Rim H.M. Stroeks 🇪🇺’s Post

📃Scientific paper: The TRILL project: increasing the technological readiness of Laue lenses Abstract: Hard X-/soft Gamma-ray astronomy (> 100 keV) is a crucial field for the study of important astrophysical phenomena such as the 511 keV positron annihilation line in the Galactic center region and its origin, gamma-ray bursts, soft gamma-ray repeaters, nuclear lines from SN explosions and more. However, several key questions in this field require sensitivity and angular resolution that are hardly achievable with present technology. A new generation of instruments suitable to focus hard X-/soft Gamma-rays is necessary to overcome the technological limitations of current direct-viewing telescopes. One solution is using Laue lenses based on Bragg's diffraction in a transmission configuration. To date, this technology is in an advanced stage of development and further efforts are being made in order to significantly increase its technology readiness level (TRL). To this end, massive production of suitable crystals is required, as well as an improvement of the capability of their alignment. Such a technological improvement could be exploited in stratospheric balloon experiments and, ultimately, in space missions with a telescope of about 20 m focal length, capable of focusing over a broad energy pass-band. We present the latest technological developments of the TRILL (Technological Readiness Increase for Laue Lenses) project, supported by ASI, devoted to the advancement of the technological readiness of Laue lenses. We show the method we developed for preparing suitable b... Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/ZKH ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘃 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Nikolai Semyonovich Kardashev was a prominent Soviet and Russian astrophysicist, born on April 25, 1932, in Moscow. He is best known for proposing the Kardashev Scale in 1964, which classifies civilizations based on their energy consumption capabilities. Kardashev was deeply involved in radio astronomy and was a key figure in the development of the Space VLBI mission RadioAstron. Throughout his career, he held significant positions, including deputy director of the Astro Space Center of PN Lebedev Physical Institute. He passed away on August 3, 2019. The Kardashev Scale originally defined three types of civilizations based on their energy consumption capabilities. These types represent significant milestones in technological advancement and energy utilization: * Type I: A planetary civilization capable of harnessing and utilizing all forms of energy available on its host planet, estimated at around 10^16 watts * Type II: A stellar civilization able to harness the entire energy output of its star, approximately  10^26 watts * Type III: A galactic civilization with the ability to harness and consume all the energy emitted by its galaxy, roughly 10^37 watts. Kardashev proposed this classification based on the axiom of exponential growth, with each type surpassing the previous by a factor of about 10 billion in energy consumption. While these categories provide a framework for understanding potential technological advancements, it's important to note that Earth has not yet reached Type I status, currently sitting at approximately Type 0.7276 on the scale. At the current rate of advancement, it may take centuries for Earth to reach Type I status. Some experts, like futurist Michio Kaku, estimate that we could achieve this milestone in 100-200 years. However, if energy strategies and technologies remain on their present course, it could take millennia for human civilization to become a full Type I civilization. * Global energy consumption is projected to reach approximately 887 EJ (exajoules) by 2060, advancing Earth to Type 0.7449 on the scale.  * Humanity's progress on the scale is slow but steady, with an increase of about 0.01 (from 0.72 to 0.73) occurring roughly every five years as total energy supply grows by 26%. * Emerging technologies like nuclear fusion could potentially accelerate Earth's advancement on the scale by providing nearly limitless, pollution-free energy. What do you think, will Artificial Intelligence advancements help humanity reach Type I status sooner?

One of the distinguishing features between stars and planets is their relative mass. Stars have much more mass than planets. The cosmos is full of celestial bodies with mass in between - not massive enough to be a star but way more massive than a typical planet (say 50 times than Jupiter). These bodies are known as Brown Dwarfs because they don't shine through nuclear fusion like our sun but radiate mostly in the infrared through gravitational compression On a recent trip to Tenerife, I met with Professor Eduardo L Martín, from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) who happens to be a Brown Dwarf expert. In this interview, he tells me how he will be using data from the European Space Agency's - ESA's Euclid mission, to shed more light on these often overlooked bodies in our universe. https://lnkd.in/eEDp7Y7G

While there is no shortage of complicated questions to ask about the universe, sometimes it's fun to go back to basics. In that spirit, here's the answer to a question people have asked time and time again on the Internet: "If there's no oxygen in space, how is the Sun on fire?" First off, there is molecular oxygen in space – just not a lot of it. It has been found in molecular form in a few places, including the Orion Nebula and the Rho Ophiuchi cloud, and the galaxy named Markarian 231. Even in the Orion Nebula, it is scarce, and it is definitely not the reason why the Sun "burns", because it doesn't. Earth is the only place in our solar system where we know that there is fire. In fact, it is the only place in the universe where we are sure that fire exists, and yes, that includes stars and the Sun. To have fire, you need free atmospheric oxygen. Without it, combustion simply cannot take place, and for sustained combustion, experiments show that an atmospheric volume of around 16 percent O2 is required. Despite being the third most abundant element in the universe behind helium and hydrogen, free molecular oxygen has only been found in abundance on Earth, where our atmosphere is 21 percent oxygen. The Sun is 91 percent hydrogen and 8.9 percent helium in terms of its number of atoms, and around 70.6 percent hydrogen and 27.4 percent helium by mass. If you do the math real quick, you'll notice that doesn't leave a lot of room for oxygen to be present, let alone enough to sustain fire. Instead, heat and light are generated by nuclear fusion. "The Sun's enormous mass is held together by gravitational attraction, producing immense pressure and temperature at its core," NASA explains. "At the core, the temperature is about 15 million degrees Celsius, which is sufficient to sustain thermonuclear fusion. This is a process in which atoms combine to form larger atoms and in the process release staggering amounts of energy. Specifically, in the Sun’s core, hydrogen atoms fuse to make helium." It is this that produces the Sun's heat and light. But if the Sun isn't on fire, and space is a vacuum, how do we feel the Sun's heat on Earth? With fewer particles to interact with in the (almost) vacuum of space, there is not enough matter to heat via radiation. The heat we feel on Earth is not direct heat energy from the Sun, but the result of solar radiation emitted from the Sun (wavelengths across the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light) interacting with particles on Earth. https://lnkd.in/eY-TKPBf

𝙂𝙍𝘼𝙑𝙄𝙏𝙔…… 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙄𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙐𝙈 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙏𝙄𝙀𝙍!   When we look at the fundamental forces that act upon our universe, we draw a bit of a blank when it comes to gravity, particularly at the sub-atomic level. We know that electromagnetism and the weak and strong nuclear forces use the photon, W & Z bosons, and the gluon, respectively, within their interactions. Although we have now observed gravitational waves at the macroscopic (large) level, with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory (LIGO), greater knowledge of the sub-atomic interaction of the theorised graviton particle still eludes our scientists!   This is where it gets fun……. A project currently being considered is the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which they are hoping to deploy into space somewhen around 2035 (regularly moving right, so don’t add it to your calendar quite yet). With the increased distance between points, the removal of interferences that LIGO suffers from on Earth, and the fact that they intend to put the array into orbit around the Sun, it should yield more accurate data, free of noise and interference, with 360 degree coverage of the universe. The hope is that we can start using this type of large scale data to dig down into the quantum levels and assist in the search for the sub-atomic particle (the graviton) that gravity uses to interact with all other matter and forces in our universe.   LIGO (see picture), and eventually LISA, work by measuring gravitational disturbances. A beam is split along two arms, bounced back at the ends, and directed onto a photodetector. Einstein taught us that gravity warps space so if the arms are interfered with by a gravitational wave (two black holes colliding for example) the two beams will arrive at the detector at different times, and this will be recorded.   Currently it is believed that gravity is the weakest of the 4 fundamental forces at the sub-atomic level. I feel though that there is more to it than that, and a particular element of string theory has perked my interest in this area where it predicts that gravity could in fact flow through dimensions, acting as a binding agent for the very fabric of space time!   What are your thoughts? Could gravity have a more fundamental quantum (small scale) role in our universe than we currently understand?

[One Of The Universe's Most 'Extreme' Dead Stars Just Sprang Back To Life Unexpectedly] The universe's most extreme stars just got a little bit more unexpected and mysterious. Scientists were astounded when they witnessed a "dead" neutron star with one of the most powerful magnetic fields in the cosmos unexpectedly spring back to life. The reactivation of this highly magnetic neutron star or "magnetar" doesn't conform to the current understanding of these exotic celestial objects. The team made the discovery of this magnetar's return from the dead when they spotted strange radio signals from the closest known magnetar to Earth, XTE J1810-197, located around 8,000 light-years away, using the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Parkes radio telescope, Murriyang. Most magnetars are known to emit polarized light, light with waves orientated in one particular direction. The team's findings show that the light this magnetar is circularly polarized, appearing to spiral as it moves through space. This is not only unexpected, it's also totally unprecedented. The detection of radio wave pulses from magnetars is incredibly rare, with XTE J1810-197 being just one of only a handful of known magnetars to produce them. XTE J1810-197 was first seen emitting radio waves in 2003, but then this magnetar fell silent for over a decade. The magnetar was seen emitting radio waves again in 2018 by the University of Manchester's 76-m Lovell telescope at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. Though this observation is completely unexpected, the team has an idea why this magnetar may be generating such unusual emissions. The 64-meter telescope Murriyang is outfitted with a cutting-edge ultra-wide bandwidth receiver, designed by CSIRO engineers, that is highly sensitive to changes in brightness and polarisation across a broad range of radio frequencies. This helps gather precise measurements of a range of celestial objects, especially magnetars. The researchers hope that continued observations of XTE J1810-197 with Murriyang will help provide insights into a range of extreme, powerful, and unusual magnetar-related phenomena, such as plasma dynamics, bursts of X-rays and gamma-rays, and potentially fast radio bursts. Source: https://lnkd.in/ex498VDA #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #spacenews  

An international team led by researchers at Oxford University Physics have proved Einstein was correct about a key prediction concerning black holes. Using X-ray data to test Einstein's theory of gravity, their study gives the first observational proof that a "plunging-region" exists around black holes: an area where matter stops circling the hole and instead falls straight in. Furthermore, the team found that this region exerts some of the strongest gravitational forces yet identified in the galaxy. The findings have been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The new findings are part of wide-ranging investigations into outstanding mysteries around black holes by astrophysicists at Oxford University Physics. This study focused on smaller black holes relatively close to Earth, using X-ray data gathered from NASA's space-based Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescopes. Later this year, a second Oxford team hopes to move closer to recording the first videos of larger, more distant black holes as part of a European initiative. Unlike in Newton's theory of gravity, Einstein's theory states that sufficiently close to a black hole it is impossible for particles to safely follow circular orbits. Instead, they rapidly "plunge" toward the black hole at close to the speed of light. The Oxford study assessed this region in depth for the first time, using X-ray data to gain a better understanding of the force generated by black holes. "This is the first look at how plasma, peeled from the outer edge of a star, undergoes its final fall into the center of a black hole, a process happening in a system around ten thousand light years away," said Dr. Andrew Mummery, of Oxford University Physics, who led the study. "What is really exciting is that there are many black holes in the galaxy, and we now have a powerful new technique for using them to study the strongest known gravitational fields." #Gravity #BlackHoles #PlungingRegion A black hole pulling material from a companion star towards it, forming a disc that rotates around the black hole before falling into it. (NASA / CXC/ M. Weiss)

📃Scientific paper: Unveiling the Bulge-Disc Structure, AGN Feedback, and Baryon Landscape in a Massive Spiral Galaxy with Mpc-Scale Radio Jets Abstract: This study delves into the bulge-disc components and stellar mass distribution in the fast-rotating, highly massive spiral galaxy 2MASX~J23453268-0449256, distinguished by extraordinary radio jets extending to Mpc scales. Using high-resolution multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations and multi-parameter panchromatic spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, we derive estimates for the star formation rate, total baryonic mass in stars, and warm dust properties. Our findings, validated at a spatial resolution of approximately 100 pc, reveal a pseudo-bulge rather than a classical bulge and a small nuclear bar and resonant ring, challenging conventional models of galaxy formation. Additionally, the lack of tidal debris and the highly symmetric spiral arms within a rotationally supported stellar disc indicate a tranquil coevolution of the galactic disc and its supermassive black hole (SMBH). Significantly, the galaxy exhibits suppressed star formation in its center, potentially influenced by feedback from the central accreting SMBH with powerful radio jets. Detailed multi-wavelength studies of potential star-forming gas disclose that, while hot X-ray gas cools down in the galaxy's halo, new stars do not form in the center, likely due to feedback effects. This study raises questions about the efficient fueling and sustained collimated jet ejection activity in J2345-0449, underscoring the imperative need for a comprehensive understanding of its central bl... Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/UOp ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

Universal elemental blueprint of time and space. .............. ## Spacetime as a Blueprint Spacetime is a four-dimensional continuum that merges the three spatial dimensions with time into a single framework. This concept emerged from the work of Henri Poincaré and was further developed by Hermann Minkowski, who presented it geometrically in 1908. Minkowski's formulation revealed that events in the universe are not just defined by their spatial coordinates (x, y, z) but also by their temporal coordinate (t), creating a unified model where the fabric of spacetime is influenced by mass and energy. In this model, gravity is not merely a force but a curvature of spacetime caused by mass. Objects with mass create "dents" in this fabric, which affects the motion of other objects, illustrating how spacetime acts as a blueprint for gravitational interactions. ## The Four Fundamental Forces The universe operates under four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force. Each of these forces plays a crucial role in shaping the interactions that occur within spacetime: 1. **Gravity**: Described by Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity results from the curvature of spacetime caused by mass. It governs the motion of planets, stars, and galaxies.    2. **Electromagnetism**: This force governs interactions between charged particles, responsible for electricity and magnetism. It operates at infinite ranges but is significantly stronger than gravity. 3. **Strong Nuclear Force**: The strongest of the four forces, it binds protons and neutrons within atomic nuclei. Its influence is limited to very short distances but is essential for the stability of matter. 4. **Weak Nuclear Force**: This force is responsible for processes like radioactive decay and nuclear fusion in stars, playing a vital role in elemental formation within stellar environments. ## Element Formation and Cosmic Evolution The elements that constitute matter are formed through nuclear reactions within stars, which act as factories for elemental creation. After the Big Bang, hydrogen and helium were created first; subsequent stellar processes transformed these elements into heavier ones through fusion reactions occurring in various stages of stellar evolution. For example: - In supernova explosions, massive stars produce heavy elements like gold and uranium through intense energy release during their death throes. This cosmic recycling process illustrates how the universe's elemental makeup is intricately linked to both time (the life cycles of stars) and space (the vast structures formed within it). ## Conclusion The universal elemental blueprint of time and space can thus be conceptualized as an intricate interplay between spacetime geometry and fundamental forces that govern all physical interactions. This model not only explains how matter is formed but also how it interacts across the universe. #theark

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has performed high-resolution observations of a nearby galaxy known as NGC 613. Results of the observational campaign, published May 30 on the preprint server arXiv, shed more light on the numerous giant molecular clouds in the center of this galaxy. Molecular clouds are huge complexes of interstellar gas and dust left over from the formation of galaxies, composed mostly of molecular hydrogen. Molecular clouds with masses greater than 100,000 solar masses are called giant molecular clouds (GMCs). In general, GMCs are 15–600 light years in diameter and are the coldest and densest parts of the interstellar medium. GMCs are gas reservoirs where most star formation takes place. Therefore, studying their lifecycle and characteristics is crucial to advance our knowledge about the formation and evolution of galaxies. At a distance of some 57 million light years, NGC 613 is a nearby barred spiral galaxy with a total stellar mass of about 45 billion solar masses. The galaxy has a bright core and a star-forming nuclear ring. Previous observations of NGC 613 have found that it hosts GMCs in and around its nuclear ring. Recently, a group of astronomers led by Woorak Choi of the Yonsei University in South Korea, decided to take a closer look at these GMCs, exploring their properties with ALMA. ALMA observations allowed Choi's team to identify 356 GMCs in NGC 613, out of which 158 are spatially and spectrally resolved. It turned out that the GMCs in this galaxy have sizes between 49 and 244 light years, while their velocity dispersions range from 2 to 36 km/s. The molecular gas masses of the GMCs in the sample were found to be 0.3–50 million solar masses, and their molecular gas mass surface densities were estimated to be within the range of 100–6,000 solar masses/pc². Full Article: https://lnkd.in/e82RKpNg #NGC613 #ALMA #GMCs 12CO(1-0) integrated-intensity map of NGC 613, with the 356 GMCs identified overlaid. Resolved clouds are shown as dark blue open ellipses, unresolved clouds as cyan open ellipses. The major and minor axes of each ellipse represent the RMS spatial extent of the associated cloud along its major and minor axes, respectively, extrapolated to the limit of perfect sensitivity but not been corrected (i.e. deconvolved) for the finite angular resolution. (Choi et al., 2024)