arXiv subjects

Q. M. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Q. M. Zhang.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Multiwavelength observations of a partially eruptive filament on 2011 September 8

In this paper, we report our multiwavelength observations of a partial filament eruption event in NOAA active region 11283 on 2011 September 8. A magnetic null point and the corresponding spine and separatrix surface are found in the active region. Beneath the null point, a sheared arcade supports the filament along the highly complex and fragmented polarity inversion line. After being activated, the sigmoidal filament erupted and split into two parts. The major part rose at the speeds of 90$-$150 km s$^{-1}$ before reaching the maximum apparent height of $\sim$115 Mm. Afterwards, it returned to the solar surface in a bumpy way at the speeds of 20$-$80 km s$^{-1}$. The rising and falling motions were clearly observed in the extreme-ultravoilet (EUV), UV, and H$α$ wavelengths. The failed eruption of the main part was associated with an M6.7 flare with a single hard X-ray source. The runaway part of the filament, however, separated from and rotated around the major part for $\sim$1 turn at the eastern leg before escaping from the corona, probably along large-scale open magnetic field lines. The ejection of the runaway part resulted in a very faint coronal mass ejection (CME) that propagated at an apparent speed of 214 km s$^{-1}$ in the outer corona. The filament eruption also triggered transverse kink-mode oscillation of the adjacent coronal loops in the same AR. The amplitude and period of the oscillation were 1.6 Mm and 225 s. Our results are important for understanding the mechanisms of partial filament eruptions and provide new constraints to theoretical models. The multiwavelength observations also shed light on space weather prediction.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Reciprocatory magnetic reconnection in a coronal bright point

Coronal bright points (CBPs) are small-scale and long-duration brightenings in the lower solar corona. They are often explained in terms of magnetic reconnection. We aim to study the sub-structures of a CBP and clarify the relationship among the brightenings of different patches inside the CBP. The event was observed by the X-ray Telescope (XRT) aboard the Hinode spacecraft on 2009 August 22$-$23. The CBP showed repetitive brightenings (or CBP flashes). During each of the two successive CBP flashes, i.e., weak and strong flashes which are separated by $\sim$2 hr, the XRT images revealed that the CBP was composed of two chambers, i.e., patches A and B. During the weak flash, patch A brightened first, and patch B brightened $\sim$2 min later. During the transition, the right leg of a large-scale coronal loop drifted from the right side of the CBP to the left side. During the strong flash, patch B brightened first, and patch A brightened $\sim$2 min later. During the transition, the right leg of the large-scale coronal loop drifted from the left side of the CBP to the right side. In each flash, the rapid change of the connectivity of the large-scale coronal loop is strongly suggestive of the interchange reconnection. For the first time we found reciprocatory reconnection in the CBP, i.e., reconnected loops in the outflow region of the first reconnection process serve as the inflow of the second reconnection process.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Blobs in recurring EUV jets

In this paper, we report our discovery of blobs in the recurrent and homologous jets that occurred at the western edge of NOAA active region 11259 on 2011 July 22. The jets were observed in the seven extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) filters of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Using the base-difference images of the six filters (94, 131, 171, 211, 193, and 335 Å), we carried out the differential emission measure (DEM) analyses to explore the thermodynamic evolutions of the jets. The jets were accompanied by cool surges observed in the H$α$ line center of the ground-based telescope in the Big Bear Solar Observatory. The jets that had lifetimes of 20$-$30 min recurred at the same place for three times with interval of 40$-$45 min. Interestingly, each of the jets intermittently experienced several upward eruptions at the speed of 120$-$450 km s$^{-1}$. After reaching the maximum heights, they returned back to the solar surface, showing near-parabolic trajectories. The falling phases were more evident in the low-$T$ filters than in the high-$T$ filters, indicating that the jets experienced cooling after the onset of eruptions. We identified bright and compact blobs in the jets during their rising phases. The simultaneous presences of blobs in all the EUV filters were consistent with the broad ranges of the DEM profiles of the blobs ($5.5\le \log T\le7.5$), indicating their multi-thermal nature. The median temperatures of the blobs were $\sim$2.3 MK. The blobs that were $\sim$3 Mm in diameter had lifetimes of 24$-$60 s. To our knowledge, this is the first report of blobs in coronal jets. We propose that these blobs are plasmoids created by the magnetic reconnection as a result of tearing-mode instability and ejected out along the jets.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Dependence of the Length of Solar Filament Threads on the Magnetic Configuration

High-resolution H$α$ observations indicate that filaments consist of an assembly of thin threads. In quiescent filaments, the threads are generally short, whereas in active region filaments, the threads are generally long. In order to explain these observational features, we performed one-dimensional radiative hydrodynamic simulations of filament formation along a dipped magnetic flux tube in the framework of the chromospheric evaporation-coronal condensation model. The geometry of a dipped magnetic flux tube is characterized by three parameters, i.e., the depth ($D$), the half-width ($w$), and the altitude ($h$) of the magnetic dip. The parameter survey in the numerical simulations shows that allowing the filament thread to grow in 5 days, the maximum length ($L_{th}$) of the filament thread increases linearly with $w$, and decreases linearly with $D$ and $h$. The dependence is fitted into a linear function $L_{th}=0.84w-0.88D-2.78h+17.31$ Mm. Such a relation can qualitatively explain why quiescent filaments have shorter threads and active region filaments have longer threads.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

A swirling flare-related EUV jet

{We report our observations of a swirling flare-related EUV jet on 2011 October 15.} {We utilised the EUV observations from SDO/AIA. We extracted a wide slit along the jet axis and 12 thin slits across its axis to investigate the longitudinal motion and transverse rotation. We also used data from STEREO/EUVI to investigate the 3D structure of the jet. Gound-based H$α$ images provide a good opportunity to explore the relationship between the cool surge and hot jet. LOS magnetograms from SDO/HMI enable us to study the magnetic evolution of the flare/jet event.} {The onset of jet eruption coincided with the start time of C1.6 flare impulsive phase. The initial velocity and acceleration of the longitudinal motion were 254$\pm10$ km s$^{-1}$ and $-97\pm5$ m s$^{-2}$, respectively. The jet presented helical structure and transverse swirling motion at the beginning of its eruption. The counter-clockwise rotation slowed down from an average velocity of $\sim$122 km s$^{-1}$ to $\sim$80 km s$^{-1}$. The interwinding thick threads of the jet untwisted into multiple thin threads during the rotation that lasted for 1 cycle with a period of $\sim$7 min and an amplitude that increases from $\sim$3.2 Mm at the bottom to $\sim$11 Mm at the upper part. Afterwards, the curtain-like leading edge of the jet continued rising without rotation, leaving a dimming region behind before falling back to the solar surface. The appearance/disappearance of dimming corresponded to the longitudinal ascending/descending motions of jet. Cospatial H$α$ surge and EUV dimming imply that the dimming resulted from the absorption of hot EUV emission by cool surge. The flare/jet event was caused by continuous magnetic cancellation before the start of flare. The jet was associated with the open magnetic fields at the edge of AR 11314.}

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Chromospheric evaporation in sympathetic coronal bright points

{Chromospheric evaporation is a key process in solar flares that has extensively been investigated using the spectroscopic observations. However, direct soft X-ray (SXR) imaging of the process is rare, especially in remote brightenings associated with the primary flares that have recently attracted dramatic attention.} {We intend to find the evidence for chromospheric evaporation and figure out the cause of the process in sympathetic coronal bright points (CBPs), i.e., remote brightenings induced by the primary CBP.} {We utilise the high-cadence and high-resolution SXR observations of CBPs from the X-ray Telescope (XRT) aboard the Hinode spacecraft on 2009 August 23.} {We discover thermal conduction front propagating from the primary CBP, i.e., BP1, to one of the sympathetic CBPs, i.e., BP2 that is 60$\arcsec$ away from BP1. The apparent velocity of the thermal conduction is $\sim$138 km s$^{-1}$. Afterwards, hot plasma flowed upwards into the loop connecting BP1 and BP2 at a speed of $\sim$76 km s$^{-1}$, a clear signature of chromospheric evaporation. Similar upflow was also observed in the loop connecting BP1 and the other sympathetic CBP, i.e., BP3 that is 80$\arcsec$ away from BP1, though less significant than BP2. The apparent velocity of the upflow is $\sim$47 km s$^{-1}$. The thermal conduction front propagating from BP1 to BP3 was not well identified except for the jet-like motion also originating from BP1.} {We propose that the gentle chromospheric evaporation in the sympathetic CBPs were caused by thermal conduction originating from the primary CBP.}

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Parallel field magnetoresistance in topological insulator thin films

We report that the finite thickness of three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) thin films produces an observable magnetoresistance (MR) in phase coherent transport in parallel magnetic fields. The MR data of Bi2Se3 and (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films are compared with existing theoretical models of parallel field magnetotransport. We conclude that the TI thin films bring parallel field transport into a unique regime in which the coupling of surface states to bulk and to opposite surfaces is indispensable for understanding the observed MR. The β parameter extracted from parallel field MR can in principle provide a figure of merit for searching TI compounds with more insulating bulk than existing materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Parametric survey of longitudinal prominence oscillation simulations

It is found that both microflare-sized impulsive heating at one leg of the loop and a suddenly imposed velocity perturbation can propel the prominence to oscillate along the magnetic dip. An extensive parameter survey results in a scaling law, showing that the period of the oscillation, which weakly depends on the length and height of the prominence, and the amplitude of the perturbations, scales with $\sqrt{R/g_\odot}$, where $R$ represents the curvature radius of the dip, and $g_\odot$ is the gravitational acceleration of the Sun. This is consistent with the linear theory of a pendulum, which implies that the field-aligned component of gravity is the main restoring force for the prominence longitudinal oscillations, as confirmed by the force analysis. However, the gas pressure gradient becomes non-negligible for short prominences. The oscillation damps with time in the presence of non-adiabatic processes. Compared to heat conduction, the radiative cooling is the dominant factor leading to the damping. A scaling law for the damping timescale is derived, i.e., $τ\sim l^{1.63} D^{0.66}w^{-1.21}v_{0}^{-0.30}$, showing strong dependence on the prominence length $l$, the geometry of the magnetic dip (characterized by the depth $D$ and the width $w$), and the velocity perturbation amplitude $v_0$. The larger the amplitude, the faster the oscillation damps. It is also found that mass drainage significantly reduces the damping timescale when the perturbation is too strong.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Low-Frequency Raman Modes and Electronic Excitations In Atomically Thin MoS2 Crystals

Atomically thin MoS$_{2}$ crystals have been recognized as a quasi-2D semiconductor with remarkable physics properties. This letter reports our Raman scattering measurements on multilayer and monolayer MoS$_{2}$, especially in the low-frequency range ($<$50 cm$^{-1}$). We find two low-frequency Raman modes with contrasting thickness dependence. With increasing the number of MoS$_{2}$ layers, one shows a significant increase in frequency while the other decreases following a 1/N (N denotes layer-number) trend. With the aid of first-principle calculations we assign the former as the shear mode $E_{2g}^{2}$ and the latter as the compression vibrational mode. The opposite evolution of the two modes with thickness demonstrates novel vibrational modes in atomically thin crystal as well as a new and more precise way to characterize thickness of atomically thin MoS$_{2}$ films. In addition, we observe a broad feature around 38 cm$^{-1}$ (~5 meV) which is visible only under near-resonance excitation and pinned at the fixed energy independent of thickness. We interpret the feature as an electronic Raman scattering associated with the spin-orbit coupling induced splitting in conduction band at K points in their Brillouin zone.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Superconductivity at 44 K in K intercalated FeSe system with excess Fe

We report here that a new superconducting phase with much higher Tc has been found in K intercalated FeSe compound with excess Fe. We successfully grew crystals by precisely controlling the starting amount of Fe. Besides the superconducting (SC) transition at ~30 K, we observed a sharp drop in resistivity and a kink in susceptibility at 44 K. By combining thermodynamic measurements with electron spin resonance (ESR), we demonstrate that this is a new SC transition. Structural analysis unambiguously reveals two phases coexisting in the crystals, which are responsible respectively for the SC transitions at 30 and 44 K. The structural experiments and first-principles calculations consistently indicate that the 44 K SC phase is close to a 122 structure, but with an unexpectedly large c-axis of 18.10 Å. We further find a novel monotonic dependence of the maximum Tc on the separation of neighbouring FeSe layers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Raman scattering in iron-based superconductors

Iron-based superconducting layered compounds have the second highest transition temperature after cuprate superconductors. Their discovery is a milestone in the history of high-temperature superconductivity and will have profound implications for high-temperature superconducting mechanism as well as industrial applications. Raman scattering has been extensively applied to correlated electron systems including the new superconductors due to its unique ability to probe multiple primary excitations and their coupling. In this review, we will give a brief summary of the existing Raman experiments in the iron-based materials and their implication for pairing mechanism in particular. And we will also address some open issues from the experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Effect of iron content and potassium substitution in A$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ (A = K, Rb, Tl) superconductors: a Raman-scattering investigation

We have performed Raman-scattering measurements on high-quality single crystals of the superconductors K$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ ($T_c$ = 32 K), Tl$_{0.5}$K$_{0.3}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ ($T_c$ = 29 K), and Tl$_{0.5}$Rb$_{0.3}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ ($T_c$ = 31 K), as well as of the insulating compound KFe$_{1.5}$Se$_2$. To interpret our results, we have made first-principles calculations for the phonon modes in the ordered iron-vacancy structure of K$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$. The modes we observe can be assigned very well from our symmetry analysis and calculations, allowing us to compare Raman-active phonons in the AFeSe compounds. We find a clear frequency difference in most phonon modes between the superconducting and non-superconducting potassium crystals, indicating the fundamental influence of iron content. By contrast, substitution of K by Tl or Rb in A$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ causes no substantial frequency shift for any modes above 60 cm$^{-1}$, demonstrating that the alkali-type metal has little effect on the microstructure of the FeSe layer. Several additional modes appear below 60 cm$^{-1}$ in Tl- and Rb-substituted samples, which are vibrations of heavier Tl and Rb ions. Finally, our calculations reveal the presence of "chiral" phonon modes, whose origin lies in the chiral nature of the K$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ structure.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Two-magnon Raman scattering in A$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ systems: competition between superconductivity and antiferromagnetic order

We have performed Raman-scattering measurements on high-quality single crystals of A$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ superconductors of several compositions. We find a broad, asymmetric peak around 1600 cm$^{-1}$ (200 meV), which we identify as a two-magnon process involving optical magnons. The intensity of the two-magnon peak falls sharply on entering the superconducting phase. This effect, which is entirely absent in the non-superconducting system KFe$_{1.5}$Se$_2$, requires a strong mutual exclusion between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity arising from proximity effects within regions of microscale phase separation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Vacancy ordering and phonon spectrum in the Fe superconductor K$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$

We have performed Raman-scattering measurements on a high-quality single crystal of the recently discovered Fe-based superconductor K$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ ($T_c$ = 32 K). At least thirteen phonon modes were observed in the wave number range 10$-$300 cm$^{-1}$. The spectra possess a four-fold symmetry indicative of bulk vacancy order in the Fe-deficient planes. We perform a vibration analysis based on first-principles calculations, which both confirms the ordered structure and allows a complete mode assignment. We observe an anomaly at $T_c$ in the 180 cm$^{-1}$ $A_g$ mode, which indicates a rather specific type of electron-phonon coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Electrocaloric effect in relaxor ferroelectrics

The electrocaloric effect (ECE) in normal and relaxor ferroelectrics is investigated in the framework of a thermodynamic approach based on the Maxwell relation and a Landau-type free energy model. The static dielectric response of relaxors is described by the spherical random bond--random field model, yielding the first Landau coefficient a=a(T), which differs from the usual expression for ferroelectrics. The fourth-order coefficient b is treated as a phenomenological parameter, which is either positive or negative due to the anisotropy of the stress-mediated coupling between the polar nanoregions. When b<0, the maximum ECE in a relaxor is predicted near the critical point in the temperature-field phase diagram, whereas in a ferroelectric it occurs at the first order phase transition. The theoretical upper bound on the ECE temperature change is estimated from the values of saturated polarization, effective Curie constant, and specific heat of the material.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2010

Why Are Halo Coronal Mass Ejections Faster?

Halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were found to be significantly faster than normal CMEs, which was a long-standing puzzle. In order to solve the puzzle, we first investigate the observed properties of 31 limb CMEs that display clearly loop-shaped frontal loops. The observational results show a strong tendency that slower CMEs are weaker in the white-light intensity. Then, we perform a Monte Carlo simulation of 20 000 artificial limb CMEs that have average velocity of $\sim$523 km s$^{-1}$. The Thomson scattering of these events is calculated when they are assumed to be observed as limb and halo events, respectively. It is found that the white-light intensity of many slow CMEs becomes remarkably reduced as they turn from being viewed as a limb event to as a halo event. When the intensity is below the background solar wind fluctuation, it is assumed that they would be missed by coronagraphs. The average velocity of "detectable" halo CMEs is $\sim$922 km s$^{-1}$, very close to the observed value. It also indicates that wider events are more likely to be recorded. The results soundly suggest that the higher average velocity of halo CMEs is due to that a majority of slow events and a part of narrow fast events carrying less material are so faint that they are blended with the solar wind fluctuations, and therefore are not observed.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2010

Phase diagram of the NdFe1-xRhxAsO superconductor

Polycrystalline samples with a nominal composition of NdFe1-xRhxAsO (0 <= x <= 0.25) were synthesized using a solid state reaction method. Bulk superconductivity with a maximum Tc = 13 K is observed in the x = 0.1 sample. A temperature-composition phase diagram is established for the NdFe1-xRhxAsO system based on the electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements. A first-order-like transition from an antiferromagnetic state to the superconducting state at a critical Rh-doping point xc = 0.045 is observed in the present phase diagram. The value for the upper critical field Hc2(0) is estimated to be about 26 T for the x = 0.10 sample by using the WHH theory.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Raman phonons of $α$-FeTe and Fe$_{1.03}$Se$_{0.3}$Te$_{0.7}$ single crystals

The polarized Raman scattering spectra of nonsuperconducting $α$-FeTe and of the newly discovered, As-free superconductor Fe$_{1.03}$Se$_{0.3}$Te$_{0.7}$ are measured at room temperature on single crystals. The phonon modes are assigned by combining symmetry analysis with first-principles calculations. In the parent compound $α$-FeTe, the A$_{1g}$ mode of the Te atom and the B$_{1g}$ mode of the Fe atom are observed clearly, while in superconducting Fe$_{1.03}$Se$_{0.3}$Te$_{0.7}$, only a softened Fe B$_{1g}$ mode can be seen. No electron-phonon coupling feature can be distinguished in the spectra of the two samples. By contrast, the spectra of the superconducting system show a slight enhancement below 300$cm^{-1}$, which may be of electronic origin.

cond-mat.supr-con↗