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Weak Lensing Mass Peaks Analysed on Dark Matter Mass Map

A number of studies have shown that Dark Matter is the principle mass component of the Universe making up about 80% of the mass budget. The most direct technique to reveal the Dark Matter distribution is by using the gravitational lensing technique. Indeed, following Einstein's theory of Gravitation, we know that a mass concentration will deform locally the Space-Time and the observed shapes of distant galaxies seen through the such concentration will be deflected and distorted.

16 Jul 2014

Researchers Analyse Pseudogap Phenomenon in Copper-Based Superconductors

Superconductors are futuristic materials that will hopefully have a broad range of technological applications at some time in the future (medical imaging, transport…). Today's use is limited by the extremely low temperatures (close to absolute zero) required for superconductivity to manifest.

15 Jul 2014

Planet Hunters Discuss Boom in Discovery of Exoplanets

Planet-hunting telescopes have recently taken a huge leap in their ability to find “exoplanets,” or planets orbiting other stars. In just the past six months, astronomers have announced the discovery of more than 700 such worlds, bringing the total to more than 1,700.

15 Jul 2014

Sheath of X-ray-Emitting Gas Surrounds Particle Jet Blasting Through Star's Surface

Astronomers analyzing a long-lasting blast of high-energy light observed in 2013 report finding features strikingly similar to those expected from an explosion from the universe's earliest stars. If this interpretation is correct, the outburst validates ideas about a recently identified class of gamma-ray burst and serves as a stand-in for what future observatories may see as the last acts of the first stars.

15 Jul 2014

Massive MicroBooNE Particle Detector Moved Into New Building

If you want to see neutrinos change flavors, you need a hefty detector.

15 Jul 2014

AAS Honors Cornell Astronomy Professor with Gerard P. Kuiper Prize

Peter Gierasch, Cornell professor of astronomy, an appraiser of atmospheres within our solar system’s distant worlds and a scientist on some of history’s famous space missions, was awarded astronomy’s prestigious Gerard P. Kuiper Prize by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) on July 2.

15 Jul 2014

Physicists Harness 'Spin Current' to Speed up Data Storage

A hard drive stores bits in the form of tiny magnetic domains. The directions of the magnetic north and south poles of these domains, which are referred to as the magnetization, determine whether they are a 0 or a 1. Data is stored by changing the direction of the magnetization of the associated bits. At present this is done using a write head to create a local magnetic field, which makes a bit change direction.

14 Jul 2014

Scientists Discover Septuplet of Ghostly Galaxies

Yale University astronomers, using a new type of telescope made by stitching together telephoto lenses, recently discovered seven celestial surprises while probing a nearby spiral galaxy. The previously unseen galaxies may yield important insights into dark matter and galaxy evolution, while possibly signaling the discovery of a new class of objects in space.

14 Jul 2014

Stars Form Like a String of Blue Pearls

Stars forming like a string of blue pearls along two elliptical galaxies could be the result of a galactic merger, according to an international team of astronomers. The structure could reveal rare insights about elliptical galaxies.

14 Jul 2014

New Technique for Measuring Age of a Star Using its Spin

Defining what makes a star "Sun-like" is as difficult as defining what makes a planet "Earth-like." A solar twin should have a temperature, mass, and spectral type similar to our Sun. We also would expect it to be about 4.5 billion years old. However, it is notoriously difficult to measure a star's age so astronomers usually ignore age when deciding if a star counts as "Sun-like."

14 Jul 2014