arXiv subjects

Mingzhe Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Mingzhe Liu.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Parker Solar Probe Observations of High Plasma Beta Solar Wind from Streamer Belt

In general, slow solar wind from the streamer belt forms a high plasma beta equatorial plasma sheet around the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) crossing, namely the heliospheric plasma sheet (HPS). Current Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations show that the HCS crossings near the Sun could be full or partial current sheet crossing (PCS), and they share some common features but also have different properties. In this work, using the PSP observations from encounters 4 to 10, we identify streamer belt solar wind from enhancements in plasma beta, and we further use electron pitch angle distributions to separate it into HPS solar wind that around the full HCS crossings and PCS solar wind that in the vicinity of PCS crossings. Based on our analysis, we find that the PCS solar wind has different characteristics as compared with HPS solar wind: a) PCS solar wind could be non-pressure-balanced structures rather than magnetic holes, and the total pressure enhancement mainly results from the less reduced magnetic pressure; b) some of the PCS solar wind are mirror unstable; c) PCS solar wind is dominated by very low helium abundance but varied alpha-proton differential speed. We suggest the PCS solar wind could originate from coronal loops deep inside the streamer belt, and it is pristine solar wind that still actively interacts with ambient solar wind, thus it is valuable for further investigations on the heating and acceleration of slow solar wind.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2022

Temperature-dependent behaviors of single spin defects in solids determined with Hz-level precision

Revealing the properties of single spin defects in solids is essential for quantum applications based on solid-state systems. However, it is intractable to investigate the temperature-dependent properties of single defects, due to the low precision for single-defect measurements in contrast to defect ensembles. Here we report that the temperature dependence of the Hamiltonian parameters for single negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV$^{-}$) centers in diamond is precisely measured, and the results find a reasonable agreement with first-principles calculations. Particularly, the hyperfine interactions with randomly distributed $^{13}$C nuclear spins are clearly observed to vary with temperature, and the relevant coefficients are measured with Hz-level precision. The temperature-dependent behaviors are attributed to both thermal expansion and lattice vibrations by first-principles calculations. Our results pave the way for taking nuclear spins as more stable thermometers at nanoscale. The methods developed here for high-precision measurements and first-principles calculations can be further extended to other solid-state spin defects.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Multi-spacecraft Analysis of the Properties of Magnetohydrodynamic Fluctuations in Sub-Alfvénic Solar Wind Turbulence at 1 AU

We present three-dimensional magnetic power spectra in wavevector space to investigate anisotropy and scalings of sub-Alfvénic solar wind turbulence at magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) scale using the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft. The magnetic power distributions are organized in a new coordinate determined by wavevectors (k) and background magnetic field ($b_0$) in Fourier space. This study utilizes two approaches to determine wavevectors: singular value decomposition method and timing analysis. The combination of the two methods allows an examination of magnetic field properties in terms of mode compositions without any spatiotemporal hypothesis. Observations show that fluctuations ($δB_{\perp1}$) in the direction perpendicular to k and $b_0$ prominently cascade perpendicular to $b_0$, and such anisotropy increases with wavenumber. The reduced power spectra of $δB_{\perp1}$ follow Goldreich-Sridhar scalings: $P(k_\perp)\sim k_\perp^{-5/3}$ and $P(k_{||}) \sim k_{||}^{-2}$. In contrast, fluctuations within $kb_0$ plane show isotropic behaviors: perpendicular power distributions are approximately the same as parallel distributions. The reduced power spectra of fluctuations within $kb_0$ plane follow the scalings: $P(k_\perp)\sim k_\perp^{-3/2}$ and $P(k_{||})\sim k_{||}^{-3/2}$. Comparing frequency-wavevector spectra with theoretical dispersion relations of MHD modes, we find that $δB_{\perp1}$ are probably associated with Alfven modes. Moreover, for the Alfvénic component, the ratio of cascading time to the wave period is found to be a factor of a few, consistent with critical balance in the strong turbulence regime. The magnetic field fluctuations within $kb_0$ plane more likely originate from fast modes based on isotropic behaviors.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Analysis of Magnetohydrodynamic Perturbations in Radial-field Solar Wind from Parker Solar Probe Observations

We report analysis of sub-Alfvénic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) perturbations in the low-\b{eta} radial-field solar wind using the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft data from 31 October to 12 November 2018. We calculate wave vectors using the singular value decomposition method and separate the MHD perturbations into three types of linear eigenmodes (Alfvén, fast, and slow modes) to explore the properties of the sub-Alfvénic perturbations and the role of compressible perturbations in solar wind heating. The MHD perturbations there show a high degree of Alfvénicity in the radial-field solar wind, with the energy fraction of Alfvén modes dominating (~45%-83%) over those of fast modes (~16%-43%) and slow modes (~1%-19%). We present a detailed analysis of a representative event on 10 November 2018. Observations show that fast modes dominate magnetic compressibility, whereas slow modes dominate density compressibility. The energy damping rate of compressible modes is comparable to the heating rate, suggesting the collisionless damping of compressible modes could be significant for solar wind heating. These results are valuable for further studies of the imbalanced turbulence near the Sun and possible heating effects of compressible modes at MHD scales in low-\b{eta} plasma.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Observations of an Electron-cold Ion Component Reconnection at the Edge of an Ion-scale Antiparallel Reconnection at the Dayside Magnetopause

Solar wind parameters play a dominant role in reconnection rate, which controls the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling efficiency at Earth's magnetopause. Besides, low-energy ions from the ionosphere, frequently detected on the magnetospheric side of the magnetopause, also affect magnetic reconnection. However, the specific role of low-energy ions in reconnection is still an open question under active discussion. In the present work, we report in situ observations of a multiscale, multi-type magnetopause reconnection in the presence of low-energy ions using NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale data on 11 September 2015. This study divides ions into cold and hot populations. The observations can be interpreted as a secondary reconnection dominated by electrons and cold ions located at the edge of an ion-scale reconnection. This analysis demonstrates a dominant role of cold ions in the secondary reconnection without hot ions' response. Cold ions and electrons are accelerated and heated by the secondary process. The case study provides observational evidence for the simultaneous operation of antiparallel and component reconnection. Our results imply that the pre-accelerated and heated cold ions and electrons in the secondary reconnection may participate in the primary ion-scale reconnection affecting the solar wind-magnetopause coupling and the complicated magnetic field topology affect the reconnection rate.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2021

Determination of Solar Wind Angular Momentum and Alfvén Radius from Parker Solar Probe Observations

As fundamental parameters of the Sun, the Alfvén radius and angular momentum loss determine how the solar wind changes from sub-Alfvénic to super-Alfvénic and how the Sun spins down. We present an approach to determining the solar wind angular momentum flux based on observations from Parker Solar Probe (PSP). A flux of about $0.15\times10^{30}$ dyn cm sr$^{-1}$ near the ecliptic plane and 0.7:1 partition of that flux between the particles and magnetic field are obtained by averaging data from the first four encounters within 0.3 au from the Sun. The angular momentum flux and its particle component decrease with the solar wind speed, while the flux in the field is remarkably constant. A speed dependence in the Alfvén radius is also observed, which suggests a "rugged" Alfvén surface around the Sun. Substantial diving below the Alfvén surface seems plausible only for relatively slow solar wind given the orbital design of PSP. Uncertainties are evaluated based on the acceleration profiles of the same solar wind streams observed at PSP and a radially aligned spacecraft near 1 au. We illustrate that the "angular momentum paradox" raised by Réville et al. can be removed by taking into account the contribution of the alpha particles. The large proton transverse velocity observed by PSP is perhaps inherent in the solar wind acceleration process, where an opposite transverse velocity is produced for the alphas with the angular momentum conserved. Preliminary analysis of some recovered alpha parameters tends to agree with the results.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

PIC simulations of microinstabilities and waves at near-Sun solar wind perpendicular shocks: Predictions for Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter

Microinstabilities and waves excited at moderate-Mach-number perpendicular shocks in the near-Sun solar wind are investigated by full particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. By analyzing the dispersion relation of fluctuating field components directly issued from the shock simulation, we obtain key findings concerning wave excitations at the shock front: (1) at the leading edge of the foot, two types of electrostatic (ES) waves are observed. The relative drift of the reflected ions versus the electrons triggers an electron cyclotron drift instability (ECDI) which excites the first ES wave. Because the bulk velocity of gyro-reflected ions shifts to the direction of the shock front, the resulting ES wave propagates oblique to the shock normal. Immediately, a fraction of incident electrons are accelerated by this ES wave and a ring-like velocity distribution is generated. They can couple with the hot Maxwellian core and excite the second ES wave around the upper hybrid frequency. (2) from the middle of the foot all the way to the ramp, electrons can couple with both incident and reflected ions. ES waves excited by ECDI in different directions propagate across each other. Electromagnetic (EM) waves (X mode) emitted toward upstream are observed in both regions. They are probably induced by a small fraction of relativistic electrons. Results shed new insight on the mechanism for the occurrence of ES wave excitations and possible EM wave emissions at young CME-driven shocks in the near-Sun solar wind.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2020

Lifelong Property Price Prediction: A Case Study for the Toronto Real Estate Market

We present Luce, the first life-long predictive model for automated property valuation. Luce addresses two critical issues of property valuation: the lack of recent sold prices and the sparsity of house data. It is designed to operate on a limited volume of recent house transaction data. As a departure from prior work, Luce organizes the house data in a heterogeneous information network (HIN) where graph nodes are house entities and attributes that are important for house price valuation. We employ a Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) to extract the spatial information from the HIN for house-related data like geographical locations, and then use a Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) network to model the temporal dependencies for house transaction data over time. Unlike prior work, Luce can make effective use of the limited house transactions data in the past few months to update valuation information for all house entities within the HIN. By providing a complete and up-to-date house valuation dataset, Luce thus massively simplifies the downstream valuation task for the targeting properties. We demonstrate the benefit of Luce by applying it to large, real-life datasets obtained from the Toronto real estate market. Extensive experimental results show that Luce not only significantly outperforms prior property valuation methods but also often reaches and sometimes exceeds the valuation accuracy given by independent experts when using the actual realization price as the ground truth.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2018

Kinetic Properties of an Interplanetary Shock Propagating inside a Coronal Mass Ejection

We investigate the kinetic properties of a typical fast-mode shock inside an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed on 1998 August 6 at 1 AU, including particle distributions and wave analysis with the in situ measurements from Wind. Key results are obtained concerning the shock and the shock-ICME interaction at kinetic scales: (1) gyrating ions, which may provide energy dissipation at the shock in addition to wave-particle interactions, are observed around the shock ramp; (2) despite the enhanced proton temperature anisotropy of the shocked plasma, the low plasma beta inside the ICME constrains the shocked plasma under the thresholds of the ion cyclotron and mirror-mode instabilities; (3) whistler heat flux instabilities, which can pitch--angle scatter halo electrons through a cyclotron resonance, are observed around the shock, and can explain the disappearance of bidirectional electrons inside the ICME together with normal betatron acceleration; (4) whistler waves near the shock are likely associated with the whistler heat flux instabilities excited at the shock ramp, which is consistent with the result that the waves may originate from the shock ramp; (5) the whistlers share a similar characteristic with the shocklet whistlers observed by Wilson et al, providing possible evidence that the shock is decaying because of the strong magnetic field inside the ICME.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

Toward a fractal spectrum approach for neutron and gamma pulse shape discrimination

There is a key research issue to accurately select out neutron signals and discriminate gamma signals from a mixed radiation field in the neutron detection. This paper proposes a fractal spectrum discrimination approach by means of different spectrum characteristics of neutron and gamma. Figure of merit and average discriminant error ratio are adopted together to evaluate the discriminant effects. Different neutron and gamma signals with various noises and pulse pile-ups are simulated according to real data in the literature. The proposed approach is compared with the digital charge integration and pulse gradient methods. It is found that the fractal approach exhibits the best discriminant performance among three methods. The fractal spectrum approach is not sensitive to the high frequency noises and pulse pile-ups. It means that the proposed approach takes the advantages of anti-noises and high discriminant ability, and can be used to better discriminate neutron and gamma in neutron detection.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2008

Theoretical investigation of synchronous totally asymmetric exclusion processes on lattices with multiple-input-single-output junctions

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of synchronous totally asymmetric exclusion processes on lattices with a multiple-input single-output (MISO) junction, which consists of m subchains for the input and one main chain for the output. A MISO junction is a type of complex geometry that is relevant to many biological processes as well as vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow. A mean-field approach is developed to deal with the junction that connects the subchains and the main chain. Theoretical results for stationary particle currents, density profiles, and a phase diagram have been obtained. It is found that the phase boundary moves toward the left in the phase diagram with an increase of the number of subchains. The nonequilibrium stationary states, stationary-state phases, and phase boundaries are determined by the boundary conditions of the system as well as by the number of subchains. The density profiles obtained from computer simulations show very good agreement with our theoretical analysis.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2007

Effects of Langmuir Kinetics of Two-Lane Totally Asymmetric Exclusion Processes in Protein Traffic

In this paper, we study a two-lane totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) coupled with random attachment and detachment of particles (Langmuir kinetics) in both lanes under open boundary conditions. Our model can describe the directed motion of molecular motors, attachment and detachment of motors, and free inter-lane transition of motors between filaments. In this paper, we focus on some finite-size effects of the system because normally the sizes of most real systems are finite and small (e.g., size $\leq 10,000$). A special finite-size effect of the two-lane system has been observed, which is that the density wall moves left first and then move towards the right with the increase of the lane-changing rate. We called it the jumping effect. We find that increasing attachment and detachment rates will weaken the jumping effect. We also confirmed that when the size of the two-lane system is large enough, the jumping effect disappears, and the two-lane system has a similar density profile to a single-lane TASEP coupled with Langmuir kinetics. Increasing lane-changing rates has little effect on density and current after the density reaches maximum. Also, lane-changing rate has no effect on density profiles of a two-lane TASEP coupled with Langmuir kinetics at a large attachment/detachment rate and/or a large system size. Mean-field approximation is presented and it agrees with our Monte Carlo simulations.

q-bio.QM↗