arXiv subjects

T. Karlsson

Publications and source records attributed to T. Karlsson.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Sunward Flows in the Magnetosheath Associated with Magnetic Pressure Gradient and Magnetosheath Expansion

A density structure within the magnetic cloud of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection impacted Earth and caused significant perturbations in plasma boundaries. We describe the effects of this structure on the magnetosheath plasma downstream of the bow shock using spacecraft observations. During this event, the bow shock breathing motion is evident due to the changes in the upstream dynamic pressure. A magnetic enhancement forms in the inner magnetosheath and ahead of a plasma compression region. The structure has the characteristics of a fast magnetosonic shock wave, propagating earthward and perpendicular to the background magnetic field further accelerating the already heated magnetosheath plasma. Following these events, a sunward motion of the magnetosheath plasma is observed. Ion distributions show that both the high density core population as well as the high energy tail of the distribution have a sunward directed flow indicating that the sunward flows are caused by magnetic field line expansion in the very low $\beta$ magnetosheath plasma. Rarefaction effects and enhancement of the magnetic pressure in the magnetosheath result in magnetic pressure gradient forcing that drives the expansion of magnetosheath magnetic field lines. This picture is supported by a reasonable agreement between the estimated plasma accelerations and the magnetic pressure gradient force.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2025

Observations of UX Ori in deep minima with the Nordic Optical Telescope. I. Analysis of spectral lines

UX Orionis stars are the most active young stars; they undergo sporadic fadings of 2 - 4 magnitudes in the V-band, due to variable circumstellar extinction caused by a nearly edge-on star-disc system. The long-lasting monitoring of a number of stars of this type with the Nordic Optical Telescope from 2019 to 2024 has given a rich collection of material of high-resolution (R ~ 25000) spectra obtained during different brightness states of the stars. In this paper, we present the results of observations for UX Ori itself. Until now only one spectrum of high resolution had been obtained for this star during brightness minimum, making it difficult to do a comprehensive analysis. Our aim is to analyse how different spectral lines change during such irregular fading events, when the star is going in and out of eclipses, obscured by dust along the line of sight. For this purpose we provide a comparative analysis of the profiles and equivalent widths of the spectral lines belonging to the different atoms and ions. In addition we compare the results for UX Ori with those made for another target in our sample: RR Tau. Common features of variability are revealed: 1) a strengthening of the H-alpha line relatively to the continuum during eclipses; 2) the appearance of additional emission on the frequencies of photospheric lines (e.g. Fe II, Ca II, Si II). The different behaviour of the spectral lines during fading found for UX Ori and RR Tau may be caused by two effects: a different contribution of the scattered light to the stellar flux during eclipses or a less intense disc wind of UX Ori.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Properties of an interplanetary shock observed at 0.07 and 0.7 Astronomical Units by Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter

The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Solar Orbiter (SolO) missions opened a new observational window in the inner heliosphere, which is finally accessible to direct measurements. On September 05, 2022, a coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven interplanetary (IP) shock has been observed as close as 0.07 au by PSP. The CME then reached SolO, which was well radially-aligned at 0.7 au, thus providing us with the opportunity to study the shock properties at so different heliocentric distances. We characterize the shock, investigate its typical parameters and compare its small-scale features at both locations. Using the PSP observations, we investigate how magnetic switchbacks and ion cyclotron waves are processed upon shock crossing. We find that switchbacks preserve their V--B correlation while compressed upon the shock passage, and that the signature of ion cyclotron waves disappears downstream of the shock. By contrast, the SolO observations reveal a very structured shock transition, with a population of shock-accelerated protons of up to about 2 MeV, showing irregularities in the shock downstream, which we correlate with solar wind structures propagating across the shock. At SolO, we also report the presence of low-energy ($\sim$ 100 eV) electrons scattering due to upstream shocklets. This study elucidates how the local features of IP shocks and their environments can be very different as they propagate through the heliosphere.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Automatic cable harness layout routing in a customizable 3D environment

Designing cable harnesses can be time-consuming and complex due to many design and manufacturing aspects and rules. Automating the design process can help to fulfil these rules, speed up the process, and optimize the design. To accommodate this, we formulate a harness routing optimization problem to minimize cable lengths, maximize bundling by rewarding shared paths, and optimize the cables' spatial location with respect to case-specific information of the routing environment, e.g., zones to avoid. A deterministic and computationally effective cable harness routing algorithm has been developed to solve the routing problem and is used to generate a set of cable harness topology candidates and approximate the Pareto front. Our approach was tested against a stochastic and an exact solver and our routing algorithm generated objective function values better than the stochastic approach and close to the exact solver. Our algorithm was able to find solutions, some of them being proven to be near-optimal, for three industrial-sized 3D cases within reasonable time (in magnitude of seconds to minutes) and the computation times were comparable to those of the stochastic approach.

cs.CE↗

arXiv2023

Modelling UX Ori Star Eclipses based on Spectral Observations with the Nordic Optical Telescope. I. RR Tau

Based on observations obtained with the Nordic Optical Telescope we investigate the spectral variability of the Herbig Ae star RR Tau. This star belongs to the UX Ori family, characterized by very deep fadings caused by the screening of the star with opaque fragments (clouds) of the protoplanetary discs. At the moments of such minima one observes strong spectral variability due to the fact that the dust cloud occults, for an observer, not only the star but also a part of the region where the emission spectrum originates. We calculated a series of obscuration models to interpret the observed variability of the H-alpha line parameters. We consider two main obscuration scenarios: (1) the dust screen rises vertically above the circumstellar disc, and (2) the screen intersects the line-of-sight moving azimuthally with the disc. In both cases the model of the emission region consists of a compact magnetosphere and a magneto-centrifugal disc wind. Comparison with observations shows that the first scenario explains well the variability of the radiation flux, the equivalent width, as well as the asymmetry of the H-alpha line during eclipses, while the second scenario explains them only partly. This permits us to suggest that in the case of RR Tau, the main causes of the eclipses are either a structured disc wind, or the charged dust lifted along the field lines of the poloidal component of the magnetic field of the circumstellar disc.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Mirror mode storms observed by Solar Orbiter

Mirror modes are ubiquitous in space plasma and grow from pressure anisotropy. Together with other instabilities, they play a fundamental role in constraining the free energy contained in the plasma. This study focuses on mirror modes observed in the solar wind by Solar Orbiter for heliocentric distances between 0.5 and 1 AU. Typically, mirror modes have timescales from several to tens of seconds and are considered quasi-MHD structures. In the solar wind, they also generally appear as isolated structures. However, in certain conditions, prolonged and bursty trains of higher frequency mirror modes are measured, which have been labeled previously as mirror mode storms. At present, only a handful of existing studies have focused on mirror mode storms, meaning that many open questions remain. In this study, Solar Orbiter has been used to investigate several key aspects of mirror mode storms: their dependence on heliocentric distance, association with local plasma properties, temporal/spatial scale, amplitude, and connections with larger-scale solar wind transients. The main results are that mirror mode storms often approach local ion scales and can no longer be treated as quasi-MHD, thus breaking the commonly used long-wavelength assumption. They are typically observed close to current sheets and downstream of interplanetary shocks. The events were observed during slow solar wind speeds and there was a tendency for higher occurrence closer to the Sun. The occurrence is low, so they do not play a fundamental role in regulating ambient solar wind but may play a larger role inside transients.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2022

Investigating Mercury's Environment with the Two-Spacecraft BepiColombo Mission

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with the solar wind, radiation, and interplanetary dust. Many scientific instruments onboard the two spacecraft will be completely, or partially devoted to study the near-space environment of Mercury as well as the complex processes that govern it. Many issues remain unsolved even after the MESSENGER mission that ended in 2015. The specific orbits of the two spacecraft, MPO and Mio, and the comprehensive scientific payload allow a wider range of scientific questions to be addressed than those that could be achieved by the individual instruments acting alone, or by previous missions. These joint observations are of key importance because many phenomena in Mercury's environment are highly temporally and spatially variable. Examples of possible coordinated observations are described in this article, analysing the required geometrical conditions, pointing, resolutions and operation timing of different BepiColombo instruments sensors.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

Cold and warm electrons at comet 67P

Strong electron cooling on the neutral gas in cometary comae has been predicted for a long time, but actual measurements of low electron temperature are scarce. We present in situ measurements of plasma density, electron temperature and spacecraft potential by the Rosetta Langmuir probe instrument, LAP. Data acquired within a few hundred km from the nucleus are dominated by a warm component with electron temperature typically 5--10 eV at all heliocentric distances covered (1.25 to 3.83 AU). A cold component, with temperature no higher than about 0.1 eV, appears in the data as short (few to few tens of seconds) pulses of high probe current, indicating local enhancement of plasma density as well as a decrease in electron temperature. These pulses first appeared around 3 AU and were seen for longer periods close to perihelion. The general pattern of pulse appearance follows that of neutral gas and plasma density. We have not identified any periods with only cold electrons present. The electron flux to Rosetta was always dominated by higher energies, driving the spacecraft potential to order -10 V. The warm (5--10 eV) electron population is interpreted as electrons retaining the energy they obtained when released in the ionisation process. The sometimes observed cold populations with electron temperatures below 0.1 eV verify collisional cooling in the coma. The cold electrons were only observed together with the warm population. The general appearance of the cold population appears to be consistent with a Haser-like model, implicitly supporting also the coupling of ions to the neutral gas. The expanding cold plasma is unstable, forming filaments that we observe as pulses.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2016

Isotopic ratios of H, C, N, O, and S in comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)

The apparition of bright comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) in March-April 2013 and January 2015, combined with the improved observational capabilities of submillimeter facilities, offered an opportunity to carry out sensitive compositional and isotopic studies of the volatiles in their coma. We observed comet Lovejoy with the IRAM 30m telescope between 13 and 26 January 2015, and with the Odin submillimeter space observatory on 29 January - 3 February 2015. We detected 22 molecules and several isotopologues. The H$_2^{16}$O and H$_2^{18}$O production rates measured with Odin follow a periodic pattern with a period of 0.94 days and an amplitude of ~25%. The inferred isotope ratios in comet Lovejoy are $^{16}$O/$^{18}$O = 499 $\pm$ 24 and D/H = 1.4 $\pm$ 0.4 $\times 10^{-4}$ in water, $^{32}$S/$^{34}$S = 24.7 $\pm$ 3.5 in CS, all compatible with terrestrial values. The ratio $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C = 109 $\pm$ 14 in HCN is marginally higher than terrestrial and $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N = 145 $\pm$ 12 in HCN is half the Earth ratio. Several upper limits for D/H or 12C/13C in other molecules are reported. From our observation of HDO in comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), we report the first D/H ratio in an Oort Cloud comet that is not larger than the terrestrial value. On the other hand, the observation of the same HDO line in the other Oort-cloud comet, C/2012 F6 (Lemmon), suggests a D/H value four times higher. Given the previous measurements of D/H in cometary water, this illustrates that a diversity in the D/H ratio and in the chemical composition, is present even within the same dynamical group of comets, suggesting that current dynamical groups contain comets formed at very different places or times in the early solar system.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

Flight demonstration of formation flying capabilities for future missions (NEAT Pathfinder)

PRISMA is a demonstration mission for formation-flying and on-orbit-servicing critical technologies that involves two spacecraft launched in low Earth orbit in June 2010 and still in operation. Funded by the Swedish National Space Board, PRISMA mission has been developed by OHB Sweden with important contributions from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR/GSOC), the French Space Agency (CNES), and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The paper focuses on the last CNES experiment achieved in September 2012 that was devoted to the preparation of future astrometry missions illustrated by the NEAT and microNEAT mission concepts. The experiment consisted in performing the type of formation maneuvers required to point the two-satellite axis to a celestial target and maintain it fixed during the observation period. Achieving inertial pointing for a LEO formation represented a new challenge given the numerous constraints from propellant usage to star tracker blinding. The paper presents the experiment objectives in relation with the NEAT/microNEAT mission concept, describes its main design features along with the guidance and control algorithms evolutions and discusses the results in terms of performances achieved during the two rehearsals

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

The Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES) VI. The Galactic Chemical Evolution of Silicon

We determined the silicon abundances of 253 metal-poor stars in the metallicity range $-4<\mathrm{[Fe/H]} <-1.5$, based on non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation calculations of neutral silicon and high-resolution spectra obtained with VLT-UT2/UVES. The $T_{\mathrm{eff}}$ dependence of [Si/Fe] noticed in previous investigation is diminished in our abundance analysis due to the inclusion of NLTE effects. An increasing slope of [Si/Fe] towards decreasing metallicity is present in our results, in agreement with Galactic chemical evolution models. The small intrinsic scatter of [Si/Fe] in our sample may imply that these stars formed in a region where the yields of type II supernovae were mixed into a large volume, or that the formation of these stars was strongly clustered, even if the ISM was enriched by single SNa II in a small mixing volume. We identified two dwarfs with $\mathrm{[Si/Fe]}\sim +1.0$: HE 0131$-$3953, and HE 1430$-$1123. These main-sequence turnoff stars are also carbon-enhanced. They might have been pre-enriched by sub-luminous supernovae.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2007

High-altitude signatures of ionospheric density depletions caused by field-aligned currents

We present Cluster measurements of large electric fields correlated with intense downward field-aligned currents, and show that the data can be reproduced by a simple model of ionospheric plasma depletion caused by the currents. This type of magnetosphere-ionosphere interaction may be important when considering the mapping between these two regions of space.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2005

Stochastic chemical enrichment in metal-poor systems I. Theory

A stochastic model of the chemical enrichment of metal-poor systems by core-collapse (Type II) supernovae is presented, allowing for large-scale mixing of the enriched material by turbulent motions and cloud collisions in the interstellar medium. Infall of pristine material is taken into account by following the evolution of the gas density in the medium. Analytical expressions were derived for the number of stars enriched by a given number of supernovae, as well as for the amount of mass with which the ejected material from a supernova is mixed before being locked up in a subsequently formed star. It is shown that for reasonable values of the gas density (~0.1 cm-3) and of the supernova rate (~0.25 kpc-3 Myr-1) of the Galactic halo, the resulting metallicity distributions of the extreme Population II stars show a distinct cut-off at [Fe/H] ~= -4. In fact, by assuming no low-mass Population III stars were able to form out of the primordial interstellar medium, the derived fraction of stars below [Fe/H] = -4 is in agreement with observations. Moreover, the probability is high that even the most metal-poor stars observed to date have been enriched by several contributing supernovae. This partly explains the relatively small star-to-star scatter in many chemical-abundance ratios for stars down to [Fe/H] = -4, as recently found in several observational studies. Contribution from the thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae is found to be negligible over almost the entire extremely metal-poor regime. (***abridged***)

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Stochastic chemical enrichment in metal-poor systems II. Abundance ratios and scatter

A stochastic model of the chemical enrichment of metal-poor systems by core-collapse supernovae is used to study the scatter in stellar abundance ratios. The resulting scatter in abundance ratios, e.g. as functions of the overall metallicity, is demonstrated to be crucially dependent on the as yet uncertain supernovae yields. The observed abundance ratios and their scatters therefore have diagnostic power as regards the yields. The relatively small star-to-star scatter observed in many chemical abundance ratios, e.g. by Cayrel et al. (2004) for stars down to [Fe/H] = -4, is tentatively explained by the averaging of a large number of contributing supernovae and by the cosmic selection effects favoring contributions from supernovae in a certain mass range for the most metal-poor stars. The scatter in observed abundances of alpha-elements is understood in terms of observational errors only, while additional spread in yields or sites of nucleosynthesis may affect the odd-even elements Na and Al. For the iron-group elements we find systematically too high predicted Cr/Fe and Cr/Mg ratios, as well as differences between the different sets of yields, both in terms of predicted abundance ratios and scatter. The semi-empirical yields recently suggested by Francois et al. (2004) are found to lead to scatter in abundance ratios significantly greater than observed, when applied in the inhomogeneous models. "Spurs", very narrow sequences in abundance-ratio diagrams, may disclose a single-supernova origin of the elements of the stars on the sequence. Verification of the existence of such features, called single supernova sequences (SSSs), is challenging. This will require samples of several hundred stars with abundance ratios observed to accuracies of 0.05 dex or better.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

HE0107-5240, A Chemically Ancient Star.I. A Detailed Abundance Analysis

We report a detailed abundance analysis for HE0107-5240, a halo giant with [Fe/H]_NLTE=-5.3. This star was discovered in the course of follow-up medium-resolution spectroscopy of extremely metal-poor candidates selected from the digitized Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey. On the basis of high-resolution VLT/UVES spectra, we derive abundances for 8 elements (C, N, Na, Mg, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Ni), and upper limits for another 12 elements. A plane-parallel LTE model atmosphere has been specifically tailored for the chemical composition of {\he}. Scenarios for the origin of the abundance pattern observed in the star are discussed. We argue that HE0107-5240 is most likely not a post-AGB star, and that the extremely low abundances of the iron-peak, and other elements, are not due to selective dust depletion. The abundance pattern of HE0107-5240 can be explained by pre-enrichment from a zero-metallicity type-II supernova of 20-25M_Sun, plus either self-enrichment with C and N, or production of these elements in the AGB phase of a formerly more massive companion, which is now a white dwarf. However, significant radial velocity variations have not been detected within the 52 days covered by our moderate-and high-resolution spectra. Alternatively, the abundance pattern can be explained by enrichment of the gas cloud from which HE0107-5240 formed by a 25M_Sun first-generation star exploding as a subluminous SNII, as proposed by Umeda & Nomoto (2003). We discuss consequences of the existence of HE0107-5240 for low-mass star formation in extremely metal-poor environments, and for currently ongoing and future searches for the most metal-poor stars in the Galaxy.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

Chemical abundance patterns -- fingerprints of nucleosynthesis in the first stars

The interstellar medium of low-metallicity systems undergoing star formation will show chemical abundance inhomogeneities due to supernova events enriching the medium on a local scale. If the star formation time-scale is shorter than the time-scale of mixing of the interstellar matter, the inhomogeneities are reflected in the surface abundances of low-mass stars and thereby detailed information on the nucleosynthesis in the first generations of supernovae is preserved. Characteristic patterns and substructures are therefore expected to be found, apart from the large scatter behaviour, in the distributions of stars when displayed in diagrams relating different element abundance ratios. These patterns emerge from specific variations with progenitor stellar mass of the supernova yields and it is demonstrated that the patterns are insensitive to the initial mass function (IMF) even though the relative density of stars within the patterns may vary. An analytical theory of the formation of patterns is presented and it is shown that from a statistical point of view the abundance ratios can trace the different nucleosynthesis sites even when mixing of the interstellar medium occurs. Using these results, it should be possible to empirically determine supernova yields from the information on relative abundance ratios of a large, homogeneous sample of extremely metal-poor Galactic halo stars.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

The origin of carbon, investigated by spectral analysis of solar-type stars in the Galactic Disk

Abundance analysis of carbon has been performed in a sample of 80 late F and early G type dwarf stars in the metallicity range -1.06 < [Fe/H] < 0.26 using the forbidden [C I] line at 8727 A. This line is presumably less sensitive to temperature, atmospheric structure and departures from LTE than alternative carbon criteria. We find that [C/Fe] decreases slowly with increasing [Fe/H] with an overall slope of -0.17 +- 0.03. Our results are consistent with carbon enrichment by superwinds of metal-rich massive stars but inconsistent with a main origin of carbon in low-mass stars. This follows in particular from a comparison between the relation of [C/O] with metallicity for the Galactic stars and the corresponding relation observed for dwarf irregular galaxies. The significance of intermediate-mass stars for the production of carbon in the Galaxy is still somewhat unclear.

astro-ph↗