Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist, has discovered two new X-ray pulsars using the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The pulsars are powered by accretion of material from companion stars and have strong gravity that pulls matter toward their surfaces.
Researchers have compiled a vast collection of gamma-ray spectra, enabling identification of radioactive materials and prediction of decay. The data includes over 315 reference spectra and more than 371 associated decay schemes.
Researchers found that common soil minerals can work with ionizing radiation to break down toxic chlorinated chemicals into simpler compounds. However, this process may produce volatile gases, posing a risk of explosion at storage tanks like Hanford's.
Researchers use telescopes and computer simulations to understand gamma-ray burst explosions. They find evidence of shock waves generated by collisions between material flowing out at different velocities, potentially revealing the cause of initial visible light emission.
Astronomers have detected the brightest optical celestial object ever recorded using a low-cost, automated telescope built from recycled lenses and hardware. The ROTSE-1 telescope captured optical emissions from a gamma ray burst while it was still arriving, providing new insights into the phenomenon.
Researchers and scientists can now access the germanium (Ge) Gamma-Ray Spectrum Catalogue and a version of Heath's sodium iodide NaI(TI) Gamma-Ray Spectrum Catalogue online. The catalogues have been updated with new features, including replotted spectra, color coding, and zooming capabilities.
Astrophysicist James Annis suggests that cataclysmic gamma-ray bursts could be sterilizing galaxies, preventing extraterrestrial life from reaching Earth. This theory may provide an explanation for the Fermi Paradox, with intelligent life having recently emerged in the Galaxy and being unable to explore yet.
A rapidly spinning neutron star can naturally produce a Gamma-ray burst by oscillating and radiating its rotation energy. The spin-down process is triggered by the gravitational wave instability, which grows explosively in hours or minutes, strengthening the magnetic field and eventually radiating away all remaining rotation energy.
Researchers developed portable isotopic neutron spectroscopy (PINS) to analyze warhead contents, revealing most Solomon Islands warheads contained mustard gas. The system uses neutrons from californium to record gamma-ray emission, identifying chemical elements and fills.
Physicist Glennys Farrar proposes that extremely high-energy cosmic rays come from distant quasars, violating the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff. She suggests a new subatomic particle, the SO, with neutral and gluon-bound properties, as an alternative explanation.
Recent study examines over 100 gamma-ray bursts, finds no evidence supporting synchrotron shock model. Researchers analyze low-energy spectra to determine burst causes.
A powerful gamma-ray and X-ray burst from a distant star caused significant changes in Earth's upper atmosphere, leading to increased ionization levels and reduced radio signal range. The event has implications for our understanding of the ionosphere and its interactions with external energy sources.
Astronomers detect powerful gamma rays from SGR 1900+14, confirming the existence of magnetars and linking three mysteries: what are Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs)? The discovery provides insights into neutron star behavior and suggests a million old magnetars might be drifting through the Galaxy
Astronomers Renyue Cen suggests that gamma-ray bursts might come from supernovae expelling material at high speeds, producing jets that travel at nearly the speed of light. This theory could explain why some pulsars are moving faster than ordinary stars and potentially pose a catastrophic threat to Earth.
Researchers propose instrument to measure high-energy gamma rays from blazars, pulsars, and bursts, offering improved tracking capabilities and higher energy detection limits. The scintillating fiber detector system will act as both a tracker and calorimeter, providing a wide-angle view of the sky with unprecedented precision.
A study published in Nature Medicine suggests that the diabetes drug troglitazone may increase the risk of colon cancer by activating the PPAR receptor, which promotes tumor formation in the colon. The study found that mice treated with troglitazone developed a significantly greater number of colon polyps than those not treated.
Astronomers detected a series of at least 26 starquakes, leading to the discovery of SGR 1627-41, the fourth conclusively identified SGR. The new SGR is believed to be caused by massive starquakes and has been linked to a supernova remnant.
Scientists are making significant progress in discovering gamma-ray burst counterparts and afterglows, shedding light on these mysterious events. Fourteen papers are scheduled to be presented at the session, covering the electromagnetic spectrum from radio to gamma rays.
Scientists at Columbia University detected the largest explosion ever witnessed, a gamma-ray burst, which occurred 12 billion years ago. The event released almost as much energy as the 10 billion trillion stars in the universe combined and was detected using a rapid series of phone calls between astronomers around the world.
A NASA scientist has found a new puzzle in the sky, an X-ray pulsar that appears to burst twice every 'year' rather than once. Colleen Wilson discovered GRO J2058+42, which has no visible component and exhibits unusual behavior, suggesting it may be a binary star system with a type Be star and a neutron star in a lopsided orbit.
Astrophysicists have solved a decades-old mystery with the identification of gamma-ray burst counterparts, leading to a deeper understanding of the universe's early stages. Dr. Jan van Paradijs' discovery of an optical counterpart for a gamma-ray burst in 1997 marked a significant breakthrough.
The 191st AAS meeting will feature a lecture on the latest research on gamma-ray bursts, revealing their origin from distant reaches of the universe. Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou and Sir Martin Rees will present new findings on GRB characteristics, including temporal, spectral, and spatial analysis.
NASA's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) has recorded its 2000th gamma-ray burst, a significant milestone in the study of these violent cosmic events. The 2000th burst was smaller than average, but adds to the growing body of knowledge about gamma rays and their origins.
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have developed a non-invasive gamma knife treatment that shows comparable results to surgery in alleviating Parkinson's disease symptoms. The treatment uses high doses of radiation to destroy targeted areas of the brain, potentially offering an alternative to traditional surgical options.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's NEAR spacecraft has detected a major gamma-ray burst, validating its instrument as a true partner in the interplanetary network. The detection expands the network to locate gamma-ray sources with greater accuracy.
Astronomers calculate that a gamma ray burst has expanded to 85 times the size of our solar system and is still growing. The detection uses the 'twinkling' effect in radio astronomy, where the point where twinkling stops allows for diameter measurement.
Despite intensive searches, only a few gamma ray burst counterparts have been found, leaving scientists with more questions than answers. The lack of consistent patterns hampers the search, but continued observations with powerful instruments may help clarify the issue.
Scientists have discovered that the May 8 gamma ray burst releases an enormous amount of energy, outshining the sun in its lifetime. Radio observations indicate the fireball expands at nearly the speed of light, with a size estimated to be about one-tenth of a light-year.
Recent discoveries demonstrate that Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) originate from the most remote parts of the universe, releasing as much energy in 10 seconds as the Sun emits in its entire lifetime. The uniform distribution on the sky and brightness distribution rule out galactic halo and suggest distances exceeding billions of light years.
A new gamma-ray telescope will reveal new views of binary stars, black holes, and pulsars, shedding light on violent stellar explosions. The instrument, built by Columbia physicist Elena Aprile, will measure gamma rays between 300,000 to 30 million electron-volts, helping scientists understand element creation.
Astronomers have detected radio emission from a cosmic gamma-ray burst using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. The detection may help resolve one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics, providing unprecedented knowledge about gamma-ray bursts and their parent objects.
A team of astrophysicists discovered fewer low-energy photons in the universe than previously thought, suggesting that high-energy gamma rays may not be interacting with as many low-energy photons as expected. This observation could alter current theories of the history of the universe and galaxy formation.
Astronomers have detected a flash of light from a distant galaxy, potentially solving a 30-year mystery in astrophysics. The discovery suggests gamma-ray bursts originate from the distant reaches of the universe.
Astronomers analyze over 1,700 gamma-ray bursts and find they are isotropic, meaning their distribution on the sky is almost perfectly random. This contradicts previous theories that placed these bursts within or just outside of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
Astronomers use BATSE to detect four rare cosmic gamma-ray bursts, sparking debate about their origin and distance. The events appeared in rapid succession over two days from the same general position in the sky.
Duke University's OK-4 optical klystron FEL, developed in Russia, has begun operating at the institution, producing intense beams of gamma rays and ultraviolet laser light. The device is expected to be used for medical research and answering questions in nuclear physics.
The CUBIC observatory aims to learn more about the unknown sources of a diffuse glow of X-rays reaching the Earth. By studying the energy spectrum of these X-rays, scientists hope to gain insights into the makeup of hot gas that emitted them.
The pulsed fast-thermal neutron analysis system can detect explosives, drugs, and other elements in coal and cement. It uses gamma-ray fingerprints to identify elemental concentrations, enabling on-line analysis during industrial operations.
The Compton Observatory detected the brightest gamma-ray burst in its five and a half year mission, releasing as much energy in tens of seconds as the Sun will produce in ten-billion-year lifetime. The burst is rare and may contain information about sources that cannot be extracted from weaker events.
A team of astronomers observed extremely rapid bursts of high-energy gamma rays from a distant galaxy, challenging current theoretical models. The bursts were extremely rapid, occurring in under half an hour, while previous flares occurred over days or minutes.