arXiv subjects

C. Fang

Publications and source records attributed to C. Fang.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Damping Mechanisms of the Solar Filament Longitudinal Oscillations in Weak Magnetic Field

Longitudinal oscillations of solar filament have been investigated via numerical simulations continuously, but mainly in one dimension (1D), where the magnetic field line is treated as a rigid flux tube. Whereas those one-dimensional simulations can roughly reproduce the observed oscillation periods, implying that gravity is the main restoring force for filament longitudinal oscillations, the decay time in one-dimensional simulations is generally longer than in observations. In this paper, we perform a two-dimensional (2D) non-adiabatic magnetohydrodynamic simulation of filament longitudinal oscillations, and compare it with the 2D adiabatic case and 1D adiabatic and non-adiabatic cases. It is found that, whereas both non-adiabatic processes (radiation and heat conduction) can significantly reduce the decay time, wave leakage is another important mechanism to dissipate the kinetic energy of the oscillating filament when the magnetic field is weak so that gravity is comparable to Lorentz force. In this case, our simulations indicate that the pendulum model might lead to an error of ~100% in determining the curvature radius of the dipped magnetic field using the longitudinal oscillation period when the gravity to Lorentz force ratio is close to unity.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

New classes of chiral topological nodes with non-contractible surface Fermi arcs in CoSi

In condensed matter systems, chiral topological nodes are robust band crossing points in momentum space that carry nonzero Chern numbers. The chirality is manifested by the presence of surface Fermi arcs connecting the projections of nodes with opposite Chern numbers. In addition to the well-known Weyl nodes, theorists have proposed several other types of chiral topological nodes in condensed matter systems, but the direct experimental evidence of their existence is still lacking. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we reveal two types of new chiral nodes, namely the spin-1 nodes and charge-2 Dirac nodes, at the band crossing points near the Fermi level in CoSi, the projections of which on the (001) surface are connected by topologically protected surface Fermi arcs. As these chiral nodes in CoSi are enforced at the Brillouin zone (BZ) center and corner by the crystalline symmetries, the surface Fermi arcs connecting their projections form a non-contractible path traversing the entire (001) surface BZ, in sharp contrast to pairs of Weyl nodes with small separation. Our work marks the first experimental observation of chiral topological nodes beyond the Weyl nodes both in the bulk and on the surface in condensed matter systems.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Transition from circular-ribbon to parallel-ribbon flares associated with a bifurcated magnetic flux rope

Magnetic flux ropes play a key role in triggering solar flares in the solar atmosphere. In this paper, we investigate the evolution of active region NOAA 12268 within 36 hours from 2015 January 29 to 30, during which a flux rope was formed and three M-class and three C-class flares were triggered without coronal mass ejections. During the evolution of the active region, the flare emission seen in the H$α$ and ultraviolet wavebands changed from a circular shape (plus an adjacent conjugated ribbon and a remote ribbon) to three relatively straight and parallel ribbons. Based on a series of reconstructed nonlinear force-free fields, we find sheared or twisted magnetic field lines and a large-scale quasi-separatrix layer (QSL) associated with 3D null points in a quadrupolar magnetic field. These features always existed and constantly evolved during the two days. The twist of the flux rope was gradually accumulated that eventually led to its instability. Around the flux rope, there were some topological structures, including a bald patch, a hyperbolic flux tube and a torus QSL. We discuss how the particular magnetic structure and its evolution produce the flare emission. In particular, the bifurcation of the flux rope can explain the transition of the flares from circular to parallel ribbons. We propose a two-stage evolution of the magnetic structure and its associated flares. In the first stage, sheared arcades under the dome-like large-scale QSL were gradually transformed into a flux rope through magnetic reconnection, which produced the circular ribbon flare. In the second stage, the flux rope bifurcated to form the three relatively straight and parallel flare ribbons.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Magnon Valves Based on YIG/NiO/YIG All-Insulating Magnon Junctions

As an alternative angular momentum carrier, magnons or spin waves can be utilized to encode information and breed magnon-based circuits with ultralow power consumption and non-Boolean data processing capability. In order to construct such a circuit, it is indispensable to design some electronic components with both long magnon decay and coherence length and effective control over magnon transport. Here we show that an all-insulating magnon junctions composed by a magnetic insulator (MI1)/antiferromagnetic insulator (AFI)/magnetic insulator (MI2) sandwich (Y3Fe5O12/NiO/Y3Fe5O12) can completely turn a thermogradient-induced magnon current on or off as the two Y3Fe5O12 layers are aligned parallel or anti-parallel. The magnon decay length in NiO is about 3.5~4.5 nm between 100 K and 200 K for thermally activated magnons. The insulating magnon valve (magnon junction), as a basic building block, possibly shed light on the naissance of efficient magnon-based circuits, including non-Boolean logic, memory, diode, transistors, magnon waveguide and switches with sizable on-off ratios.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Automated Detection Methods for Solar Activities and an Application for Statistic Analysis of Solar Filament

With the rapid development of telescopes, both temporal cadence and the spatial resolution of observations are increasing. This in turn generates vast amount of data, which can be efficiently searched only with automated detections in order to derive the features of interest in the observations. A number of automated detection methods and algorithms have been developed for solar activities, based on the image processing and machine learning techniques. In this paper, after briefly reviewing some automated detection methods, we describe our efficient and versatile automated detection method for solar filaments. It is able not only to recognize filaments, determine the features such as the position, area, spine, and other relevant parameters, but also to trace the daily evolution of the filaments. It is applied to process the full disk H-alpha data observed in nearly three solar cycles, and some statistic results are presented.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Three-dimensional MHD Simulations of Solar Prominence Oscillations in a Magnetic Flux Rope

Solar prominences are subject to all kinds of perturbations during their lifetime, and frequently demonstrate oscillations. The study of prominence oscillations provides an alternative way to investigate their internal magnetic and thermal structures as the oscillation characteristics depend on their interplay with the solar corona. Prominence oscillations can be classified into longitudinal and transverse types. We perform three-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations of prominence oscillations along a magnetic flux rope, with the aim to compare the oscillation periods with those predicted by various simplified models and to examine the restoring force. We find that the longitudinal oscillation has a period of about 49 minutes, which is in accordance with the pendulum model where the field-ligned component of gravity serves as the restoring force. In contrast, the horizontal transverse oscillation has a period of about 10 minutes and the vertical transverse oscillation has a period of about 14 minutes, and both of them can be nicely fitted with a two-dimensional slab model. We also find that the magnetic tension force dominates most of the time in transverse oscillations, except for the first minute when magnetic pressure overwhelms.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Magnon Valve Effect Between Two Magnetic Insulators

The key physics of the spin valve involves spin-polarized conduction electrons propagating between two magnetic layers such that the device conductance is controlled by the relative magnetization orientation of two magnetic layers. Here, we report the effect of a magnon valve which is made of two ferromagnetic insulators (YIG) separated by a nonmagnetic spacer layer (Au). When a thermal gradient is applied perpendicular to the layers, the inverse spin Hall voltage output detected by a Pt bar placed on top of the magnon valve depends on the relative orientation of the magnetization of two YIG layers, indicating the magnon current induced by spin Seebeck effect at one layer affects the magnon current in the other layer separated by Au. We interpret the magnon valve effect by the angular momentum conversion and propagation between magnons in two YIG layers and conduction electrons in the Au layer. The temperature dependence of magnon valve ratio shows approximately a power law, supporting the above magnon-electron spin conversion mechanism. This work opens a new class of valve structures beyond the conventional spin valves.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

A Circular White-Light Flare with Impulsive and Gradual White-Light Kernels

White-light flares are the flares with emissions visible in the optical continuum. They are thought to be rare and pose the most stringent requirements in energy transport and heating in the lower atmosphere. Here we present a nearly circular white-light flare on 2015 March 10 that was well observed by the Optical and Near-infrared Solar Eruption Tracer and Solar Dynamics Observatory. In this flare, there appear simultaneously both impulsive and gradual white-light kernels. The generally accepted thick-target model would be responsible for the impulsive kernels but not sufficient to interpret the gradual kernels. Some other mechanisms including soft X-ray backwarming or downward-propagating Alfven waves, acting jointly with electron beam bombardment, provide a possible interpretation. However, the origin of this kind of white-light kernels is still an open question that induces more observations and researches in the future to decipher it.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Nucleation of dislocations and their dynamics in layered oxides cathode materials during battery charging

Defects and their interactions in crystalline solids often underpin material properties and functionality as they are decisive for stability, result in enhanced diffusion, and act as a reservoir of vacancies. Recently, lithium-rich layered oxides have emerged among the leading candidates for the next-generation energy storage cathode material, delivering 50 % excess capacity over commercially used compounds. Oxygen-redox reactions are believed to be responsible for the excess capacity, however, voltage fading has prevented commercialization of these new materials. Despite extensive research the understanding of the mechanisms underpinning oxygen-redox reactions and voltage fade remain incomplete. Here, using operando three-dimensional Bragg coherent diffractive imaging, we directly observe nucleation of a mobile dislocation network in nanoparticles of lithium-rich layered oxide material. Surprisingly, we find that dislocations form more readily in the lithium-rich layered oxide material as compared with a conventional layered oxide material, suggesting a link between the defects and the anomalously high capacity in lithium-rich layered oxides. The formation of a network of partial dislocations dramatically alters the local lithium environment and contributes to the voltage fade. Based on our findings we design and demonstrate a method to recover the original high voltage functionality. Our findings reveal that the voltage fade in lithium-rich layered oxides is reversible and call for new paradigms for improved design of oxygen-redox active materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Three-component fermions with surface Fermi arcs in topological semimetal tungsten carbide

Topological Dirac and Weyl semimetals not only host quasiparticles analogous to the elementary fermionic particles in high-energy physics, but also have nontrivial band topology manifested by exotic Fermi arcs on the surface. Recent advances suggest new types of topological semimetals, in which spatial symmetries protect gapless electronic excitations without high-energy analogy. Here we observe triply-degenerate nodal points (TPs) near the Fermi level of WC, in which the low-energy quasiparticles are described as three-component fermions distinct from Dirac and Weyl fermions. We further observe the surface states whose constant energy contours are pairs of Fermi arcs connecting the surface projection of the TPs, proving the nontrivial topology of the newly identified semimetal state.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Determination of spin relaxation times in heavy metals via 2nd harmonic spin injection magnetoresistance

In tunnel junctions between ferromagnets and heavy elements with strong spin orbit coupling the magnetoresistance is often dominated by tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR). This makes conventional DC spin injection techniques impractical for determining the spin relaxation time ($τ_s$). Here, we show that this obstacle for measurements of $τ_s$ can be overcome by 2nd harmonic spin-injection-magnetoresistance (SIMR). In the 2nd harmonic signal the SIMR is comparable in magnitude to TAMR, thus enabling Hanle-induced SIMR as a powerful tool to directly determine $τ_s$. Using this approach we determined the spin relaxation time of Pt and Ta and their temperature dependences. The spin relaxation in Pt seems to be governed by Elliott-Yafet mechanism due to a constant resistivity $\times$spin relaxation time product over a wide temperature range.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Evidence of topological insulator state in the semimetal LaBi

By employing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations, we performed a systematic investigation on the electronic structure of LaBi, which exhibits extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR), and is theoretically predicted to possess band anticrossing with nontrivial topological properties. Here, the observations of the Fermi-surface topology and band dispersions are similar to previous studies on LaSb [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 127204 (2016)], a topologically trivial XMR semimetal, except the existence of a band inversion along the $Γ$-$X$ direction, with one massless and one gapped Dirac-like surface state at the $X$ and $Γ$ points, respectively. The odd number of massless Dirac cones suggests that LaBi is analogous to the time-reversal $Z_2$ nontrivial topological insulator. These findings open up a new series for exploring novel topological states and investigating their evolution from the perspective of topological phase transition within the family of rare-earth monopnictides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Solar Filament Longitudinal Oscillations along a Magnetic Field Tube with Two Dips

The large-amplitude longitudinal oscillations of solar filaments have been observed and explored for more than ten years. Previous studies are mainly based on the one-dimensional rigid flux tube model with a single magnetic dip. However, it is noticed that there might be two magnetic dips, and hence two threads, along one magnetic field line. Following the previous work, we intend to investigate the kinematics of the filament longitudinal oscillations when two threads are magnetically connected, which is done by solving one-dimensional radiative hydrodynamic equations with the numerical code MPI-AMRVAC. Two different types of perturbations are considered, and the difference from previous works resulting from the filament thread-thread interaction is investigated. We find that even with the inclusion of the thread-thread interaction, the oscillation period is modified weakly, by at most 20% compared to the traditional pendulum model with one thread. However, the damping timescale is significantly affected by the thread-thread interaction. Hence, we should take it into account when applying the consistent seismology to the filaments where two threads are magnetically connected.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Can the temperature of Ellerman Bombs be more than 10000K?

Ellerman bombs (EBs) are small brightening events in the solar lower atmosphere. By original definition, the main EB's characteristic is the two emission bumps in both wings of chromospheric lines, such as H$α$ and Ca II 8542 Å lines. Up to now, most authors found that the temperature increase of EBs around the temperature minimum region is in the range of 600K-3000K. However, with recent IRIS observations, some authors proposed that the temperature increase of EBs could be more than 10000K. Using non-LTE semi-empirical modeling, we investigate the line profiles, continuum emission and the radiative losses for the EB models with different temperature increases, and compare them with observations. Our result indicates that if the EB maximum temperature attains more than 10000K around the temperature minimum region, then the resulted H$α$ and Ca II 8542 Å line profiles and the continuum emission would be much stronger than that of EB observations. Moreover, due to the high radiative losses, the high temperature EB would have a very short lifetime, which is not comparable with the observations. Thus, our study does not support the proposal that the EB temperatures are higher than 10000K.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Material supply and magnetic configuration of an active region filament

It is important to study the fine structures of solar filaments with high-resolution observations since it can help us understand the magnetic and thermal structures of the filaments and their dynamics. In this paper, we study a newly-formed filament located inside the active region NOAA 11762, which was observed by the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope (NST) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) from 16:40:19 UT to 17:07:58 UT on 2013 June 5. As revealed by the H$α$ filtergrams, cool material is seen to be injected into the filament spine with a speed of 5--10 km s$^{-1}$. At the source of the injection, brightenings are identified in the chromosphere, which is accompanied by magnetic cancellation in the photosphere, implying the importance of magnetic reconnection in replenishing the filament with plasmas from the lower atmosphere. Counter-streamings are detected near one endpoint of the filament, with the plane-of-the-sky speed being 7--9 km s$^{-1}$ in the H$α$ red-wing filtergrams and 9--25 km s$^{-1}$ in the blue-wing filtergrams. The observations are indicative of that this active region filament is supported by a sheared arcade without magnetic dips, and the counter-streamings are due to unidirectional flows with alternative directions, rather than due to the longitudinal oscillations of filament threads as in many other filaments.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Magnetic separatrix as the source region of the plasma supply for an active-region filament

Solar filaments can be formed via chromospheric evaporation followed by condensation in the corona or by the direct injection of cool plasma from the chromosphere to the corona. In this paper, with high-resolution H$α$ data observed by the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope of the Big Bear Solar Observatory on 2015 August 21, we confirmed that an active-region filament is maintained by the continuous injection of cold chromospheric plasma. We find that the filament is rooted along a bright ridge in H$α$, which corresponds to the intersection of a magnetic quasi-separatrix layer with the solar surface. This bright ridge consists of many small patches and the sizes of these patches are comparable to the width of the filament threads. It is found that upflows originate from the brighter patches of the ridge, whereas the downflows move toward the weaker patches of the ridge. The whole filament is composed of two opposite directional streams, implying that longitudinal oscillations are not the only cause of the counterstreamings, and unidirectional siphon flows with alternative directions are another possibility.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

Chirality and Magnetic Configurations of Solar Filaments

It has been revealed that the magnetic topology in the solar atmosphere displays hemispheric preference, i.e., negative/positive helicity in the northern/southern hemisphere, respectively. However, the strength of the hemispheric rule and its cyclic variation are controversial. In this paper, we apply a new method based on filament drainage to 571 erupting filaments from 2010 May to 2015 December in order to determine the filament chirality and its hemispheric preference. It is found that $91.6\%$ of our sample of erupting filaments follow the hemispheric rule of helicity sign. It is found that the strength of the hemispheric preference of the quiescent filaments decreases slightly from $\sim$$97\%$ in the rising phase to $\sim$$85\%$ in the declining phase of solar cycle 24, whereas the strength of the intermediate filaments keeps a high value around $96\pm4\%$ all the time. Only the active-region filaments show significant variations. Their strength of the hemispheric rule rises from $\sim$$63\%$ to $\sim$$95\%$ in the rising phase, and keeps a high value $82\pm5\%$ during the declining phase. Furthermore, during a half-year period around the solar maximum, their hemispheric preference totally vanishes. Besides, we also diagnose the magnetic configurations of the filaments based on our indirect method, and found that in our sample of erupting events, $89\%$ are inverse-polarity filaments with a flux rope magnetic configuration, whereas $11\%$ are normal-polarity filaments with a sheared arcade configuration.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

Experimental Observation of Three-Component 'New Fermions' in Topological Semimetal MoP

Condensed matter systems can host quasiparticle excitations that are analogues to elementary particles such as Majorana, Weyl, and Dirac fermions. Recent advances in band theory have expanded the classification of fermions in crystals, and revealed crystal symmetry-protected electron excitations that have no high-energy counterparts. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we demonstrate the existence of a triply degenerate point in the electronic structure of MoP crystal, where the quasiparticle excitations are beyond the Majorana-Weyl-Dirac classification. Furthermore, we observe pairs of Weyl points in the bulk electronic structure coexisting with the 'new fermions', thus introducing a platform for studying the interplay between different types of fermions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗