UConn astrophysicist Chiara Mingarelli is part of a team of researchers who recently published data on a hint of a signal that sent ripples of excitement through the physics community. These monumental findings are the culmination of 12 and a half years of data gathered from NANOGrav—a network of pulsars across the galaxy—all in the hopes of detecting gravitational waves. Source:…
Tag: pulsars
Galaxy-Size Gravitational-Wave Detector Hints At Exotic Physics
The fabric of spacetime may be frothing with gigantic gravitational waves, and the possibility has sent physicists into a tizzy. A potential signal seen in the light from dead stellar cores known as pulsars has driven a flurry of theoretical papers speculating about exotic explanations. Scientific American reports: The most mundane, yet still quite sensational, possibility is that researchers working with…
China’s huge FAST telescope to open to international observers
FAST’s 500-meter (1,640-foot) dish makes it the world’s largest single-dish radio observatory. It’s expected to open to international observers in 2021. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/worlds-largest-radio-telescope-china-fast…
Eight binary millisecond pulsars examined by researchers
Using the Arecibo 305-m radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has investigated eight binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs). Results of this study, presented in a paper published December 30 on the arXiv pre-print server, provide important information about the properties of these sources. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-01-binary-millisecond-pulsars.html…
What is a supernova?
A supernova is a star’s colossal explosion at the end of its life, potentially outshining its entire galaxy. Read about the causes and types of supernovae here. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-is-a-supernova…
Researchers find ‘missing link’ between magnetars and rotation-powered pulsars
Researchers from the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research have made observations of a new magnetar, called Swift J1818.0-1607, which challenges current knowledge about two types of extreme stars, known as magnetars and pulsars. The research, just published in the Astrophysical Journal, was done using the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), an X-ray instrument aboard the International Space Station. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-10-link-magnetars-rotation-powered-pulsars.html…
Scientists probe dark matter in a virtual universe
The new work reveals dark matter haloes as active regions of the sky, teeming with not only galaxies, but also radiation-emitting collisions that could make it possible to find dark matter haloes in the real sky. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/supercomputer-study-zoom-in-dark-matter-haloes…
To find giant black holes, start with our solar system’s center
A new study from researchers at Vanderbilt University suggests that to find the most massive black holes, measure the effects of their gravitational waves on the flashes of light coming from pulsars. The best location to do that is at the precise gravitational center of the solar system. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/black-holes-gravitational-waves-pulsars-solar-system…
New Exotica Catalog will help guide search for ET
“What if extraterrestrial intelligences are not like us, but are found in the frigid reaches of the outer solar system, the extreme gravity of neutron stars, the brilliant cores of active galaxies, or the hearts of the richest galaxy clusters?” Source: https://earthsky.org/space/the-breakthrough-listen-exotic-target-catalog-seti-extraterrestrial-intelligence…
Future space travelers may follow cosmic lighthouses
For centuries, lighthouses helped sailors navigate safely into harbor. Their lights swept across the water, cutting through fog and darkness, guiding mariners around dangerous obstacles and keeping them on the right path. In the future, space explorers may receive similar guidance from the steady signals created by pulsars. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-future-space-cosmic-lighthouses.html…