ScienceMania

Using the light from very distant quasars to study the intergalactic space Date: July 21, 2017 Source: Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati Summary: A web that passes through infinite intergalactic spaces, a dense cosmic forest illuminated by very distant lights and a huge enigma to solve. These are the picturesque ingredients of a scientific research that adds an important element for understanding one of the fundamental components of our Universe: dark matter. Share:           FULL STORY On the left side the cosmic web in the standard cold scenario, on the right side how it would look like in the Fuzzy Dark Matter model. The curved lines in both panels show how the absorption by the neutral hydrogen in the cosmic web behaves in the two models. The right curve does not agree with the data, while the left one does. Credit: Matteo Viel A web that passes through infinite intergalactic spaces, a dense cosmic forest il...

Date:July 11, 2017 Source:University of Cambridge Summary:The smallest star yet measured has been discovered by a team of astronomers. With a size just a sliver larger than that of Saturn, the gravitational pull at its stellar surface is about 300 times stronger than what humans feel on Earth.       FULL STORY Smallest star ever discovered. Very small and dim stars are the best possible candidates for detecting Earth-sized planets which can have liquid water on their surfaces. The smallest star yet measured has been discovered by a team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge. With a size just a sliver larger than that of Saturn, the gravitational pull at its stellar surface is about 300 times stronger than what humans feel on Earth. The star is likely as small as stars can possibly become, as it has just enough mass to enable the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium. If it were any smaller, the pressure at the centre of the star would no long...

Date:July 7, 2017 Source:Oregon State University Summary:Scientists have identified patterns in the Earth's magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1,000 years, providing new insight into how the field works and adding a measure of predictability to changes in the field not previously known.       FULL STORY The geomagnetic field is critical to life on Earth. Without it, charged particles from the sun (the "solar wind") would blow away the atmosphere, scientists say. Scientists have identified patterns in Earth's magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1,000 years, providing new insight into how the field works and adding a measure of predictability to changes in the field not previously known. The discovery also will allow researchers to study the planet's past with finer resolution by using this geomagnetic "fingerprint" to compare sediment cores taken from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Results of the research, which was supp...

New laser with a linewidth of only 10 mHz developed Date:June 29, 2017 Source:Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Summary:With a linewidth of only 10 mHz, the laser that the researchers have now developed has established a new world record.       FULL STORY This is one of the two silicon resonators. No one had ever come so close to the ideal laser before: theoretically, laser light has only one single color (also frequency or wavelength). In reality, however, there is always a certain linewidth. With a linewidth of only 10 mHz, the laser that the researchers from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have now developed together with US researchers from JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder, has established a new world record. This precision is useful for various applications such as optical atomic clocks, precision spectroscopy, radioastronomy and for testi...

Date:May 25, 2017 Source:National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Summary:A research team has developed the first switch that turns on and off a quantum behavior called the Berry phase. The discovery promises to provide new insight into the fundamentals of quantum theory and may lead to new quantum electronic devices.Share:       FULL STORY These images show the orbital paths of electrons trapped within a circular region within graphene. In the classical orbit (top image), an electron that travels in a complete circuit has the same physical state as when it started on the path. However, when an applied magnetic field reaches a critical value, (bottom image), an electron completing a circuit has a different physical state its original one. The change is called a Berry phase and the magnetic field acts as a switch to turn on the Berry phase. The result is that the electron is raised to a higher energy level. When a ballerina pirouettes, twirli...

Date:June 15, 2017 Source:Green Bank Observatory Summary:Astronomers have created the largest image ever of the dense band of star-forming gas that weaves its way through the northern portion of the Orion Nebula.       FULL STORY A ribbon of ammonia -- a tracer of star-forming gas -- in the Orion Nebula as seen with the GBT (orange). Background image in blue is a WISE telescope infrared image showing the dust in the region . A team of astronomers has unveiled a striking new image of the Orion Molecular Cloud (OMC) -- a bustling stellar nursery teeming with bright, young stars and dazzling regions of hot, glowing gas. The researchers used the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia to study a 50 light-year long filament of star-forming gas that is wending its way through the northern portion of the OMC known as Orion A. The GBT rendered this image by detecting the faint radio signals naturally emitted by m...

Using mathematics in a novel way in neuroscience, scientists demonstrate that the brain operates on many dimensions, not just the 3 dimensions that we are accustomed to Date:June 12, 2017 Source:Frontiers Summary:Using a sophisticated type of mathematics in a way that it has never been used before in neuroscience, a scientists have uncovered a universe of multi-dimensional geometrical structures and spaces within the networks of the brain. This research has significant implications for our understanding of the brain.Share:       FULL STORY The image attempts to illustrate something that cannot be imaged -- a universe of multi-dimensional structures and spaces. On the left is a digital copy of a part of the neocortex, the most evolved part of the brain. On the right are shapes of different sizes and geometries in an attempt to represent structures ranging from 1 dimension to 7 dimensions and beyond. The "black-hole" in the middle is used to symbolize a com...