A logistic model for magnetic energy storage in solar active regions

Previous statistical analyses of a large number of SOHO/MDI full disk longitudinal magnetograms provided a result that demonstrated how responses of solar flares to photospheric magnetic properties can be fitted with sigmoid functions. A logistic model reveals that these fitted sigmoid functions might be related to the free energy storage process in solar active regions. Although this suggested model is rather simple, the free energy level of active regions can be estimated and the probability of a solar flare with importance over a threshold can be forecast within a given time window.

Statistics of Superluminal Motion in Active Galactic Nuclei

We have collected an up-to-date sample of 123 superluminal sources （84 quasars, 27 BL Lac objects and 12 galaxies） and calculated the apparent velocities （βapp） for 224 components in the sources with the A-CDM model. We checked the relationships between their proper motions, redshifts,βapp and 5 GHz flux densities. Our analysis shows that the radio emission is strongly boosted by the Doppler effect. The superluminal motion and the relativistic beaming boosting effect are, to some extent, the same in active galactic nuclei.

Observations of EUV and soft X-ray recurring jets in an active region

We present simultaneous observations of three recurring jets in EUV and soft X-ray （SXR）, which occurred in an active region on 2007 June 5. By comparing their morphological and kinematic characteristics in these two different wavelengths, we found that EUV and SXR jets had similar locations, directions, sizes and velocities. We also analyzed their spectral properties by using six spectral lines from the EUV Imaging Spectrometer （EIS） onboard Hinode and found that these jets had temperatures from 0.05 to 2.0MK and maximum electron densities from 6.6× 10^9 to 3.4× 10^10cm^-3. For each jet, an elongated blue-shifted component and a red- shifted component at the jet base were simultaneously observed in the Fe XII A195 and the He II A256 lines. The three jets had maximum Doppler velocities from 25 to 121 km s-1 in the FexII A195 line and from 115 to 232 km s -1 in the HeII A256 line. They had maximum non-thermal velocities from 98 to 181 km s-1 in the Fe xII A195 line and from 196 to 399 km s-1 in the He II A256 line. We also examined the relationship between averaged Doppler velocities and maximum ionization temperatures of these three jets and found that averaged Doppler velocities decreased with the increase of maximum ionization temperatures. In the photosphere, magnetic flux emergences and cancelations continuously took place at the jet base. These observa- tional results were consistent with the magnetic reconnection jet model, implying that magnetic reconnection between emerging magnetic flux and ambient magnetic field occurred in the lower atmosphere.

Determination of the Topology Skeleton of Magnetic Fields in a Solar Active Region

Magnetic topology has been a key to the understanding of magnetic energy release mechanism. Based on observed vector magnetograms, we have determined the threedimensional （3D） topology skeleton of the magnetic fields in the active region NOAA 10720. The skeleton consists of six 3D magnetic nulls and a network of corresponding spines, fans, and null-null lines. For the first time, we have identified a spiral magnetic null in Sun＇s corona. The magnetic lines of force twisted around the spine of the null, forming a ＇magnetic wreath＇ with excess of free magnetic energy and resembling observed brightening structures at extraultraviolet （EUV） wavebands. We found clear evidence of topology eruptions which are referred to as catastrophic changes of topology skeleton associated with a coronal mass ejection （CME） and an explosive X-ray flare. These results shed new lights on the structural complexity and its role in explosive magnetic activity. The concept of flux rope has been widely used in modelling explosive magnetic activity, although their observational identity is rather obscure or, at least, lacking of necessary details up to date. We suggest that the magnetic wreath associated with the 3D spiral null is likely an important class of the physical entity of flux ropes.

Quasi-periodic outflows observed by the X-Ray Telescope onboard Hinode in the boundary of an active region

Persistent outflows have recently been detected at the boundaries of some active regions. Although these outflows are suggested to be possible sources of the slow solar wind, the nature of these outflows is poorly understood. Through an analy- sis of an image sequence obtained by the X-Ray Telescope onboard the Hinode spacecraft, we found that quasi-periodic outflows are present in the boundary of an active region. The flows are observed to occur intermittently, often with a period of 5-10 min. The proj ected flow speed can reach more than 200 km s^-1, while its distribution peaks around 50 km s^-1. This sporadic high-speed outflow may play an important role in the mass loading process of the slow solar wind. Our results may imply that the outflow of the slow solar wind in the boundary of the active region is intermittent and quasiperiodic in nature.

Flux emergence in the solar active region NOAA 11158: the evolution of net current

We present a detailed investigation of the evolution of observed net vertical current using a time series of vector magnetograms of the active region （AR） NOAA 11158 obtained from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager. We also discuss the relation of net current to the observed eruptive events. The AR evolved from the βγ to βγδ3 configuration over a period of six days. The AR had two sub-regions of activity with opposite chirality： one dominated by sunspot rotation producing a strong CME, and the other showing large shear motions producing a strong flare. The net current in each polarity over the CME producing sub-region increased to a maximum and then decreased when the sunspots were separated. The time profile of net current in this sub-region followed the time profile of the rotation rate of the south-polarity sunspot in the same sub-region. The net current in the flaring sub-region showed a sudden increase at the time of the strong flare and remained unchanged until the end of the observation, while the sunspots maintained their close proximity. The systematic evo- lution of the observed net current is seen to follow the time evolution of total length of strongly sheared polarity inversion lines in both of the sub-regions. The observed photospheric net current could be explained as an inevitable product of the emergence of a twisted flux rope, from a higher pressure confinement below the photosphere into the lower pressure environment of the photosphere.

The Relationship between Magnetic Gradient and Magnetic Shear in Five Super Active Regions Producing Great Flares

We study the magnetic structure of five well-known active regions that produced great flares （X5 or larger）. The six flares under investigation are the X12 flare on 1991 June 9 in AR 6659, the X5.7 flare on 2000 July 14 in AR 9077, the X5.6 flare on 2001 April 6 in AR 9415, the X5.3 flare on 2001 August 25 in AR 9591, the X17 flare on 2003 October 28 and the X10 flare on 2003 October 29, both in AR 10486. The last five events had corresponding LASCO observations and were all associated with Halo CMEs. We analyzed vector magnetograms from Big Bear Solar Observatory, Huairou Solar Observing Station, Marshall Space Flight Center and Mees Solar Observatory. In particular, we studied the magnetic gradient derived from line-of-sight magnetograms and magnetic shear derived from vector magnetograms, and found an apparent correlation between these two parameters at a level of about 90%. We found that the magnetic gradient could be a better proxy than the shear for predicting where a major flare might occur： all six flares occurred in neutral lines with maximum gradient. The mean gradient of the flaring neutral lines ranges from 0.14 to 0.50 G km^-1, 2.3 to 8 times the average value for all the neutral lines in the active regions. If we use magnetic shear as the proxy, the flaring neutral line in at least one, possibly two, of the six events would be mis-identified.

Optical identification of radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the ROSAT-Green-Bank sample with SDSS spectroscopy

Results of extended and refined optical identification of 181 radio/X-ray sources in the RASS-Green Bank （RGB） catalog are presented （Brinkmann et al. 1997） which have been spectroscopically observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey （SDSS） DR5. The SDSS spectra of the optical counterparts are modeled in a careful and selfconsistent way by incorporating the host galaxy＇s starlight. Optical emission line parameters are presented, which are derived accurately and reliably, along with the radio 1.4- 5 GHz spectral indices estimated using （non-simultaneous） archival data. For 72 sources, the identifications are presented for the first time. It is confirmed that the majority of strong radio/X-ray emitters are radio-loud active galactic nuclei （AGNs）, particularly blazars. Taking advantage of the high spectral quality and resolution and our refined spectral modeling, we are able to disentangle narrow line radio galaxies （NLRGs）, as vaguely termed in most previous identification work, into Seyfert II galaxies and LINERs （low-ionization nuclear emission regions）, based on the standard emission line diagnostics. The NLRGs in the RGB sample, mostly belonging to ＇weak line radio galaxies＇, are found to have optical spectra consistent predominantly with LINERs, and only a small fraction with Seyfert II galaxies. A small number of LINERs have radio power as high as 10623 - 10^26 W Hz^- 1 at 5 GHz, being among the strongest radio emitting LINERs known so far. Two sources are identified with radio-loud narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies （NLS 1 s）, a class of rare objects. The presence is also confirmed of flat-spectrum radio quasars whose radio-optical-X-ray effective spectral indices are similar to those of High-energy peaked BL Lacs （HBLs）, as suggested by Padovani et al., although it is still a debate as to whether this is the case for their actual spectral energy distributions.

Geometry of Broad Line Regions of Active Galactic Nuclei

It has long remained an open question as to the geometry of the broad line region （BLR） in active galactic nuclei （AGNs）. The reverberation mapping technique which measures the response of the broad emission lines to the ionizing continuum, when combined with multiwavelength continuum fitted by sophisticated accretion disks, provides a way of probing the BLR geometry. We analyze a sample of 35 AGNs, which have been monitored by the reverberation mapping campaign. In view of energy budget, the reverberation-based BH masses are found to be in agreement with those obtained by accretion disk models in two thirds of the present sample while the reverberation mapping methods underestimate the BH masses in about one third of objects, as also suggested by CoUin et al. in a recent work. We point out that there are obviously two kinds of BLR geometry, which are strongly dependent on the Eddington ratio, and separated by the value LBol/LEdd - 0.1. These results prefer a scenario of the disk and wind configuration of the BLR and identify the Eddington ratio as the physical driver regulating the wind in the BLR.

Do Radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei really follow the same M_(BH)-σ_* Relation as Normal Galaxies?

In an examination of the relationship between the black hole mass MBH and stellar velocity dispersion σ＊ in radio-loud active galactic nuclei （AGNs）, we studied two effects which may cause uncertainties in the black hole mass estimates of radio-loud AGNs： the relativistic beaming effect on the observed optical continuum radiation and the orientation effect on the broad emission line width. After correcting these two effects, we re-examined the MBH- σ[OIII] relation for a sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs, and found the relation for radio-loud AGNs still deviated from that for nearby normal galaxies and radio-quiet AGNs. We also found there is no significant correlation between radio jet power and narrow [OIII] line width, indicating absence of strong interaction between radio jet and narrow line region. It may be that the deviation of the MBH-σ＊ relation of radio-loud AGNs is intrinsic, or that the [OIII] line width is not a good indicator of σ＊ for radio-loud AGNs.

The broad wing of the [O Ⅲ] λ5007 emission line in active galactic nuclei

We use a sample of type 2 active galactic nuclei （AGNs） from SDSS DR7 in which the [O Ⅲ] ）λ5007 emission line can be modeled by two Gaussian components, a broad wing plus a narrow core, to investigate the origin of the broad wing and the connection between the velocity shift of the broad wing and the physical parameters of AGNs, as well as their host galaxies. We find that the flux of the wing components is statistically roughly equal to that of the core components. However, the velocity shift of the wing component has only weak, if any, correlations with the physical properties of AGNs and the host galaxies, such as bolometric luminosity, the Eddington ratio, the mass of supermassive black holes, D4000, H3A or stellar mass. Comparing the velocity shift from our type 2 AGN sample to that from the type 1 sample in Zhang et al., we suggest that the [O Ⅲ]] broad wing originates from outflow.

Observational signatures of close binaries of supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei

Inspired by the General Relativity for many decades,experimental physicists and astronomers have a solid dream to detect gravitational waves(GWs)from mergers of black holes,which came true until the excellent performance of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory(LIGO)at hundreds Hz.Nano-Hz GWs are expected to be radiated by close-binaries of supermassive black holes(CB-SMBHs;defined as those with separations less than^0.1 pc)formed during galaxy mergers and detected through the Pulsar Timing Array(PTA)technique.As of the writing,there remains no nano-Hz GWs detection.Searching for CB-SMBHs is also observationally elusive though there exist a number of possible candidates.In this review,we focus on observational signatures of CB-SMBHs from theoretic expectations,simulations and observations.These signatures appear in energy distributions of multiwavelength continuum,long term variations of continuum,jet morphology,reverberation delay maps and spectroastrometry of broad emission lines,AGN type transitions between type-1 and type-2(changing-look),and gaseous dynamics of circumbinary disks,etc.Unlike hundred-Hz GWs from stellar mass black hole binaries,the waveform chirping of nano-Hz GWs is too slow to detect in a reasonable human timescale.We have to resort to electromagnetic observations to measure orbital parameters of CB-SMBHs to test nano-Hz GW properties.Reverberation mapping is a powerful tool for probing kinematics and geometry of ionized gas in the gravitational well of SMBHs(single or binary)and therefore provides a potential way to determine orbital parameters of CB-SMBHs.In particular,a combination of reverberation mapping with spectroastrometry(realized at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer)will further reinforce this capability.The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array(ALMA)and the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array(SKA)are suggested to reveal dynamics of circumbinary disks through molecular emission lines.

An experimental indoor phasing system based on active optics using dispersed Hartmann sensing technology in the visible waveband

A telescope with a larger primary mirror can collect much more light and resolve objects much better than one with a smaller mirror, and so the larger version is always pursued by astronomers and astronomical technicians. Instead of using a monolithic primary mirror, more and more large telescopes, which are currently being planned or in construction, have adopted a segmented primary mirror design. Therefore, how to sense and phase such a primary mirror is a key issue for the future of extremely large optical/infrared telescopes. The Dispersed Fringe Sensor （DFS）, or Dispersed Hartmann Sensor （DHS）, is a non-contact method using broadband point light sources and it can estimate the piston by the two-directional spectrum formed by the transmissive grating＇s dispersion and lenslet array. Thus it can implement the combination of co-focusing by Shack-Hartmann technology and phasing by dispersed fringe sensing technologies such as the template-mapping method and the Hartmann method. We introduce the successful design, construction and alignment of our dis- persed Hartmann sensor together with its design principles and simulations. We also conduct many successful real phasing tests and phasing corrections in the visible waveband using our existing indoor segmented mirror optics platform. Finally, some conclusions are reached based on the test and correction of experimental results.

A brief report on the statistical study of net electric current in solar active regions with longitudinal fields of opposite polarity

Dynamic processes occurring in solar active regions are dominated by the solar magnetic field. As of now, observations using a solar magnetograph have supplied us with the vector components of a solar photospheric magnetic field. The two transverse components of a photospheric magnetic field allow us to compute the amount of electric current. We found that the electric current in areas with positive （negative） polarity due to the longitudinal magnetic field have both positive and neg- ative signs in an active region, however, the net current is found to be an order-of- magnitude less than the mean absolute magnitude and has a preferred sign. In particu- lar, we have statistically found that there is a systematic net electric current from areas with negative （positive） polarity to areas with positive （negative） polarity in solar ac- tive regions in the northern （southern） hemisphere, but during the solar minimum this tendency is reversed over time at some latitudes. The result indicates that there is weak net electric current in areas of solar active regions with opposite polarity, thus provid- ing further details about the hemispheric helicity rule found in a series of previous studies.

Interchange reconnection between an active region and a coronal hole

With data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we present a mag- netic interaction between an isolated coronal hole （CH） and an emerging active re- gion （AR）. The AR emerged nearby the CH and interacted with it. Bright loops con- stantly formed between them, which led to a continuous retreat of the CH boundaries （CHBs）. Meanwhile, two coronal dimmings respectively appeared at the negative po- laxity of the AR and the east boundary of the bright loops, and the AR was partly disturbed. Loop eruptions followed by a flare occurred in the AR. The interaction was also accompanied by many jets and an arc-shaped brightening that appeared to be observational signatures of magnetic reconnection at the CHBs. By comparing the observations with the derived coronal magnetic configuration, it is suggested that the interaction between the CH and the AR excellently agreed with the model of inter- change reconnection. It appears that our observations provide obvious evidence for interchange reconnection.

On the line profile changes observed during the X2.2 class flare in the active region NOAA 11158

The solar active region NOAA 11158 produced a series of flares during its passage through the solar disk. The first major flare （of class X2.2） of the current solar cycle occurred in this active region on 2011 February 15 around 01：50 UT. We have analyzed the Dopplergrams and magnetograms obtained by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager （HMI） instrument onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory to examine the photospheric velocity and magnetic field changes associated with this flare. The HMI instrument provides high-quality Doppler and magnetic maps of the solar disk with 0.5＂ spatial scale at a cadence of 45 s along with imaging spectroscopy. We have identified five locations of velocity transients in the active region during the flare. These transient velocity signals are located in and around the flare ribbons as observed by Hinode in the Ca II H wavelength and the footpoints of hard X-ray enhancement are in the energy range 12-25 keV from RHESSI. The changes in shape and width of two circular polarization states have been observed at the time of transients in three out of five locations. Forward modeling of the line profiles shows that the change in atmospheric parameters such as magnetic field strength, Doppler velocity and source function could explain the observed changes in the line profiles with respect to the pre-flare condition.

Formation Process and Essential Characteristics of Quasars

Since the discovery of quasars in the 1960s,people have been curious and confused about quasars’characteristics such as high brightness,long distance,large redshift,high energy and wide spectral lines.Until the mid-1990s,with the improvement of observational techniques,the mystery of quasars was gradually revealed,and one of the important achievements was the observation of the host galaxy of quasars,which is the active galactic nucleu.Although the discovery of active galactic nuclei has made a leap in the study of quasars,it also raises a series of questions for further study of quasars:First,the energy radiated by a quasar can reach more than a thousand times the total energy of the galaxy,is its energy source still nuclear fusion?Secondly,to maintain the continuous activity of active galactic nuclei requires a large amount of fuel,how is this fuel efficiently transported to the core region?Thirdly,observations show that the brightness of quasars can change dramatically in a few days or even less,what is the physical mechanism that causes this change?Fortunately,the author has recently studied and proposed a new theory of galaxy formation and evolution,which can be used to reveal the formation process and essential characteristics of quasars,solving easily the above problems.

Discovery of Balmer broad absorption lines in the quasar LBQS 1206+1052

We report the discovery of Balmer broad absorption lines （BALs） in the quasar LBQS 1206＋1052 and present a detailed analysis of the peculiar absorption line spectrum. Besides the Mg II λλ2796, 2803 doublet, BALs are also detected in the He I＊ multiplet at λλ2946, 3189, 3889 A arising from the metastable helium 2 3 S level, and in Hα and Hβ from the excited hydrogen H I＊ n = 2 level, which are rarely seen in quasar spectra. We identify two components in the BAL troughs of v ～ 2000 km s 1 width： One component shows an identical profile in H I＊, He I＊ and Mg II with its centroid blueshifted by v c ≈ 726 km s-1 . The other component is detected in He I＊ and Mg II with v c ≈ 1412 km s-1 . We estimate the column densities of H I＊, He I＊, and Mg II, and compare them with possible level population mechanisms. Our results favor the scenario that the Balmer BALs originate in a partially ionized region with a column density of N H ～ 10 21 10 22 cm-2 for an electron density of n e ～ 10 6 10 8 cm-3 via Lyα resonant scattering pumping. The harsh conditions needed may help to explain the rarity of Balmer absorption line systems in quasar spectra. With an i-band PSF magnitude of 16.50, LBQS 1206＋1052 is the brightest Balmer-BAL quasar ever reported. Its high brightness and unique spectral properties make LBQS 1206＋1052 a promising candidate for followup high-resolution spectroscopy, multi-band observations, and long-term monitoring.

Extending the Eigenvector 1 space to the optical variability of quasars

We introduce a new physical parameter, the optical variability amplitude, to the well-established Eigenvector 1 space of quasars and test a sample of long-term B- band light curves of 42 Palomar-Green quasars monitored by Giveon et al. We find that the optical variability amplitude strongly correlates with the intensity ratio of FeⅡ to Hβ, Hβ width and peak luminosity at 5007A. We briefly discuss the physical meaning of our findings and suggest that the Eddington ratio may be a key factor in determining a quasar＇s variability.

A very bright (i=16.44) quasar in the ‘redshift desert’ discovered by the Guoshoujing Telescope (LAMOST)

The redshift range from 2.2 to 3 is known as the ＇redshift desert＇ of quasars because quasars with redshifts in this range have similar optical colors as normal stars and are thus difficult to find in optical sky surveys. A quasar candidate, SDSS J085543.40-001517.7, which was selected by a recently proposed criterion involving near-IR Y - K and optical g - z colors, was identified spectroscopically as a new quasar with a redshift of 2.427 by the Guoshoujing Telescope （LAMOST） commissioning observation in 2009 December and confirmed by the observation made with the NAOC/Xinglong 2.16 m telescope in 2010 March. This quasar was not identified in the SDSS spectroscopic survey. Comparing with other SDSS quasars, we found that this new quasar, with an i magnitude of 16.44, is apparently the brightest one in the redshift range from 2.3 to 2.7. From its spectral properties, we derived its central black hole mass to be （1.4 - 3.9） × 10^110 M⊙ and its bolometric luminosity to be 3.7 × 10^48 erg s^-1, which indicates that this new quasar is intrinsically very bright and belongs to the class of the most luminous quasars in the universe. Our identification supports the notion that quasars in the redshift desert can be found by the quasar selection criterion involving the near-IR colors. More missing quasars are expected to be uncovered by future LAMOST spectroscopic surveys, which is important to the study of the cosmological evolution of quasars at redshifts higher than 2.2.