ALBERT

Description: The Solar Orbiter mission seeks to make connections between the physical processes occurring at the Sun or in the solar corona and the nature of the solar wind created by those processes which is subsequently observed at the spacecraft. The mission also targets physical processes occurring in the solar wind itself during its journey from its source to the spacecraft. To meet the specific mission science goals, Solar Orbiter will be equipped with both remote-sensing and in-situ instruments which will make unprecedented measurements of the solar atmosphere and the inner heliosphere. A crucial set of measurements will be provided by the Solar Wind Analyser (SWA) suite of instruments. This suite consists of an Electron Analyser System (SWA-EAS), a Proton and Alpha particle Sensor (SWA-PAS), and a Heavy Ion Sensor (SWA-HIS) which are jointly served by a central control and data processing unit (SWA-DPU). Together these sensors will measure and categorise the vast majority of thermal and suprathermal ions and electrons in the solar wind and determine the abundances and charge states of the heavy ion populations. The three sensors in the SWA suite are each based on the top hat electrostatic analyser concept, which has been deployed on numerous space plasma missions. The SWA-EAS uses two such heads, each of which have 360° azimuth acceptance angles and ±45° aperture deflection plates. Together these two sensors, which are mounted on the end of the boom, will cover a full sky field-of-view (FoV) (except for blockages by the spacecraft and its appendages) and measure the full 3D velocity distribution function (VDF) of solar wind electrons in the energy range of a few eV to ∼5 keV. The SWA-PAS instrument also uses an electrostatic analyser with a more confined FoV (−24° to +42° × ±22.5° around the expected solar wind arrival direction), which nevertheless is capable of measuring the full 3D VDF of the protons and alpha particles arriving at the instrument in the energy range from 200 eV/q to 20 keV/e. Finally, SWA-HIS measures the composition and 3D VDFs of heavy ions in the bulk solar wind as well as those of the major constituents in the suprathermal energy range and those of pick-up ions. The sensor resolves the full 3D VDFs of the prominent heavy ions at a resolution of 5 min in normal mode and 30 s in burst mode. Additionally, SWA-HIS measures 3D VDFs of alpha particles at a 4 s resolution in burst mode. Measurements are over a FoV of −33° to +66° × ±20° around the expected solar wind arrival direction and at energies up to 80 keV/e. The mass resolution (m/Δm) is 〉 5. This paper describes how the three SWA scientific sensors, as delivered to the spacecraft, meet or exceed the performance requirements originally set out to achieve the mission’s science goals. We describe the motivation and specific requirements for each of the three sensors within the SWA suite, their expected science results, their main characteristics, and their operation through the central SWA-DPU. We describe the combined data products that we expect to return from the suite and provide to the Solar Orbiter Archive for use in scientific analyses by members of the wider solar and heliospheric communities. These unique data products will help reveal the nature of the solar wind as a function of both heliocentric distance and solar latitude. Indeed, SWA-HIS measurements of solar wind composition will be the first such measurements made in the inner heliosphere. The SWA data are crucial to efforts to link the in situ measurements of the solar wind made at the spacecraft with remote observations of candidate source regions. This is a novel aspect of the mission which will lead to significant advances in our understanding of the mechanisms accelerating and heating the solar wind, driving eruptions and other transient phenomena on the Sun, and controlling the injection, acceleration, and transport of the energetic particles in the heliosphere.

Description: Context. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) is part of the remote sensing instrument package of the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter mission that will explore the inner heliosphere and observe the Sun from vantage points close to the Sun and out of the ecliptic. Solar Orbiter will advance the “connection science” between solar activity and the heliosphere. Aims. With EUI we aim to improve our understanding of the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, globally as well as at high resolution, and from high solar latitude perspectives. Methods. The EUI consists of three telescopes, the Full Sun Imager and two High Resolution Imagers, which are optimised to image in Lyman-α and EUV (17.4 nm, 30.4 nm) to provide a coverage from chromosphere up to corona. The EUI is designed to cope with the strong constraints imposed by the Solar Orbiter mission characteristics. Limited telemetry availability is compensated by state-of-the-art image compression, onboard image processing, and event selection. The imposed power limitations and potentially harsh radiation environment necessitate the use of novel CMOS sensors. As the unobstructed field of view of the telescopes needs to protrude through the spacecraft’s heat shield, the apertures have been kept as small as possible, without compromising optical performance. This led to a systematic effort to optimise the throughput of every optical element and the reduction of noise levels in the sensor. Results. In this paper we review the design of the two elements of the EUI instrument: the Optical Bench System and the Common Electronic Box. Particular attention is also given to the onboard software, the intended operations, the ground software, and the foreseen data products. Conclusions. The EUI will bring unique science opportunities thanks to its specific design, its viewpoint, and to the planned synergies with the other Solar Orbiter instruments. In particular, we highlight science opportunities brought by the out-of-ecliptic vantage point of the solar poles, the high-resolution imaging of the high chromosphere and corona, and the connection to the outer corona as observed by coronagraphs.

Description: Background- The lack of standardized response criteria has been identified as one of the major obstacles in the development of new therapeutic agents for chronic graft-versus host disease (cGvHD). In 2004, the National Institutes of Health initiated a multidisciplinary consensus project, one aim of which was to develop criteria for measuring response in therapeutic trials for cGvHD (http://palladianpartners.com/GvHD/docs/). This report presents the results of the first pilot study evaluating the feasibility and reproducibility of these new response criteria. Methods- Eight raters (Oncology Fellows and Oncology Nurse Practitioners with limited experience with cGvHD) participated in a 2 ½ hour training session designed to provide an overview of comprehensive response evaluation in cGvHD and an opportunity to practice conducting functional and organ-specific evaluations. Each participant received a syllabus and a photo atlas illustrating common oral, ocular, and dermatologic manifestations of cGvHD. Feasibility and inter-rater agreement between experts in cGvHD (transplantation, dermatology, oral medicine, and rehabilitation medicine) and the panel of 8 novice raters were evaluated using four adult patients with varying manifestations of cGvHD. Percent Agreement was calculated using the following formula: %Agreement = #Agreements/(#Agreements + #Disagreements) x 100 Results Response Criterion Extent of Agreement Between Experts(Es)-Novices (Ns) Agreement Erythematous and/or Papular Skin Rash 62% agreement between Es and Ns Superficial Sclerosis 62% agreement between Es and Ns Deep Sclerosis 83% agreement between Es and Ns Skin Ulcers 97% agreement between Es and Ns Oral Cavity Pearson correlations ranged from 0.43–0.92 Gastrointestinal System Upper GI: 100% agreement; Esophageal: 83% agreement; Lower GI: 86% agreement Functional Performance Measures 2 Minute Walk: 66% of Ns within 95% CI of Es;Grip Strength: 75% of Ns within 95% CI of Es Karnofsky PS All Ns within ± 20% of Es cGvHD Mild, Moderate, Severe? All Ns rated consistently one severity category lower than Es Severity of cGvHD Symptoms (0–10 scale) All Ns scored symptom severity within ± 2 points of Es cGvHD Improving, Stable, Worse? (7-point scale) 50% of Ns in absolute accord with Es; 50% of Ns direction of change consistent with Es Clinical evaluation of a patient with cGVHD by the novice raters lasted a median of 36 minutes (range 19–60). Completion of the five patient self report measures (SF-36, Lee cGVHD Symptom Scale, Human Activity Profile, FACT-BMT, and cGvHD Activity Assessment Patient Self-Report) required a median total of 14 minutes (range 18–22). Conclusions- We are currently improving the clarity of the skin and oral definitions, and refining the photo atlas and training syllabus. Pediatric modifications of these criteria will undergo testing in Fall of 2005. Although limited by small sample size, this pilot study offers preliminary evidence of the reliability and feasibility of these cGvHD response criteria, and supports their use for prospective validation in larger patient cohorts and clinical trials.

Description: The western segment of the Castle Mountain fault poses a significant seismic hazard to the most populated region of south-central Alaska. We identify a previously unrecognized margin of a postglacial outwash channel that is offset right laterally 36+ or -4 m across the western segment of the Castle Mountain fault. This offset occurred after glaciers withdrew from the lowland 11,300-15,380 cal yr B.P. and after outwash channel margins were cut and stabilized 11,210-13,470 cal yr B.P. Using these ages and the measured separation, we obtain a maximum slip rate of 3.0+ or -0.6 mm yr (super -1) and a minimum slip rate of 2.8+ or -0.7 mm yr (super -1) . These are the first lateral slip rates for the Castle Mountain fault established by a field measurement. Based on timing of the most recent earthquake, 670+ or -60 yr B.P., the Castle Mountain fault could have accumulated an average single-event slip of about 1.9 m (extremes range from 1.3 to 2.6 m). The fault consists of two segments; a surface-rupturing earthquake likely will be limited to the 62-km-long western segment. Area-magnitude regression calculations suggest that such an earthquake on the western Castle Mountain fault would have a moment magnitude of 6.9 to 7.3.