Researchers Show How to Make Your Own Supernova

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Researchers Show How to Make Your Own Supernova

Researchers Show How to Make Your Own Supernova:

Supernova explosion. Image credit: Shutterstock

One of the most extreme astrophysical events, supernova explosions are the violent deaths of certain stars that scatter elements heavier than hydrogen and helium into surrounding space. Our own solar system is thought to have formed when a nearby supernova exploded distributing these elements into a cloud of hydrogen that then condensed to form our sun and the planets. In fact, the very atoms that make up our bodies were formed in the remnants of such an explosion.

Working in collaboration with Imperial College, London, and AWE Aldermaston the team, led in Oxford by Professor Gianluca Gregori of the Department of Physics, are currently demonstrating their research at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, a week-long showcase of cutting-edge science from across the UK.

Witnessing and getting to grips with these experiments can help people to understand the inner workings of the Universe. Their ‘How to make a supernova’ exhibit will highlight how lasers like Orion can help us understand and appreciate the origins of the universe.

The team were able to mimic some the properties of these supernovae in the laboratory by using the most powerful lasers on earth, such as the ORION laser at AWE. Each output pulse from the laser only lasts for a few billionths of a second, but, in that time, the power it generates is equivalent to the output of the electricity grid of the whole planet.

The extremes of density and temperature produced by the lasers allow scientists to study how the supernova acts when it expands into space, and can also provide insight into how high energy particles from space are produced, how the magnetic field in the galaxy formed, and what the interior of a giant planet might look like.

Dr Jena Meinecke, Junior Research Fellow at the University Oxford, said: ‘Lasers are so powerful today that we can actually recreate aspects of tiny supernovae that could fit in the palm of your hand! This allows us to answer fundamental questions such as 'What is the origin of magnetic fields in the universe?' Imagine the possibilities.

‘Our research is helping us better understand some of the most powerful natural processes known to humankind, and more importantly, the origins of our universe.’

Professor Justin Wark, Director of the Oxford Centre for High Energy Density Science (OxCHEDS), said: ‘The Royal Society Exhibition provides an excellent platform to tell the public about the exciting research that is going on in the field of laboratory astrophysics - in particular it is a great opportunity to enthuse young people, who will be the next generation of scientists.’

The ‘How to make a supernova’ research is on display at the Royal Society’s free annual Summer Science Exhibition until 9 July.

No comments:

Post a Comment

NASA Photos Photography

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 with a distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958, disestablishing NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency became operational on October 1, 1958.

UFO SIGHTINGS PHOTO PHOTOGRAPHY

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a UFO as "An unidentified flying object; a 'flying saucer'." The first published book to use the word was authored by Donald E. Keyhoe. The acronym "UFO" was coined by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, who headed Project Blue Book, then the USAF's official investigation of UFOs. He wrote, "Obviously the term 'flying saucer' is misleading when applied to objects of every conceivable shape and performance. For this reason the military prefers the more general, if less colorful, name: unidentified flying objects. UFO (pronounced Yoo-foe) for short." Other phrases that were used officially and that predate the UFO acronym include "flying flapjack", "flying disc", "unexplained flying discs", "unidentifiable object", and "flying saucer". The phrase "flying saucer" had gained widespread attention after the summer of 1947. On June 24, a civilian pilot named Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine objects flying in formation near Mount Rainier. Arnold timed the sighting and estimated the speed of discs to be over 1,200 mph (1,931 km/h). At the time, he described the objects' shape as being somewhat disc-like or saucer-like, leading to newspaper accounts of "flying saucers" and "flying discs". In popular usage the term UFO came to be used to refer to claims of alien spacecraft. and because of the public and media ridicule associated with the topic, some investigators prefer to use such terms as unidentified aerial phenomenon (or UAP) or anomalous phenomena, as in the title of the National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP).

UFO PHOTO PHOTOGRAPHY

UFO - Unidentified Flying Object An unidentified flying object, or UFO, in its most general definition, is any apparent anomaly in the sky that is not identifiable as a known object or phenomenon. Culturally, UFOs are associated with claims of visitation by extraterrestrial life or government-related conspiracy theories, and have become popular subjects in fiction. While UFOs are often later identified, sometimes identification may not be possible owing to the usually low quality of evidence related to UFO sightings (generally anecdotal evidence and eyewitness accounts). Stories of fantastical celestial apparitions have been told since antiquity, but the term "UFO" (or "UFOB") was officially created in 1953 by the United States Air Force (USAF) to serve as a catch-all for all such reports. In its initial definition, the USAF stated that a "UFOB" was "any airborne object which by performance, aerodynamic characteristics, or unusual features, does not conform to any presently known aircraft or missile type, or which cannot be positively identified as a familiar object." Accordingly, the term was initially restricted to that fraction of cases which remained unidentified after investigation, as the USAF was interested in potential national security reasons and/or "technical aspects" (see Air Force Regulation 200-2). During the late 1940s and through the 1950s, UFOs were often referred to popularly as "flying saucers" or "flying discs". The term UFO became more widespread during the 1950s, at first in technical literature, but later in popular use. UFOs garnered considerable interest during the Cold War, an era associated with a heightened concern for national security. Various studies have concluded that the phenomenon does not represent a threat to national security nor does it contain anything worthy of scientific pursuit (e.g., 1951 Flying Saucer Working Party, 1953 CIA Robertson Panel, USAF Project Blue Book, Condon Committee).

Photos of Nature | Nature Photography What is The Universe

Photos of Nature | Nature Photography What is The Universe

Tuesday, July 25, 2017