Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Upside-down underwater telescope to study visitors from space

Upside-down underwater telescope to study visitors from space

March 17, 2003

Scientists from the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds will soon be able to study some of the most elusive particles known to man, thanks to a giant telescope under the sea that looks down towards the centre of the Earth rather than up into the sky.

Together with fellow scientists from across Europe they are building a telescope 2400m (one and a half miles) under the Mediterranean Sea to detect neutrinos. These tiny elementary particles hardly exist at all, having no charge and almost no mass. Neutrinos zoom through the earth at almost the speed of light, travelling here from some of the most extreme regions of the cosmos. Understanding them will give us a new view of the Universe and may allow scientists to confirm the existence of dark matter. Dark matter is believed to make up some of the 90 per cent of the missing mass of the Universe that has never been detected.




The project, costing 20 million Euros, is the result of collaboration between 150 physicists and astronomers from sixteen European organisations.

The telescope will consist of ten 480m long strings fixed to the seabed, each with a weight at one end and a buoy at the other. Each string will have around 30 light detection photo-multipliers distributed along the entire length. The strings are connected, via a junction box on the seabed, to a 40km fibre optic cable, which relays information back to a base station on the south coast of France. Today the Nautille submarine has connected the first string to the cable using a robotic arm.

Dr Lee Thompson of the Physics and Astronomy Department at University of Sheffield is the UK project leader for Antares. He explains how the telescope works, "The photo-multipliers detect the light given off on the rare occasions when neutrinos interact with material (such as rock in the seabed or even seawater) and become muons. Muons are particles that are similar to electrons but heavier. When travelling through the water the muons give off a blue light, which the telescope will detect and record.

"Neutrinos have no charge so they always travel in a straight line. By following the path of the muons we will be able to determine where the neutrinos came from and discover the source of their creation.

"The reason that we need to build the telescope under the sea is that the water prevents muons from cosmic rays in the atmosphere from contaminating our study. By looking down the Earth also acts as a filter, as muons that haven?t been created from a neutrino will be absorbed before they can get into the study area."

Sheffield, University of



Related Dark Matter Current Events and Dark Matter News Articles Dark Matter Current Events and Dark Matter News RSS Dark Matter Current Events and Dark Matter News RSS
ESA spacecraft may help unravel cosmic mystery
When Europe's comet chaser Rosetta swings by Earth tomorrow for a critical gravity assist, tracking data will be collected to precisely measure the satellite's change in orbital energy. The results could help unravel a cosmic mystery that has stumped scientists for two decades.

Precise picture of early Universe supports 'dark matter' theory
A detailed picture of the seeds of structures in the universe has been unveiled by an international team co-led by a Cardiff University scientist.

Iowa State researchers contribute to discovery of gamma rays from starburst galaxy
Iowa State University astrophysicists contributed to the recent discovery that a galaxy quickly creating new stars is also a source of high energy gamma rays.

Science at the Petascale: Roadrunner Results Unveiled
The world's fastest supercomputer, Roadrunner, at Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed its initial "shakedown" phase doing accelerated petascale computer modeling and simulations of a variety of unclassified, fundamental science projects.

A solution to Darwin's 'mystery of the mysteries' emerges from the dark matter of the genome
Biological species are often defined on the basis of reproductive isolation. Ever since Darwin pointed out his difficulty in explaining why crosses between two species often yield sterile or inviable progeny (for instance, mules emerging from a cross between a horse and a donkey), biologists have struggled with this question.

Scientists use world's fastest supercomputer to model origins of the unseen universe
Understanding dark energy is the number one issue in explaining the universe, according to Salman Habib, of the Laboratory's Nuclear and Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology group.

Jumping genes, gene loss and genome dark matter
In research published today by Nature, an international team describes the finest map of changes to the structure of human genomes and a resource they have developed for researchers worldwide to look at the role of these changes in human disease.

Prototype developed to detect dark matter
A team of researchers from the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR) and the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS, in France) has developed a "scintillating bolometer", a device that the scientists will use in efforts to detect the dark matter of the Universe, and which has been tested at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in Huesca, Spain.

James Webb Space Telescope Begins to Take Shape at Goddard
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is starting to come together. A major component of the telescope, the Integrated Science Instrument Module structure, recently arrived at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. for testing in the Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility.

Queen's physicist unlocking the mysteries of neighbouring galaxies
An international team of astronomers, including Queen's University physicist Larry Widrow, have uncovered evidence of a nearby cosmic encounter.
More Dark Matter Current Events and Dark Matter News Articles
Dark Matter Blue Raspberry 2.6 lbs

Dark Matter Blue Raspberry 2.6 lbs
by MHP

DARK MATTER takes a quantum leap forward into a new dimension of post-workout muscle growth called the ANABOLIC AXIS. The Anabolic Axis is the time and point at which insulin levels simultaneously peak with amino acids, creatine and glycogen transport into muscle tissue during the critical 1 hour period immediately after your workout. Dark Matter is the first and only supplement to employ a new technology called Precision Nutrient Infusion, which allows for this synergistic anabolic reaction to occur at the Anabolic Axis. In order to achieve this major breakthrough, MHP scientists bio-engineered new compounds and a revolutionary High Velocity Nano-Physics Technology. These new developments have rendered all post-workout creatines, whey protein/high carbohydrate combos and all other...

Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Cosmos

Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Cosmos
by Iain Nicolson (Author)

Once we thought the universe was filled with shining stars, dust, planets, and galaxies. We now know that more than 98 percent of all matter in the universe is dark. It emits absolutely nothing yet bends space and time; keeps stars speeding around galaxies; and determines the fate of the universe.

But dark matter is only part of the story. Scientists have recently discovered that the expansion of the universe is speeding up, driven by a mysterious commodity called dark energy. Depending on what dark matter and energy happen to be, our seemingly quiet universe could end its days in a Big Rip, tearing itself apart, or a Big Crunch, collapsing down to a universe the size of nothing, ready to be reincarnated in a Big Bang once again.

For the general reader and armchair...

Dark Matter

Dark Matter
Starring: Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn, Ye Liu, Erick Avari
Directed By: Shi-Zheng Chen

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 04/14/2009 Run time: 90 minutes Rating: R

MHP, DARK MATTER FRUIT PUNCH 2.64 LB

MHP, DARK MATTER FRUIT PUNCH 2.64 LB
by MHP

DARK MATTER takes a quantum leap forward into a new dimension of post-workout muscle growth called the ANABOLIC AXIS. The Anabolic Axis is the time and point at which insulin levels simultaneously peak with amino acids, creatine and glycogen transport into muscle tissue during the critical 1 hour period immediately after your workout. Dark Matter is the first and only supplement to employ a new technology called Precision Nutrient Infusion, which allows for this synergistic anabolic reaction to occur at the Anabolic Axis. In order to achieve this major breakthrough, MHP scientists bio-engineered new compounds and a revolutionary High Velocity Nano-Physics Technology. These new developments have rendered all post-workout creatines, whey protein/high carbohydrate combos and all other...

Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora

Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora
by Sheree R. Thomas (Editor)

Like The Norton Anthology of Black Literature, this title introduces black SF, fantasy, and speculative fiction writers to the generations of readers who have not had the opportunity to explore the extraordinary scope and diversity among African-American writers in one volume. With approximately 40 short stories by Steven Barnes, Octavia E. Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Tananarive Due, and many more, this collection is a powerful treasury that will appeal to the culturally diverse audience of science fiction readers.

Maximum Human Performance Dark Matter 1200g Blue Ras,  Boxes

Maximum Human Performance Dark Matter 1200g Blue Ras, Boxes
by Maximum Human Performance

DARK MATTER takes a quantum leap forward into a new dimension of post-workout muscle growth called the ANABOLIC AXIS. The Anabolic Axis is the time and point at which insulin levels simultaneously peak with amino acids, creatine and glycogen transport into muscle tissue during the critical 1 hour period immediately after your workout. Dark Matter is the first and only supplement to employ a new technology called Precision Nutrient Infusion, which allows for this synergistic anabolic reaction to occur at the Anabolic Axis. In order to achieve this major breakthrough, MHP scientists bio-engineered new compounds and a revolutionary High Velocity Nano-Physics Technology. These new developments have rendered all post-workout creatines, whey protein/high carbohydrate combos and all other...

Dark Rage Fruit Punch 2 lbs

Dark Rage Fruit Punch 2 lbs
by MHP

The Next Generation Pre-workout Formula with EPO Blood Doping Technology Triggers Powerful Anabolic Hormone for Extreme Muscle Pumps, Power and Performance!

-Mind Blowing Pumps and Vascularity
-Increased Strength and Endurance
-Maximum Muscle Growth
-Extreme Energy, Intensity and Mental Focus
-Faster Recovery

DARK RAGE sets a new scientific standard of pre-workout supplementation with exclusive EPO Blood Doping Technology and an amazingly powerful combination of advanced, next generation ingredients designed to take your workouts to an entirely new level of intensity, increased strength, extreme muscle growth, incredible anabolic muscle pumps and fast recovery!



* Picture may be of different size or flavor

Dark Matter

Dark Matter
by S. W. Ahmed (Author)

Dark matter, the invisible substance that constitutes the bulk of all matter in the universe, remains one of science's greatest mysteries. But what if it actually is nothing more than ordinary matter purposely hidden from our view? What if we are only allowed to see a small fraction of the stars in our galaxy, because the vast majority of star systems are teeming with aliens who wish to remain unseen? Marc Zemin, a brilliant student of astrophysics, is the first human to ever stumble upon this startling secret, when his experiments with wormhole travel cause aliens to land on Earth and whisk him away into space. To his astonishment, the aliens want his help in fighting a colossal galactic war that is rapidly spiraling out of control. But as he struggles to survive from battle to battle...

Dark Matter [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

Dark Matter [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Directed By: Shi-Zheng Chen
Also With: Aidan Quinn (Primary Contributor), Blair Brown (Primary Contributor), Dan Christensen (Primary Contributor), Erick Avari (Primary Contributor), Jeshua De Horta (Primary Contributor), Joe Grifasi (Primary Contributor), Meryl Streep (Primary Contributor), Rob Campbell (Primary Contributor), Sina Amedson (Primary Contributor), Ye Liu (Primary Contributor), CategoryArthouse (Commentary), CategoryUSA (Commentary), Festival Sundance Film Festival (Commentary)

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD:it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ),ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access,SYNOPSIS: The title of "Dark Matter," a melodrama set in academia, is both a scientific concept and a blunt metaphor. Technically, it refers to a form of matter that makes up most of the universe but can't be directly observed. Applied to human affairs, it evokes the unconscious mind and the hidden, destructive forces within relationships. Specifically, the story, inspired by a tragic incident involving a Chinese student at the University of Iowa in 1991, addresses East-West cultural...

Dark Matter

Dark Matter
by IQ

Dark Matter is the new studio album from England’s legendary IQ. With a career that spans nearly 25 years, IQ remains one of the biggest names in the world of Progressive Rock. Dark Matter marks a new beginning for IQ as this album will be their first US domestic release in nearly 20 years and it is their first for Inside Out Music America. As would be expected from the title, this is a dark, brooding album, bristling with attitude and aggression reminiscent of the band’s early days but Dark Matter also contains moments of great melodic beauty. It is pure progressive rock in all its glory with soaring guitar melodies backed up with the classic sounds of Mellotrons, Moog and Hammond organ and offset by Peter Nicholls’ ever impenetrable lyrics. The classic IQ line-up of Nicholls,...

© 2009 BrightSurf.com