data reasonably well for $r_c \approx 0.96~{\rm R_{\odot}}$, giving an estimate of the radius till which the convective motions are affected by the solar rotation.

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arXiv2020

M.K. Das Gupta, the first Indian radio astronomer, and his connection with the 2020 Physics Nobel Prize

Half of the 2020 Nobel Prize is awarded for discovering a super-massive black hole at the centre of our Galaxy. One of the first indications of the existence of a black hole at the centre of a galaxy was found by Jennison and Das Gupta in 1953 while carrying on a radio observation of the source Cygnus A. Mrinal Das Gupta, who was doing his PhD at Manchester University at the time of this discovery, spent the major part of his professional career at Calcutta University. We give an outline of Das Gupta's life and explain the scientific significance of his discovery.

physics.hist-ph↗
arXiv2020

The Meridional Circulation of the Sun: Observations, Theory and Connections with the Solar Dynamo

The meridional circulation of the Sun, which is observed to be poleward at the surface, should have a return flow at some depth. Since large-scale flows like the differential rotation and the meridional circulation are driven by turbulent stresses in the convection zone, these flows are expected to remain confined within this zone. Current observational (based on helioseismology) and theoretical (based on dynamo theory) evidences point towards an equatorward return flow of the meridional circulation at the bottom of the convection zone. Assuming the mean values of various quantities averaged over turbulence to be axisymmetric, we study the large-scale flows in solar-like stars on the basis of a 2D mean field theory. Turbulent stresses in a rotating star can transport angular momentum, setting up a differential rotation. The meridional circulation arises from a slight imbalance between two terms which try to drive it in opposite directions: a thermal wind term (arising out of the higher efficiency of convective heat transport in the polar regions) and a centrifugal term (arising out of the differential rotation). To make these terms comparable, the poles of the Sun should be slightly hotter than the equator. We discuss the important role played by the meridional circulation in the flux transport dynamo model. The poloidal field generated by the Babcock--Leighton process at the surface is advected poleward, whereas the toroidal field produced at the bottom of the convection zone is advected equatorward. The fluctuations in the meridional circulation (with coherence time of about 30--40 yr) help in explaining many aspects of the irregularities in the solar cycle. Finally, we discuss how the Lorentz force of the dynamo-generated magnetic field can cause periodic variations in the large-scale flows with the solar cycle.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2020

A theoretical estimate of the pole-equator temperature difference and a possible origin of the near-surface shear layer

Convective motions in the deep layers of the solar convection zone are affected by rotation, making the convective heat transport latitude-dependent, but this is not the case in the top layers near the surface. We use the thermal wind balance condition in the deeper layers to estimate the pole-equator temperature difference. Surface observations of this temperature difference can be used for estimating the depth of the near-surface layer within which convection is not affected by rotation. If we require that the thermal wind balance holds in this layer also, then we have to conclude that this must be a layer of strong differential rotation and its characteristics which we derive are in broad agreement with the observational data of the near-surface shear layer.

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arXiv2019

A New Formula for Predicting Solar Cycles

A new formula for predicting solar cycles based on the current theoretical understanding of the solar cycle from flux transport dynamo is presented. Two important processes---fluctuations in the Babcock-Leighton mechanism and variations in the meridional circulation, which are believed to be responsible for irregularities of the solar cycle---are constrained by using observational data. We take the polar field near minima of the cycle as a measure of the randomness in the Babcock-Leighton process, and the decay rate near the minima as a consequence of the change in meridional circulation. We couple these two observationally derived quantities into a single formula to predict the amplitude of the future solar cycle. Our new formula suggests that the cycle 25 would be a moderate cycle. Whether this formula for predicting the future solar cycle can be justified theoretically is also discussed using simulations from the flux transport dynamo model.

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arXiv2018

How the Saha Ionization Equation Was Discovered

Although the Saha ionization equation is a standard topic in advanced statistical physics and most professional physicists would have some knowledge of it, the exact nature of Meghnad Saha's contributions in this subject is not widely known. Based on an analysis of Saha's original papers and other relevant papers by contemporary scientists, as well as other source materials such as letters exchanged between scientists, I discuss how Saha used the theory of thermal ionization to solve some of the most important astrophysics problems of that era.

physics.hist-ph↗
arXiv2018

The Sun's polar magnetic field: datasets, proxies and theoretical issues

The polar magnetic field of the Sun is a manifestation of certain aspects of the dynamo process and is a good precursor for predicting a sunspot cycle before its onset. Although actual synoptic measurements of this field exist only from the mid-1970s, it has now been possible to determine its evolution from the beginning of the twentieth century with the help of various proxies. The recently developed 3D kinematic dynamo model can study the build-up of the Sun's polar magnetic field more realistically than the earlier surface flux transport model.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2018

Explaining the variation of the meridional circulation with the solar cycle

The meridional circulation of the Sun is observationally found to vary with the solar cycle, becoming slower during the solar maxima. We explain this by constructing a theoretical model in which the equation of the meridional circulation (the $ϕ$ component of the vorticity equation) is coupled with the equations of the flux transport dynamo model. We find that the Lorentz force of the dynamo-generated magnetic fields can slow down the \MC\ during the solar maxima in broad conformity with the observations.

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arXiv2018

The Sun as a Laboratory for Plasma Physics

Several phenomena connected with the magnetic field of the Sun (the cool sunspots, the hot corona, solar flares, the solar wind) are collectively known as solar activity. This paper discusses how one uses the MHD equations to understand how the magnetic field of the Sun is produced by the dynamo process and then gives rise to these diverse activities, making the Sun the best laboratory for plasma physics in the limit of high magnetic Reynolds number (defined at the end of the Introduction).

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arXiv2018

Flux Transport Dynamo: From Modelling Irregularities to Making Predictions

The flux transport dynamo, in which the poloidal magnetic field is generated by the Babcock--Leighton mechanism and the meridional circulation plays a crucial role, has emerged as an attractive model for the solar cycle. Based on theoretical calculations done with this model, we argue that the fluctuations in the Babcock--Leighton mechanism and the fluctuations in the meridional circulation are the most likely causes of the irregularities of the solar cycle. With our increased theoretical understanding of how these irregularities arise, it can be possible to predict a future solar cycle by feeding the appropriate observational data in a theoretical dynamo model.

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arXiv2018

Predicting a solar cycle before its onset using a flux transport dynamo model

We begin with a review of the predictions for cycle~24 before its onset. After summarizing the basics of the flux transport dynamo model, we discuss how this model had been used to make a successful prediction of cycle~24, on the assumption that the irregularities of the solar cycle arise due to the fluctuations in the Babcock--Leighton mechanism. We point out that fluctuations in the meridional circulation can be another cause of irregularities in the cycle.

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