The Influence of the Sun and Moon on the Observation of Very High Energy Gamma-ray Sources Using EAS Arrays

With great advance of ground-based extensive air shower arrays,such as LHAASO and HAWC,many very high energy(VHE)gamma-ray sources have been discovered and are being monitored regardless of the day and the night.Hence,the Sun and Moon would have some impacts on the observation of gamma-ray sources,which have not been taken into account in previous analysis.In this paper,the influence of the Sun and Moon on the observation of very high energy gamma-ray sources when they are near the line of sight of the Sun or Moon is estimated.The tracks of all the known VHE sources are scanned and several VHE sources are found to be very close to the line of sight of the Sun or Moon during some period.The absorption of very high energy gamma rays by sunlight is estimated with detailed method and some useful conclusions are achieved.The main influence is the block of the Sun and Moon on gamma rays and the shadow on the cosmic ray background.The influence is investigated considering the detector angular resolution and some strategies on data analysis are proposed to avoid the underestimation of the gamma-ray emission.

Algebraic Solution for the Forward Displacement Analysis of the General 6-6 Stewart Mechanism

The solution for the forward displacement analysis（FDA） of the general 6-6 Stewart mechanism（i.e., the connection points of the moving and fixed platforms are not restricted to lying in a plane） has been extensively studied, but the efficiency of the solution remains to be effectively addressed. To this end, an algebraic elimination method is proposed for the FDA of the general 6-6 Stewart mechanism. The kinematic constraint equations are built using conformal geometric algebra（CGA）. The kinematic constraint equations are transformed by a substitution of variables into seven equations with seven unknown variables. According to the characteristic of anti-symmetric matrices, the aforementioned seven equations can be further transformed into seven equations with four unknown variables by a substitution of variables using the Grobner basis. Its elimination weight is increased through changing the degree of one variable, and sixteen equations with four unknown variables can be obtained using the Grobner basis. A 40th-degree univariate polynomial equation is derived by constructing a relatively small-sized 9 × 9 Sylvester resultant matrix. Finally, two numerical examples are employed to verify the proposed method. The results indicate that the proposed method can effectively improve the efficiency of solution and reduce the computational burden because of the small-sized resultant matrix.

Evolution of a Long-lived Sunspot Group and Its Associated Solar-terrestrial Events

A long-lived sunspot group (AR9604) on the south hemisphere that lasted five solar rotations and produced some strong bursts is analyzed. The focus is on its evolving features. Its whole life was successfully maintained by four Emerging Flux Regions (EFRs). Apart from the one that lasted only a short time and did not produce any bursts, the other three EFRs have the following common features: (1) A positive writhe of magnetic flux tubes and a twist of the field lines of the same sign, indicating kink instability. (2) A clockwise rotation and a high tilt because the writhe was right-handed. (3) A compact 'island δ' structure of the sunspot group indicating concentrated kink instability. Since magnetic reconnection easily occurs at the kinked point of a very kink-unstable flux tube, these features should be the inducement of the strong bursts.

Signature of high-order azimuthal MHD body modes in sunspot's low atmosphere

The five-minute oscillations inside sunspots appear to be the absorption of the solar p-mode. It is a potential tool to probe a sunspot＇s sub-structure. We studied the collective properties of five-minute oscillations in the power and phase distribution at the sunspot＇s umbra-penumbra boundary. The azimuthal distributions of the power and phase of five-minute oscillations enclosing a sunspot＇s umbra were obtained with images taken with the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly （SDO/AIA）. The azimuthal modes were quantified with periodogram analysis and justified with significance tests. The azimuthal nodal structures in an approximately ax- ially symmetric sunspot AR 11131 （2010 Dec 08） were investigated. Mode numbers ra = 2, 3, 4, 7, 10 were obtained in both 1700 A and 1600A bandpasses. The 1600A channel also revealed an extra mode at m = 9. In the upper atmosphere （304 A）, fewer modes were detected at m = 3, 4, 7. The azimuthal modes in the sunspot＇s low atmo- sphere could be interpreted as high-order azimuthal MHD body modes. They were detected in the power and phase of the five-minute oscillations in sunspot AR 11131 with SDO/AIA data. Fewer modes were detected in the sunspot＇s upper atmosphere.

Multiple cycles of magnetic activity in the Sun and Sun-like stars and their evolution

The wavelet transform method for high-quality time-frequency analysis is applied to sets of observations of relative sunspot numbers and stellar chromosphere fluxes of 10 Sun-like stars. Wavelet analysis of solar data shows that in a certain interval of time there are several cycles of activity with pe- riods of duration which vary considerably from each other： from quasi-biennial cycles to lO0-yr cycles. Cyclic activity was detected in almost all Sun-like stars that we examined, even those that previously were not considered as stars with cyclic activity according to analysis using a Scargle periodogram. The durations of solar and stellar cycles significantly change during the observation period.

Reciprocating Magnetic Fields in the Pulsar Wind Observed from the Black Widow Pulsar J1720-0534

We report the radio observations of the eclipsing black widow pulsar J1720-0534, a 3.26 ms pulsar in orbit with a low mass companion of mass 0.029 to 0.034 M⊙. We obtain the phase-connected timing ephemeris and polarization profile of this millisecond pulsar(MSP) using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST), the Green Bank Telescope(GBT), and the Parkes Telescope. For the first time from such a system, an oscillatory polarization angle change was observed from a particular eclipse egress with partial depolarization, indicating 10-milliGauss-level reciprocating magnetic fields oscillating in a length scale of 5 ×10^(3)km(assuming an orbital inclination angle of 90°) outside the companion's magnetosphere. The dispersion measure variation observed during the ingresses and egresses shows the rapid raising of the electron density in the shock boundary between the companion's magnetosphere and the surrounding pulsar wind. We suggest that the observed oscillatory magnetic fields originate from the pulsar wind outside the companion's magnetosphere.

Variable Stars in the 50BiN Open Cluster Survey.Ⅲ.NGC 884

Open clusters are the basic building blocks that serve as a laboratory for the study of young stellar populations in the Milky Way.Variable stars in open clusters provide a unique way to accurately probe the internal structure,temporal and dynamical evolutionary stages of individual stars and the host cluster.The most powerful tool for such studies is time-domain photometric observations.This paper follows the route of our previous work,concentrating on a photometric search for variable stars in NGC 884.The target cluster is the companion of NGC869,forming the well-known double cluster system that is gravitationally bound.From the observation run in 2016 November,a total of 9247 B-band CCD images and 8218Ⅴ-band CCD images were obtained.We detected a total of 15 stars with variability in visual brightness,including five Be stars,three eclipsing binaries,and seven of unknown types.Two new variable stars were discovered in this work.We also compared the variable star content of NGC 884 with its companion NGC 869.

Support Vector Machine combined with K-Nearest Neighbors for Solar Flare Forecasting

A method combining the support vector machine （SVM） the K-Nearest Neighbors （KNN）, labelled the SVM-KNN method, is used to construct a solar flare forecasting model. Based on a proven relationship between SVM and KNN, the SVM-KNN method improves the SVM algorithm of classification by taking advantage of the KNN algorithm according to the distribution of test samples in a feature space. In our flare forecast study, sunspots and 10cm radio flux data observed during Solar Cycle 23 are taken as predictors, and whether an M class flare will occur for each active region within two days will be predicted. The SVM- KNN method is compared with the SVM and Neural networks-based method. The test results indicate that the rate of correct predictions from the SVM-KNN method is higher than that from the other two methods. This method shows promise as a practicable future forecasting model.

顺铂处理的肺癌细胞NSUN 2 mRNA剪接异构体变化

目的:探讨顺铂(CDDP)处理肺癌细胞后NSUN 2 pre-mRNA的剪接变化。方法:在NSUN 2基因的pre-mRNA有选择性剪接的外显子两侧的外显子上设计检测引物,选取16例非小细胞肺癌患者的肿瘤组织及其癌旁正常组织,采用反转录聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)检测组织NSUN 2各mRNA剪接异构体的表达;取人肺癌细胞系A549细胞和H1299细胞分别用不同浓度CDDP处理,A549细胞分为0、8、16、24、32、40、48及56μmol/L组,H1299细胞分为0、12、24、36、48、60、72及84μmol/L组,采用RT-PCR检测各组细胞NSUN 2各mRNA剪接异构体的表达;RT-PCR产物胶回收后进行TA克隆测序并与NCBI网站数据库中NSUN 2的序列进行比对分析。结果:人肺癌细胞系A549细胞和H1299细胞及肺癌临床样本中NSUN 2基因可编码蛋白的mRNA剪接异构体表达量最高,占主导地位;随着CDDP浓度增加,NSUN 2可编码蛋白的异构体在H1299细胞的高浓度组中的表达下降(P<0.01),非编码蛋白的异构体在A549细胞和H1299细胞的高浓度组中表达均上升(P<0.05);检测到2种未见报道的mRNA剪接异构体。结论:CDDP处理后肺癌细胞中NSUN 2 pre-mRNA剪接会发生变化,NSUN 2基因的表达存在pre-mRNA选择性剪接调控。

Synthetic analysis of a two-ribbon microflare

High-resolution Stokes spectral data of Hα, Ca Ⅱ 8542A, and Fe 16302.5A lines for a two-ribbon microflare （TRMF） were simultaneously obtained by the THEMIS telescope on 2002 September 5. We derive the intensity, velocity, and longitudinal magnetic field maps. The hard X-ray emission observed by RHESSI provides evidence of nonthermal particle acceleration in the TRMF. Using Ha and Ca Ⅱ 8542A line profiles and a non-LTE calculation, we obtain semi-empirical atmospheric models for the two brightest kernels of the TRME Our result indicates that the temperature enhancement in the chromosphere is more than 2500 K. The kinetic and radiative energies at the kernels are also estimated, resulting in an estimate of the total energy of the TRMF of about 2.4×10^29 erg. Observations indicate that the TRMF results from the low coronal magnetic reconnection following the eruption of a small fila- ment. However, the local temperature ＂bump＂ in the chromosphere presents a puzzle for such a standard flare model. A possible solution to this is discussed.

The causality between the rapid rotation of a sunspot and an X3.4 flare

Using multi-wavelength data of Hinode, the rapid rotation of a sunspot in active region NOAA 10930 is studied in detail. We found extraordinary counterclockwise rotation of the sunspot with positive polarity before an X3.4 flare. From a series of vector magnetograms, it is found that magnetic force lines are highly sheared along the neutral line accompanying the sunspot rotation. Furthermore, it is also found that sheared loops and an inverse S-shaped magnetic loop in the corona formed gradually after the sunspot rotation. The X3.4 flare can be reasonably regarded as a result of this movement. A detailed analysis provides evidence that sunspot rotation leads to magnetic field lines twisting in the photosphere. The twist is then transported into the corona and triggers flares.

An algorithm to resolve γ-rays from charged cosmic rays with DAMPE

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer（DAMPE）,also known as Wukong in China,which was launched on 2015 December 17,is a new high energy cosmic ray and γ-ray satellite-borne observatory.One of the main scientific goals of DAMPE is to observe Ge V-Te V high energy γ-rays with accurate energy,angular and time resolution,to indirectly search for dark matter particles and for the study of high energy astrophysics. Due to the comparatively higher fluxes of charged cosmic rays with respect to γ-rays,it is challenging to identify γ-rays with sufficiently high efficiency,minimizing the amount of charged cosmic ray contamination. In this work we present a method to identify γ-rays in DAMPE data based on Monte Carlo simulations,using the powerful electromagnetic/hadronic shower discrimination provided by the calorimeter and the veto detection of charged particles provided by the plastic scintillation detector. Monte Carlo simulations show that after this selection the number of electrons and protons that contaminate the selected γ-ray events at～10 Ge V amounts to less than 1% of the selected sample.Finally,we use flight data to verify the effectiveness of the method by highlighting known γ-ray sources in the sky and by reconstructing preliminary light curves of the Geminga pulsar.

A comparison between magnetic shear and flare shear in a well-observed M-class flare

We give an extensive multi-wavelength analysis of an eruptive M1.0/1N class solar flare, which occurred in the active region NOAA 10044 on 2002 July 26. Our emphasis is on the relationship between magnetic shear and flare shear. Flare shear is defined as the angle formed between the line connecting the centroids of the two ribbons of the flare and the line perpendicular to the magnetic neutral line. The magnetic shear is computed from vector magnetograms observed at Big Bear Solar Observatory （BBSO）, while the flare shear is computed from Transition Region and Coronal Explorer （TRACE） 1700A images. By a detailed comparison, we find that; 1） The magnetic shear and the flare shear of this event are basically consistent, as judged from the directions of the transverse magnetic field and the line connecting the two ribbons＇ centroids. 2） During the period of the enhancement of magnetic shear, flare shear had a fast increase followed by a fluctuated decrease. 3） When the magnetic shear stopped its enhancement, the fluctuated decreasing behavior of the flare shear became very smooth. 4） Hard X-ray （HXR） spikes are well correlated with the unshearing peaks on the time profile of the rate of change of the flare shear. We give a discussion of the above phenomena.

Wavelet Analysis of Several Important Periodic Properties in the Relative Sunspot Numbers

We investigate the wavelet transform of yearly mean relative sunspot number series from 1700 to 2002. The curve of the global wavelet power spectrum peaks at 11-yr, 53-yr and 101-yr periods. The evolution of the amplitudes of the three periods is studied. The results show that around 1750 and 1800, the amplitude of the 53-yr period was much higher than that of the the 11-yr period, that the ca. 53-yr period was apparent only for the interval from 1725 to 1850, and was very low after 1850, that around 1750, 1800 and 1900, the amplitude of the 101-yr period was higher than that of the 11-yr period and that, from 1940 to 2000, the 11-yr period greatly dominates over the other two periods.

Low Dimensional Chaos from the Group Sunspot Numbers

We examine the nonlinear dynamical properties of the monthly smoothed group sunspot number Rg and find that the solar activity underlying the time series of Rg is globally governed by a low-dimensional chaotic attractor. This finding is consistent with the nonlinear study results of the monthly Wolf sunspot numbers. We estimate the maximal Lyaponuv exponent （MLE） for the Rg series to be positive and to equal approximately 0.0187 ± 0.0023 （month^- 1）. Thus, the Lyaponuv time or predictability time of the chaotic motion is obtained to be about 4.46 ± 0.5 years, which is slightly different with the predictability time obtained from Rz. However, they both indicate that solar activity forecast should be done only for a short to medium term due to the intrinsic complexity of the time behavior concerned.

What does the Sun tell and hint now?

Some historical records, which have held since the beginning of modern solar activity cycles, are being broken by the present Sun： cycle 23 records the longest cycle length and fall time; latitudes of high-latitude sunspots belonging to a new cycle around the minimum time of the cycle are statistically the lowest at present, compared with those of other cycles; there are only one or no sunspots in a month appearing at high latitudes for 58 months, which is the first time that such a long duration has been observed. The solar dynamo is believed to be slowing down due to： （1） the minimum smoothed monthly mean sunspot number is the smallest since cycle 16 onwards, and even probably among all modern solar cycles; and （2） once the time interval between the first observations of two neighboring sunspot groups is larger than 14 d, it should be approximately regarded as an observation of no sunspots on the visible solar disk, called a spotless event. Spotless events occur with the highest frequency around the minimum time of cycle 24, and the longest spotless event also appears around the minimum time for observations of the Sun since cycle 16. Cycle 24 is expected to have the lowest level of sunspot activity from cycle 16 onwards and even probably for all of the modern solar cycles.

Short-term solar flare prediction using multi-model integration method

A multi-model integration method is proposed to develop a multi-source and heterogeneous model for short-term solar flare prediction. Different prediction models are constructed on the basis of extracted predictors from a pool of observation databases. The outputs of the base models are normal- ized first because these established models extract predictors from many data resources using different prediction methods. Then weighted integration of the base models is used to develop a multi-model integrated model （MIM）. The weight set that single models assign is optimized by a genetic algorithm. Seven base models and data from Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Michelson Doppler Imager lon- gitudinal magnetograms are used to construct the MIM, and then its performance is evaluated by cross validation. Experimental results showed that the MIM outperforms any individual model in nearly every data group, and the richer the diversity of the base models, the better the performance of the MIM. Thus, integrating more diversified models, such as an expert system, a statistical model and a physical model, will greatly improve the performance of the MIM.

A Multi-Wavelength Study of the 3B/X1.2 Flare Observed on 2003 October 26

We report results from a multi-wavelength study of the 3B/X1.2 tworibbon disk flare （S15E44）, which was well observed by both ground-based and space-borne instruments. Two pairs of conjugate kernels - K1 and K4, and K2 and K3 - in the Ha images are identified. These kernels are linked by two different systems of EUV loops. K1 and K4 correspond to the two 17 GHz and 34 GHz microwave sources observed by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph （NoRH）, while K2 and K3 have no corresponding microwave sources. Optical spectroscopic observations suggest that all the four kernels are possible precipitating sites of non-thermal electrons. Thus the energy of electron deposited in K2 and K3 should be less than 100keV. Two-dimensional distributions of the full widths at half maximum （FWHM） of the Ha profiles and the line-of-sight （LOS） velocities derived from the Ca n 8542 A profiles indicate that the largest FWHM and LOS velocity tends to be located near the outer edges of Hα kernels, which is consistent with the scenario of current two-ribbon flare models and previous results. When non-thermal electron bombardment is present, the observed Hα and Ca II 8542 A profiles are similar to previous observational and theoretical results, while the He I 10830 A profiles are different from the theoretical ones. This puts some constraints on future theoretical calculation of the He I 10830 A line.

Calibration of Vector Magnetogram with the Nonlinear Least-squares Fitting Technique

To acquire Stokes profiles from observations of a simple sunspot with the Video Vector Magnetograph at Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), we scanned the FeI λ5324.19 A line over the wavelength interval from 150mA redward of the line center to 150mA blueward, in steps of 10mA. With the technique of analytic inversion of Stokes profiles via nonlinear least-squares, we present the calibration coefficients for the HSOS vector magnetic magnetogram. We obtained the theoretical calibration error with linear expressions derived from the Unno-Becker equation under weak-field approximation.