The recent detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) came from two black holes, each about 30 times the mass of our sun, merging into one. Gravitational waves span a wide range of frequencies that require different technologies to detect. A new study from the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) has shown that low-frequency gravitational waves could soon be detectable by existing radio telescopes.
By Elizabeth Ferrara
25 Feb 2016
APEX, the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment telescope, is located at 5100 metres above sea level on the Chajnantor Plateau in Chile's Atacama region. The ATLASGAL survey took advantage of the unique characteristics of the telescope to provide a detailed view of the distribution of cold dense gas along the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. The new image includes most of the regions of star formation in the southern Milky Way.
Three years after its explosion, a type Ia supernova continues to shine more brightly than expected, new research finds. The observations, made with the Hubble Space Telescope and published today in The Astrophysical Journal, suggest that powerful explosions like this one produce a heavy form of cobalt that gives the heat from nuclear decay an energy boost.
On September 14, 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) discovered gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes, 29 and 36 times the total mass of the Sun. This kind of occurrence is usually expected to be dark, however the Fermi Space Telescope spotted a gamma-ray burst instantly after LIGO's signal. Recent research indicates that the black holes must have been living in a single, gigantic star whose death led to the gamma-ray burst.
Merely a decade ago, people were amazed that their cellular phones could send a simple text message. Now smartphones send and receive high-resolution photographs, videos, emails with large attachments, and much more. The desire for endless data has become insatiable.
An international team has used the light produced by the Free Electron Laser FERMI at the research Centre Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste in the AREA Science Park to control the ultrafast movement of electrons. The experiment, published in the journal Nature Photonics, opens the way to the study of more complex processes which occur in nature on the scale of attoseconds (billionths of a billionth of a second), such as photosynthesis, combustion, catalysis and atmospheric chemistry.
Electrical resistance is considered a simple concept, and is similar to friction. While friction slows down objects rolling over a surface, electrical resistance slows the transfer of electrons via a conductive material. Two physicists have discovered that electrons can assist in turning resistance on its head, resulting in the production of vortices and a backward flow of electricity.
Explore the infinite mysteries of black holes and the origin of the universe at the CWU Astronomy Club Star Party. Black holes—where gravity is so strong, not even light can escape—are thought to have formed when the universe began. The event features guest speaker Jason Arakawa, whose interests include astrophysics, cosmology, and general relativity. He is a junior majoring in physics, with an astronomy minor.
Physicists have zoomed in on the transition that could explain why copper-oxides have such impressive superconducting powers.
A team of physicists including Russian researchers succeeded in conducting an experiment in which, for the first time in history, control over ultrafast motion of electrons down to three attoseconds (one attosecond refers to a second as one second refers to the lifetime of the Universe) was proved possible. This fact paves a way to new directions of research that seemed improbable before. The experiment was conducted with the help of the free-electron laser FERMI located at the "Elettra Sincrotrone" research center in Trieste, Italy.
Quantum physics is counterintuitive. Many of the phenomena in the quantum world do not have a classical analog: In the quantum world, a coin is not either heads or tails – but can have both properties at the same time. For a better understanding of such phenomena, laboratory experiments are indispensable.
The life of a subatomic particle can be hectic. The charged nuclei and electrons that zip around the vacuum vessels of doughnut-shaped fusion machines known as tokamaks are always in motion. But while that motion helps produce the fusion reactions that could power a new class of electricity generator, the turbulence it generates can also limit those reactions.
Although the star-covered night sky is regarded by many as a synonym of serenity, the cosmos is in fact a rather hostile place. It hosts many extreme environments that would instantaneously eradicate any life nearby. A new space mission is about to reveal this violent nature in greater detail than ever before: On Feb. 17, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its ASTRO-H satellite – a very precise and sensitive eye for X-rays emerging from hot and energetic processes in space. After its successful lift-off, the spacecraft was renamed “Hitomi,” which means “pupil of the eye” in Japanese.
Astronomers have discovered a spectacular tail of gas more than 300,000 light years across coming from a nearby galaxy.
Nanoco Group plc, a world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, today announced it was selected as the winner of the Prism Awards 2016 in the Materials and Coatings category for its cadmium-free CFQD® quantum dots. The award was presented at a ceremony held in San Francisco during the SPIE Photonics West Conference, February 13-18.