The Variation of Relative Magnetic Helicity around Major Flares
We have investigated the variation of magnetic helicity over a span of several days around the times of 11 X-class flares which occurred in seven active regions (NOAA 9672, 10030, 10314, 10486, 10564, 10696, and 10720) using the magnetograms taken by the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). As a major result we found that each of these major flares was preceded by a significant helicity accumulation, (1.8–16) × 1042 Mx2 over a long period (0.5 to a few days). Another finding is that the helicity accumulates at a nearly constant rate, (4.5–48) × 1040 Mx2 hr−1, and then becomes nearly constant before the flares. This led us to distinguish the helicity variation into two phases: a phase of monotonically increasing helicity and the following phase of relatively constant helicity. As expected, the amount of helicity accumulated shows a modest correlation with time-integrated soft X-ray flux during flares. However, the average helicity change rate in the first phase shows even stronger correlation with the time-integrated soft X-ray flux. We discuss the physical implications of this result and the possibility that this characteristic helicity variation pattern can be used as an early warning sign for solar eruptions.

title: Pre-Flare Activity and Magnetic Reconnection during the Evolutionary Stages of Energy Release in a Solar Eruptive Flare
abstract: In this paper, we present a multi-wavelength analysis of an eruptive white-light M3.2 flare that occurred in active region NOAA 10486 on 2003 November 1. The excellent set of high-resolution observations made by RHESSI and the TRACE provides clear evidence of significant pre-flare activities for ~9 minutes in the form of an initiation phase observed at EUV/UV wavelengths followed by an X-ray precursor phase. During the initiation phase, we observed localized brightenings in the highly sheared core region close to the filament and interactions among short EUV loops overlying the filament, which led to the opening of magnetic field lines. The X-ray precursor phase is manifested in RHESSI measurements below ~30 keV and coincided with the beginning of flux emergence at the flaring location along with early signatures of the eruption. The RHESSI observations reveal that both plasma heating and electron acceleration occurred during the precursor phase. The main flare is consistent with the standard flare model. However, after the impulsive phase, an intense hard X-ray (HXR) looptop source was observed without significant footpoint emission. More intriguingly, for a brief period, the looptop source exhibited strong HXR emission with energies up to ~50-100 keV and significant non-thermal characteristics. The present study indicates a causal relation between the activities in the pre-flare and the main flare. We also conclude that pre-flare activities, occurring in the form of subtle magnetic reorganization along with localized magnetic reconnection, played a crucial role in destabilizing the active region filament, leading to a solar eruptive flare and associated large-scale phenomena.

title: CORONAL THICK TARGET HARD X-RAY EMISSIONS AND RADIO EMISSIONS
abstract: A distinctive class of hard X-ray (HXR) sources located in the corona was recently found, which implies that the collisionally thick target model (CTTM) applies even to the corona. We investigated whether this idea can be independently verified by microwave radiations which have been known as the best companion to HXRs. This study is conducted on the GOES M2.3 class flare which occurred on 2002 September 9 and was observed by the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager and the Owens Valley Solar Array. Interpreting the observed energy-dependent variation of HXR source size under the CTTM, the coronal density should be as high as 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3} over a distance of up to 12''. To explain the cutoff feature of the microwave spectrum at 3 GHz, however, we require a density no higher than 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}. Additional constraints must be placed on the temperature and magnetic field of the coronal source in order to reproduce the microwave spectrum as a whole. First, a spectral feature called the Razin suppression requires a magnetic field in a range of 250-350 G along with high viewing angles around 75 Degree-Sign . Second, to avoid excess fluxesmore » at high frequencies due to the free-free emission that was not observed, we need a high temperature {>=}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 7} K. These two microwave spectral features, Razin suppression and free-free emissions, become more significant at regions of high thermal plasma density and are essential for validating and determining additional parameters of the coronal HXR sources.« less

title: He I D3 Observations of the 1984 May 22 M6.3 Solar Flare
abstract: The He I D3 line has a unique response to a flare impact on the low solar atmosphere and can be a powerful diagnostic tool for energy transport processes. Using images obtained from the recently digitized films of the Big Bear Solar Observatory, we report D3 observations of the M6.3 flare on 1984 May 22, which occurred in an active region with a circular magnetic polarity inversion line (PIL). The impulsive phase of the flare starts with a main elongated source that darkens in D3, inside of which bright emission kernels appear at the time of the initial small peak in hard X-rays (HXRs). These flare cores subsequently evolve into a sharp emission strand lying within the dark halo; this evolution occurs at the same time as the main peak in HXRs, reversing the overall source contrast from ?5% to 5%. The radiated energy in D3 during the main peak is estimated to be about 1030 erg, which is comparable to that carried by nonthermal electrons above 20?keV. Afterward, the flare proceeds along the circular PIL in the counterclockwise direction to form a dark circular ribbon in D3, which apparently mirrors the bright ribbons in H? and He I 10830 ?. All of these ribbons last for over one hour in the late gradual phase. We suggest that the present event resembles the so-called black-light flare that was proposed based on continuum images, and that D3 darkening and brightening features herein may be due to thermal conduction heating and the direct precipitation of high-energy electrons, respectively.

title: TWO DISTINCT PHASES OF HARD X-RAY EMISSIONS IN A SOLAR ERUPTIVE FLARE
abstract: We present a detailed analysis of the evolution of an M7.6 flare that occurred near the south-east limb on October 24, 2003 utilizing a multi-wavelength data set. Preflare images at TRACE 195 Å show that the bright and complex system of coronal loops already existed at the flaring site. The X-ray light curves clearly reveal two phases of flare evolution. The emission during the first phase is seen in GOES and RHESSI measurements at energies below 25 keV, while the second phase is evident in all the X-ray energies as high as 300 keV. The first phase is gradual whereas the second phase shows impulsive emission with several individual hard X-ray bursts. The first phase starts with the appearance of an X-ray loop-top (LT) source in RHESSI images below 25 keV. About 5 minute later, the TRACE 195 Å images show an intense emission that is cospatial with RHESSI LT source. This hot and diffuse TRACE emission is attributed to the existence of 15-20 MK plasma, heated directly from the primary energy source. Both X-ray and TRACE LT sources exhibit an altitude decrease for ∼ 11 minute. The high energy X-ray emission between 25-300 keV dominates the second phase, which correlates well with TRACE 1600 Å and Hα flare ribbons. The first phase seems to be mostly dominated by hot thermal emission from flaring loops with temperatures T > 25 MK. The second phase is found to be dominantly non-thermal in Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348, Korea IGAM/Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, A-8010 Graz, Austria Department of Astronomy and Space Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea Physics Department, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 161 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07102 Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, Universitetskij Prospekt 13, Moscow 119992 Radio Astronomy Centre, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Udhagamandalam (Ooty) 643 001, India

title: Critical Exponents for Supercooled Liquids
abstract: We compute critical exponents governing universal features of supercooled liquids through the effective theory of an overlap field. The correlation length diverges with the Ising exponent; the size of dynamically heterogeneous patches grows more rapidly; and the relaxation time obeys a generalized Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann relation.

title: THE ECLIPSING SYSTEM EP ANDROMEDAE AND ITS CIRCUMBINARY COMPANIONS
abstract: We present new long-term CCD photometry for EP And acquired during the period 2007-2012. The light curves display total eclipses at primary minima and season-to-season light variability. Our synthesis for all available light curves indicates that the eclipsing pair is a W-type overcontact binary with parameters of q = 2.578, i = 833, ΔT = 27 K, f = 28%, and l 3 = 2%-3%. The asymmetric light curves in 2007 were satisfactorily modeled by a cool spot on either of the eclipsing components from a magnetic dynamo. Including our 95 timing measurements, a total of 414 times of minimum light spanning about 82 yr was used for a period study. A detailed analysis of the eclipse timing diagram revealed that the orbital period of EP And has varied as a combination of an upward-opening parabola and two periodic variations, with cycle lengths of P 3 = 44.6 yr and P 4 = 1.834 yr and semi-amplitudes of K 3 = 0.0100 days and K 4 = 0.0039 days, respectively. The observed period increase at a fractional rate of +1.39 × 10–10 is in excellent agreement with that calculated from the W-D code and can be plausibly explained by some combination of mass transfer from the primary to the secondary star and angular momentum loss due to magnetic braking. The most reasonable explanation for both cycles is a pair of light-travel-time effects driven by the possible existence of a third and fourth component with projected masses of M 3 = 0.25 M ☉ and M 4 = 0.90 M ☉. The more massive companion could be revealed using high-resolution spectroscopic data extending over the course of a few years and could also be a binary itself. It is possible that the circumbinary objects may have played an important role in the formation and evolution of the eclipsing pair, which would cause it to have a short initial orbital period and thus evolve into an overcontact configuration by angular momentum loss.

title: THE ALGOL SYSTEM SZ HERCULIS: PHYSICAL NATURE AND ORBITAL BEHAVIOR
abstract: Multiband CCD photometric observations of SZ Her were obtained between 2008 February and May. The light curve was completely covered and indicated a significant temperature difference between both components. The light-curve synthesis presented in this paper indicates that the eclipsing binary is a classical Algol-type system with parameters of q = 0.472, i = 8757, and Δ(T 1 - T 2) = 2381 K; the primary component fills approximately 77% of its limiting lobe and is slightly larger than the lobe-filling secondary component. More than 1100 times of minimum light spanning more than a century were used to study an orbital behavior of the binary system. It was found that the orbital period of SZ Her varied due to a combination of two periodic variations with cycle lengths of P 3 = 85.8 yr and P 4 = 42.5 yr and semi-amplitudes of K 3 = 0.013 days and K 4 = 0.007 days, respectively. The most reasonable explanation for these variations is a pair of light-time effects driven by the possible existence of two M-type companions with minimum masses of M 3 = 0.22 M ☉ and M 4 = 0.19 M ☉ that are located close to the 2:1 mean motion resonance. If two additional bodies exist, then the overall dynamics of the multiple system may provide a significant clue to the formation and evolution of the eclipsing pair.

title: Evidence for the spin-0 nature of the Higgs boson using ATLAS data
abstract: Studies of the spin and parity quantum numbers of the Higgs boson are presented, based on protonproton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The Standard Model spin-parity J( ...

title: Cosmological Imprint of the Second Law of Thermodynamics
abstract: We study the evolution of the universe in the presence of inflaton, matter, radiation and holographic dark energy. The time evolution of the scale factor is obtained by solving the Friedmann equation of the universe with a good approximation. We present two independent ways which determine the value of the dark energy constant d~1 from the observational data. The two ways are measuring the deceleration parameter and measuring a universal constant depending only on d. The universal constant is given by a dimensionless combination of three scale factors at the equipartition times of radiation–matter, radiation–dark energy and matter–dark energy. We also discuss that the second law of thermodynamics determines the point of time when the dark-energy-dominated era begins in the universe.