Physics in the News

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Leaky galaxies lead researchers to better understand the universe

 This is Sanchayeeta Borthakur, assistant research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University. (Photo Credit: JHU)
Sanchayeeta Borthakur, an assistant research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the university’s Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, reports in a paper published online Oct. 9 in the journal Science that an indicator used for studying star-forming galaxies that leak radiation is an effective measurement tool for other scientists to use. (Credit: JHU)
via sciencecodex

L.A. Museum Adds the Last Payload to Shuttle Endeavour

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During an event titled “Go for Payload,” the California Science Center in Los Angeles hoisted a Spacehab module into the open hold of the retired space shuttle Endeavour. The logistics module’s addition, together with several other real and replica parts, marked a major milestone towards the center’s plans to display the NASA winged orbiter in a vertical, launch-ready configuration. (Pearlman, CollectSpace.com)
via nbcnews

Topological defects in the fabric of space and time

A cosmic string is a very long (possibly as long as the diameter of the visible universe), very thin (less than the width of a proton) high-density object formed during the early moments of the big bang. (Credit: Stae Trek,  Paramount Pictures)
A cosmic string is a very long (possibly as long as the diameter of the visible universe), very thin (less than the width of a proton) high-density object formed during the early moments of the big bang. (Credit: Stae Trek, Paramount Pictures)
via phys.org

The Moon and the Oh-My-God Particle

Close up artist rendition. Image of the Australian SKA LFAA (Low Frequency Aperture Array) instrument. These dipole antenna which will number in their hundreds of thousands will survey the radio sky in frequencies as low at 50Mhz (Credit: SKA Organisation)
Close up artist rendition. Image of the Australian SKA LFAA (Low Frequency Aperture Array) instrument. These dipole antenna which will number in their hundreds of thousands will survey the radio sky in frequencies as low at 50Mhz (Credit: SKA Organisation)
via popularmechanics

On the front lines of the Higgs boson search

Prof. Butterworth, leading physicist on the ATLAS experiment at CERN and head of physics and astronomy at University College London, said the two colliding proton beams at CERN were the highest energy particle beams ever used in a laboratory. In order for the high momentum beams to be bent into a circle, its curvature had to be gentle enough for superconducting magnets to be able to control the beams. (Credit: hep.ucl.ac.uk/~jmb/publications)
Prof. Butterworth, leading physicist on the ATLAS experiment at CERN and head of physics and astronomy at University College London, said the two colliding proton beams at CERN were the highest energy particle beams ever used in a laboratory. (Credit: hep.ucl.ac.uk/~jmb/publications)
via phys.org

Peering backward to the big bang with the CTC and COSMOS

(NASA, Shellard,)
Recent analysis of CMB observations confirm predictions that a period of enormously fast exponential expansion, which cosmologists call inflation, occurred in the early universe. During inflation, very small changes, or quantum fluctuations, were imprinted into the fabric of space-time. (NASA, Shellard,)
via hpcwire

Answers to questions posed by cosmology to philosophy

 the philosophy of cosmology. He commented that the field is not well formulated yet, and proposed that one way to build a sound foundation for the field would be to identify the key questions worthy of its attention. Carroll nominated 10 such questions. Credit: Carroll)
Sean Caroll purposes 10 questions regarding the ‘not well formulated’ Philosophy of Cosmology. (Credit: Carroll)
via sciencenews

Getting sharp images from dull detectors

Coherent light passes through a pair of slits (top center).  The two resulting concentric trains of waves will interfere, resulting in a fixed pattern when measured by a detector (top right).  Non-coherent thermal light passes through slits and meets with a beam splitter (green plane), which reflects half the waves toward one detector and the other half toward a second detector (lower left).  Each of the detectors records a temporary interference pattern (lower right).  (Credit: JQI/Kelley )
Coherent light passes through a pair of slits (top center). The two resulting concentric trains of waves will interfere, resulting in a fixed pattern when measured by a detector (top right). Non-coherent thermal light passes through slits and meets with a beam splitter (green plane), which reflects half the waves toward one detector and the other half toward a second detector (lower left). Each of the detectors records a temporary interference pattern (lower right). (Credit: JQI/Kelley )
via umd

NASA: More spacewalks for ISS crew

via floridatoday

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, October 10 – 18

The waning Moon and Orion tip to the southwest as dawn brightens. (The Moon in these scenes is always shown three times its actual apparent size.. (Credit: Sky and Telescope)
The waning Moon and Orion tip to the southwest as dawn brightens. (The Moon in these scenes is always shown three times its actual apparent size.. (Credit: Sky and Telescope)
via skyandtelescope

Physics in the News

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

UW fusion reactor concept could be cheaper than coal

The UW’s current fusion experiment, HIT-SI3. It is about one-tenth the size of the power-producing dynomak concept. (Credit: U of Washington)
The UW’s current fusion experiment, HIT-SI3. It is about one-tenth the size of the power-producing dynomak concept. (Credit: U of Washington)
via washington.edu

Researchers achieve quantum teleporting

via azoquantum

Tipping the spherical cow: The initial conditions of star formation

Gas column density 5 Myr after stars begin forming in the “real” Clouds (left panels) and corresponding Spheres (right panels). The Spheres begin forming stars 5-6 Myr after t=0, so the figure shows simulations at a similar stage of star formation. Clouds show more widespread star formation, and alignment of their major gas filaments along the larger-scale structures present in the galaxy. Part of Figure 2 from Rey-Raposo, Dobbs & Duarte-Cabral 2014.
Gas column density 5 Myr after stars begin forming in the “real” Clouds (left panels) and corresponding Spheres (right panels). The Spheres begin forming stars 5-6 Myr after t=0, so the figure shows simulations at a similar stage of star formation. Clouds show more widespread star formation, and alignment of their major gas filaments along the larger-scale structures present in the galaxy. (Credit: Rey-Raposo, Dobbs & Duarte-Cabral 2014)
via astrobites

Breakthrough allows researchers to watch molecules “wiggle”

Difference electron density maps showing the comparison of control and HATRX data for thaumatin. (Credit: University of Leeds)
via rdmag

Monster galaxies resort to cannibalism to keep growing

Larger galaxies are unable to create new stars at a rapid enough pace so they start to “eat” stars in neighboring galaxies. (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images)
Larger galaxies are unable to create new stars at a rapid enough pace so they start to “eat” stars in neighboring galaxies. (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images)
via cbs

Aliens may be too distant for contact

The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is hunting for radio signals from hypothetical intelligent alien life in our galaxy. (Credit: SETI) Institute
The SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is hunting for radio signals from hypothetical intelligent alien life in our galaxy. (Credit: SETI) Institute
via aninews

How NASA plans to utilize lasers in order to draw 3D maps of the earth’s forests

NASA has a new project underway called GEDI. The sole purpose of GEDI is to point a laser-based device at Earth from the International Space Station in order to map out forests in 3D, eventually determining the amount of carbon in Earth’s forests. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space)
NASA has a new project underway called GEDI. The sole purpose of GEDI is to point a laser-based device at Earth from the International Space Station in order to map out forests in 3D, eventually determining the amount of carbon in Earth’s forests. (Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space)
via industrytap

Sierra Nevada protest halts production of SpaceX and Boeing space taxis

 The Wait For Space A look through the open hatch of SpaceX's Dragon V2 capsule, one of two designs chosen for NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program. Both Boeing and SpaceX have been told to halt production of their space taxi designs until a protest filed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation has been resolved. (Credit: NASA)
A look through the open hatch of SpaceX’s Dragon V2 capsule, one of two designs chosen for NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program. Both Boeing and SpaceX have been told to halt production of their space taxi designs until a protest filed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation has been resolved. (Credit: NASA)
via popsci

Three win Nobel for super-zoom microscopes

German winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Stefan Hell gestures at a small party with his colleagues in Goettingen, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Hell shares the prize with Americans Eric Betzig and William E. Moerner for developing ways to dramatically improve the resolution of optical microscopes. Hell developed the underlying technology for R&D 100 Awards-winning super-resolution microscopes from Leica. (Credit AP/dpa, Swen Pfoertner)
German winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Stefan Hell gestures at a small party with his colleagues in Goettingen, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Hell shares the prize with Americans Eric Betzig and William E. Moerner for developing ways to dramatically improve the resolution of optical microscopes. Hell developed the underlying technology for R&D 100 Awards-winning super-resolution microscopes from Leica. (Credit AP/dpa, Swen Pfoertner)
via rdmag

Newly discovered letter gives a rare glimpse into Einstein’s personal views on life

he Einstein Papers Project, a group of scholars devoted to collecting and transcribing Einstein’s works and publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein both online and in printed format, have collected thousands of Einstein’s letters, both those from him and to him. But this exchange is new. (Credit: The Telegraph)
The Einstein Papers Project, a group of scholars devoted to collecting and transcribing Einstein’s works and publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein both online and in printed format, have collected thousands of Einstein’s letters, both those from him and to him. But this exchange is new. (Credit: The Telegraph)
via inquisitr

Physics in the News

Friday, September 26, 2014

New molecule found in space connotes life origins

The vibrant, starry stream of the Milky Way frames radio telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array - known as the ALMA Observatory - in Chile’s Atacama Desert. (Credit: Y. Beletsky/ESO)
The vibrant, starry stream of the Milky Way frames radio telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array – known as the ALMA Observatory – in Chile’s Atacama Desert. (Credit: Y. Beletsky/ESO)
via cornell

Black holes declared non-existent again.

Two international teams of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes in Australia and Chile have discovered the first examples of isolated stellar-mass black holes adrift among the stars in our galaxy. (Credit: NASA/ESA, D. Bennett)
via backreaction

First Quantum Logic Operation For An Integrated Photonic Chip

The first teleportation of a photon inside a photonic chip illustrates both the potential for quantum computation and the significant challenges that lay ahead.
The first teleportation of a photon inside a photonic chip illustrates both the potential for quantum computation and the significant challenges that lay ahead.
via technologyreview

Cold Atom Laboratory Chills Atoms to New Lows

rtist's concept of an atom chip for use by NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) aboard the International Space Station. CAL will use lasers to cool atoms to ultracold temperatures. (Credit: NASA)
rtist’s concept of an atom chip for use by NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) aboard the International Space Station. CAL will use lasers to cool atoms to ultracold temperatures. (Credit: NASA)
via jpl

A dramatic recent “discovery” in physics is looking rather dodgy

 A paper just released by the team behind Planck, a European space telescope, casts serious doubt on the BICEP-2 result. (Credit: D. Simonds)
A paper just released by the team behind Planck, a European space telescope, casts serious doubt on the BICEP-2 result. (Credit: D. Simonds)
via economist

Craig Nelson claims that the atomic era is in its twilight years

"The atomic age is an incredible epoch, filled with people we think we know already—from Marie Curie and Albert Einstein to Ronald Reagan and the plant workers of Fukushima—but they all turn out to be a lot more complicated and interesting than any of us could’ve imagined," says Nelson.(Credit: Helvio Faria)
“The atomic age is an incredible epoch, filled with people we think we know already—from Marie Curie and Albert Einstein to Ronald Reagan and the plant workers of Fukushima—but they all turn out to be a lot more complicated and interesting than any of us could’ve imagined,” says Nelson. (Credit: Helvio Faria)
via scitation

Physics in the News

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

New Results from Planck: It Doesn’t Look Good For BICEP2

Dust map of the Universe. The region studied by BICEP2 is indicated by the rectangle in the right circle. (Credit: Planck Collaboration)
Dust map of the Universe. The region studied by BICEP2 is indicated by the rectangle in the right circle. (Credit: Planck Collaboration)
via universetoday

Artificial Atoms Talk … and Scientists Listen

n this illustration, the artificial atom on the right side of the image sends out sound waves that are picked up by the microphone on the left. (Credit: Philip Krantz)
n this illustration, the artificial atom on the right side of the image sends out sound waves that are picked up by the microphone on the left. (Credit: Philip Krantz)
via livescience

What’s Next for Inflation Cosmology – New Updates

(Credit: Andrei Linde)
A serious challenge to the discovery of gravity waves by the BICEP2 2014 results has appeared: the researchers had underestimated the amount of interstellar dust that could be contaminating their data. (Credit: MacRobert, Andrei Linde)
via skyandtelescope

Clear skies reveal water on distant Neptune-sized planet

Scientists have found definitive traces of water on a relatively small exoplanet. HAT-P-11b is the size of Neptune and has copious amounts of both water vapor and hydrogen in its atmosphere. (Credit: NASA)
Scientists have found definitive traces of water on a relatively small exoplanet. HAT-P-11b is the size of Neptune and four times the size of Earth. The exoplanet has copious amounts of both water vapor and hydrogen in its atmosphere. (Credit: NASA)
via bbc

Hugh Everett: The man who gave us the multiverse

via newscientist

What is the geometry of the universe?

Our current model of the early inflationary period predicts that the universe should be flat, and so far that has held up. If the universe actually is curved, then the inflationary period must have been more complex than we have thought. (Credit: Koberlien)
Our current model of the early inflationary period predicts that the universe should be flat, and so far that has held up. If the universe actually is curved, then the inflationary period must have been more complex than we have thought. (Credit: Koberlien)
via phys.org

Robot Octopus Takes to the Sea

via spectrum

Physics in the News

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Special relativity aces time trial

Few scientists doubt that Einstein was right. But the mathematics describing the time-dilation effect are “fundamental to all physical theories”, says Thomas Udem, a physicist at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany, who was not involved in the research. “It is of utmost importance to verify it with the best possible accuracy.”
Few scientists doubt that Einstein was right. But the mathematics describing the time-dilation effect are “fundamental to all physical theories”, says Thomas Udem, a physicist at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany, who was not involved in the research. “It is of utmost importance to verify it with the best possible accuracy.” (Credit: A. Witze, Martin Poole/Getty)
via nature

Is Martian soil actually good for farming?

A NASA rendering of farming in Martian greenhouses.

via vox

Einstein makes an appearance in superheavy chemistry

Graphic representation of a seaborgium hexacarbonyl molecule on the silicon dioxide covered detectors of a COMPACT detector array. (Credit: Alexander Yakushev (GSI) / Christoph E. Düllmann)
Graphic representation of a seaborgium hexacarbonyl molecule on the silicon dioxide covered detectors of a COMPACT detector array. (Credit: Alexander Yakushev (GSI) / Christoph E. Düllmann)
via newscientist

A nano-sized hydrogen generator

A transmission electron microscopic image of titanium dioxide plates resting on a near-invisible sheet of graphene. (Credit: Rozhkova et. al.)
A transmission electron microscopic image of titanium dioxide plates resting on a near-invisible sheet of graphene. (Credit: Rozhkova et. al.)
via anl.gov
There have been recent near misses – an explosion over Russia, a mysterious crater in Nicaragua. But what would we do in the event of an actual meteor strike?  A simulated meteor strike at a training facility in Texas. (Credit: Nick Ballon)
There have been recent near misses – an explosion over Russia, a mysterious crater in Nicaragua. But what would we do in the event of an actual meteor strike? A simulated meteor strike at a training facility in Texas. (Credit: Nick Ballon)
via theguardian

Astrophysicist sees positive signs science ‘is trendy’

via kearneyhub

Enormous black hole resides at core of tiny galaxy

ITTY BITTY LIVING SPACE  The tiny galaxy M60-UCD1 (circled in white) harbors a black hole with the mass of around 21 million suns. M60-UCD1 may be a remnant of a larger galaxy torn apart by the massive galaxy M60 (center), which is also pulling in a nearby spiral galaxy (upper right). (Credit: NASA, ESA)
ITTY BITTY LIVING SPACE The tiny galaxy M60-UCD1 (circled in white) harbors a black hole with the mass of around 21 million suns. M60-UCD1 may be a remnant of a larger galaxy torn apart by the massive galaxy M60 (center), which is also pulling in a nearby spiral galaxy (upper right). (Credit: NASA, ESA)
via sciencenews

‘Solid’ light could compute previously unsolvable problems about the behavior of matter

Scientists are a step closer to creating quantum computers after making light behave like crystal. At first, photons in the experiment flow easily between two superconducting sites, producing the large waves shown at left. After a time, the scientists cause the light to 'freeze,' trapping the photons in place. (Credit: Stanford)
The illustration shows how oscillating photons create an image of frozen light. At first, photons in the experiment flow easily between two superconducting sites, producing the large waves shown at left. After a time, the scientists cause the light to ‘freeze,’ trapping the photons in place. Fast oscillations on the right of the image are evidence of the new trapped behavior. (Credit: James Raftery et al.)
via princeton

Pakistan to join the CERN club

Pakistan is a signing ceremony away from becoming the associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. Above photo is of  CERN Labs on the Swiss-French border.  (Credit: CERN)
Pakistan is a signing ceremony away from becoming the associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. Above photo is CERN Labs on the Swiss-French border. (Credit: CERN)
via dawn

Quasicrystals and the Whimsy of Nature

The quasicrystals formed 4.5 billion years ago in a violent collision between two rocks, among the asteroids that coalesced into planets. The rock with the quasicrystals landed in Chukotka as a meteorite. “They’re part of the primal stuff that formed our solar system,” Dr. Steinhardt said. The above is A penteract (5-cube) pattern using 5D orthographic projection to 2D using Petrie polygon basis vectors overlaid on the diffractogram from an Icosahedral Ho-Mg-Zn quasicrystal. (Credit: NYTimes)
The quasicrystals formed 4.5 billion years ago in a violent collision between two rocks, among the asteroids that coalesced into planets. The rock with the quasicrystals landed in Chukotka as a meteorite. “They’re part of the primal stuff that formed our solar system,” Dr. Steinhardt said. The above is A penteract (5-cube) pattern using 5D orthographic projection to 2D using Petrie polygon basis vectors overlaid on the diffractogram from an Icosahedral Ho-Mg-Zn quasicrystal. (Credit: NYTimes)
via nytimes