Flare frequency distributions represent a key approach to addressing one of the largest problems in solar and stellar physics: determining the mechanism that counterintuitively heats coronae to temperatures that are orders of magnitude hotter than the corresponding photospheres. It is widely accepted that the magnetic field is responsible for the heating, but there are two competing mechanisms that could explain it: nanoflares or Alfvén waves. To date, neither can be directly observed. Nanoflares are, by definition, extremely small, but their aggregate energy release could represent a substantial heating mechanism, presuming they are sufficiently abundant. One way to test this presumption is via the flare frequency distribution, which describes how often flares of various energies occur. If the slope of the power law fitting the flare frequency distribution is above a critical threshold, α = 2 as established in prior literature, then there should be a sufficient abundance of nanoflares to explain coronal heating. We performed >600 case studies of solar flares, made possible by an unprecedented number of data analysts via three semesters of an undergraduate physics laboratory course. This allowed us to include two crucial, but nontrivial, analysis methods: preflare baseline subtraction and computation of the flare energy, which requires determining flare start and stop times. We aggregated the results of these analyses into a statistical study to determine that α = 1.63 ± 0.03. This is below the critical threshold, suggesting that Alfvén waves are an important driver of coronal heating.
Figure 1: (a) We explored designing with Alganyl, a vinyl-like material made from marine algae, by embedding color, patterns, texture, thermosensing and photosensing. We used Alganyl to made a wide range of applications including (b) a floral sculpture, (c) doll clothing, and (d) a transparent concert bag.
En este artículo presentamos Alganyl, un biotextil creado a partir del conocimiento corporizado que suscita cocinar. Basado en recetas Do-It-Yourself (DIY) existentes para producir bioplásticos, Alganyl es fabricado con recursos renovables, se siente como vinilo al tacto y puede ser reutilizado antes de ser convertido en compost. Hemos esbozado tres principios rectores para diseñar con Alganyl: materialidad, accesibilidad y sustentabilidad. Nuestro proceso, que es replicable, incluye la cocción del Alganyl en la cocina del diseñador, para luego cortar el material y sellarlo con calor para crear la ropa. Aplicamos estos principios y procesos de diseño para confeccionar tres prendas de Alganyl: un vestido, una blusa y una falda. Por último, abordamos el ciclo de vida de Alganyl, prestando especial atención al final de la vida de la ropa, que abordamos mediante la recocción y la biodegradación (60 días para degradar el 97%). Luego de nuestras experiencias con Alganyl, creemos que tiene el potencial de acercarnos a un futuro en que la ropa se convierta en una forma autónoma de autoexpresión, con un impacto mínimo en el medio ambiente.
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