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When galaxies were born : the quest for cosmic dawn
\"Approximately 300,000 years after the Big Bang, all matter consisted of three chemical elements: hydrogen, helium, and a bit of lithium. This matter spread out as the universe expanded and cooled down, and from the far-flung gas clusters the first stars ignited. Eventually, due to gravitational clustering, primordial galaxies formed. The earliest galaxies, which evolved in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang, contained stars that in turn contained only hydrogen and helium. These galaxies are thought to have produced copious amounts of ultraviolet radiation, which re-ionized the hydrogen in deep space and sparked one of the major phase transitions in the universe's early evolution, called the reionization era. In When Galaxies Were Born, Ellis describes efforts to reveal the oldest, most distant stars and galaxies in the universe and, in turn, to better understand the early evolution of the universe. Observational research into the largely uncharted cosmological era of \"cosmic dawn\" is notoriously difficult and involves such major space- and ground-based observatories as ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) in Chile, the twin Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, and the Hubble Space Telescope, and it will progress in the future using the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) in Chile, the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) in Hawaii, and the NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), due to launch in mid-December 2021. While giving readers an inside look at the last several decades of progress in the field, Ellis also shares his own story and personal perspective, taking readers along as he uses observatories around the world to reveal how the first stars and galaxies came into being and how the earliest galaxies led to the further emergence of cosmic structure in the universe\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Observation of inverse Compton emission from a long γ-ray burst
Long-duration γ-ray bursts (GRBs) originate from ultra-relativistic jets launched from
the collapsing cores of dying massive stars. They are characterized by an initial phase
of bright and highly variable radiation in the kiloelectronvolt-to-megaelectronvolt band, which is probably produced within the jet and lasts from milliseconds to minutes, known as the prompt emission. Subsequently, the interaction of the jet with the surrounding medium generates shock waves that are responsible for the afterglow emission, which lasts from days to months and occurs over a broad energy range from the radio to the gigaelectronvolt bands. The afterglow emission is generally well explained as synchrotron radiation emitted by electrons accelerated by the external shock. Recently, intense long-lasting emission between 0.2 and 1 teraelectronvolts was observed from GRB 190114C. Here we report multifrequency observations of GRB 190114C, and study the evolution in time of the GRB emission across 17 orders of magnitude in energy, from 5 × 10^(−6) to 10^(12) electronvolts. We find that the broadband spectral energy distribution is double-peaked, with the teraelectronvolt emission constituting a distinct spectral component with power comparable to the synchrotron component. This component is associated with the afterglow and is satisfactorily explained by inverse Compton up-scattering of synchrotron photons by high-energy electrons. We find that the conditions required to account for the observed teraelectronvolt component are typical for GRBs, supporting the possibility that inverse Compton emission is commonly produced in GRBs.
Journal Article
The little book of exoplanets
\"The first detection in 1995 of a planet orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system marked the dawn of a new age of discovery-one that has rapidly transformed astronomy and our broader understanding of our place in the universe. Nearly five thousand exoplanets have been identified since then, with the pace of discovery only accelerating following the launch of missions like NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Satellite Survey and others to come. We now know that most sun-like stars host their own systems of planets analogous to our solar system, and a few of these planets may potentially be like Earth. But arguably the most remarkable discoveries so far have been of planets with unexpected, decidedly un-Earth-like properties, which have upended what we thought we knew about the origins of planets and planetary systems. The Little Book of Exoplanets provides a concise, cutting-edge introduction to this field for general readers, written by leading Princeton exoplanet scientist Josh Winn. It offers an accessible view into the sophisticated detective work astronomers perform to detect and characterize exoplanets, and describes the surprising, sometimes downright bizarre planets and systems we have found. Winn explains how these discoveries are revolutionizing astronomy, and explores the current status and future of our search for another Earth. He concludes with a reflection on how our discovery of exoplanets changes our perspective on the universe\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Parker Solar Probe: Four Years of Discoveries at Solar Cycle Minimum
Launched on 12 Aug. 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe had completed 13 of its scheduled 24 orbits around the Sun by Nov. 2022. The mission’s primary science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun’s coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Parker Solar Probe returned a treasure trove of science data that far exceeded quality, significance, and quantity expectations, leading to a significant number of discoveries reported in nearly 700 peer-reviewed publications. The first four years of the 7-year primary mission duration have been mostly during solar minimum conditions with few major solar events. Starting with orbit 8 (i.e., 28 Apr. 2021), Parker flew through the magnetically dominated corona, i.e., sub-Alfvénic solar wind, which is one of the mission’s primary objectives. In this paper, we present an overview of the scientific advances made mainly during the first four years of the Parker Solar Probe mission, which go well beyond the three science objectives that are: (1) Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind; (2) Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind; and (3) Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles.
Journal Article
Craters, boulders and regolith of (101955) Bennu indicative of an old and dynamic surface
Small, kilometre-sized near-Earth asteroids are expected to have young and frequently refreshed surfaces for two reasons: collisional disruptions are frequent in the main asteroid belt where they originate, and thermal or tidal processes act on them once they become near-Earth asteroids. Here we present early measurements of numerous large candidate impact craters on near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu by the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) mission, which indicate a surface that is between 100 million and 1 billion years old, predating Bennu’s expected duration as a near-Earth asteroid. We also observe many fractured boulders, the morphology of which suggests an influence of impact or thermal processes over a considerable amount of time since the boulders were exposed at the surface. However, the surface also shows signs of more recent mass movement: clusters of boulders at topographic lows, a deficiency of small craters and infill of large craters. The oldest features likely record events from Bennu’s time in the main asteroid belt.Near-Earth rubble-pile asteroid Bennu has an unexpectedly old surface, with numerous candidate impact craters and morphologically diverse boulders, according to early observations by the OSIRIS-REx mission.
Journal Article
Einstein gravity in a nutshell
\"This unique textbook provides an accessible introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity, a subject of breathtaking beauty and supreme importance in physics. With his trademark blend of wit and incisiveness, A. Zee guides readers from the fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics to the most exciting frontiers of research today, including de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spacetimes, Kaluza-Klein theory, and brane worlds. Unlike other books on Einstein gravity, this book emphasizes the action principle and group theory as guides in constructing physical theories. Zee treats various topics in a spiral style that is easy on beginners, and includes anecdotes from the history of physics that will appeal to students and experts alike. He takes a friendly approach to the required mathematics, yet does not shy away from more advanced mathematical topics such as differential forms. The extensive discussion of black holes includes rotating and extremal black holes and Hawking radiation. The ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students, Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell also provides an essential resource for professional physicists and is accessible to anyone familiar with classical mechanics and electromagnetism. It features numerous exercises as well as detailed appendices covering a multitude of topics not readily found elsewhere. Provides an accessible introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity Guides readers from Newtonian mechanics to the frontiers of modern research Emphasizes symmetry and the Einstein-Hilbert action Covers topics not found in standard textbooks on Einstein gravity Includes interesting historical asides Features numerous exercises and detailed appendices Ideal for students, physicists, and scientifically minded lay readers Solutions manual (available only to teachers) \"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Dayside Transient Phenomena and Their Impact on the Magnetosphere and Ionosphere
Dayside transients, such as hot flow anomalies, foreshock bubbles, magnetosheath jets, flux transfer events, and surface waves, are frequently observed upstream from the bow shock, in the magnetosheath, and at the magnetopause. They play a significant role in the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Foreshock transient phenomena, associated with variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure, deform the magnetopause, and in turn generates field-aligned currents (FACs) connected to the auroral ionosphere. Solar wind dynamic pressure variations and transient phenomena at the dayside magnetopause drive magnetospheric ultra low frequency (ULF) waves, which can play an important role in the dynamics of Earth’s radiation belts. These transient phenomena and their geoeffects have been investigated using coordinated in-situ spacecraft observations, spacecraft-borne imagers, ground-based observations, and numerical simulations. Cluster, THEMIS, Geotail, and MMS multi-mission observations allow us to track the motion and time evolution of transient phenomena at different spatial and temporal scales in detail, whereas ground-based experiments can observe the ionospheric projections of transient magnetopause phenomena such as waves on the magnetopause driven by hot flow anomalies or flux transfer events produced by bursty reconnection across their full longitudinal and latitudinal extent. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), hybrid, and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are powerful tools to simulate the dayside transient phenomena. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the present understanding of dayside transient phenomena at Earth and other planets, their geoeffects, and outstanding questions.
Journal Article
The sacred era : a novel
\"The magnum opus of a Japanese master of speculative fiction, and a book that established Yoshio Aramaki as a leading representative of the genre, The Sacred Era is part post-apocalyptic world, part faux-religious tract, and part dream narrative. In a distant future ruled by a new Papal Court serving the Holy Empire of Igitur, a young student known only as K arrives at the capital to take The Sacred Examination, a text that will qualify him for metaphysical research service with the court. His performance earns him an assignment in the secret Planet Bosch Research Department; this in turn puts him on the trail of a heretic executed many years earlier, whose headless ghost is still said to haunt the Papal Court, which carries him on an interplanetary pilgrimage across the Space Taklamakan Desert to the Planet Loulan, where time stands still, and finally to the mysterious, supposedly mythical Planet Bosch, a giant, floating plant-world that once orbited Earth but has somehow wandered 1,000 light years away. K's journey to this strange world, seemingly sprung from Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, is a journey into inner and outer space, as the novel traffics in mystic and metaphysical questions only to transform them into technical and astrophysical problems, translating the substance of religious and mythic texts into the language of science fiction\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, MEDA. A Suite of Environmental Sensors for the Mars 2020 Mission
NASA’s Mars 2020 (M2020) rover mission includes a suite of sensors to monitor current environmental conditions near the surface of Mars and to constrain bulk aerosol properties from changes in atmospheric radiation at the surface. The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) consists of a set of meteorological sensors including wind sensor, a barometer, a relative humidity sensor, a set of 5 thermocouples to measure atmospheric temperature at ∼1.5 m and ∼0.5 m above the surface, a set of thermopiles to characterize the thermal IR brightness temperatures of the surface and the lower atmosphere. MEDA adds a radiation and dust sensor to monitor the optical atmospheric properties that can be used to infer bulk aerosol physical properties such as particle size distribution, non-sphericity, and concentration. The MEDA package and its scientific purpose are described in this document as well as how it responded to the calibration tests and how it helps prepare for the human exploration of Mars. A comparison is also presented to previous environmental monitoring payloads landed on Mars on the Viking, Pathfinder, Phoenix, MSL, and InSight spacecraft.
Journal Article