Astronomy at the Frontiers of Science

Astronomy at the Frontiers of Science
Author: Jean-Pierre Lasota
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2011-08-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400716583

Astronomy is by nature an interdisciplinary activity: it involves mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. Astronomers use (and often develop) the latest technology, the fastest computers and the most refined software. In this book twenty-two leading scientists from nine countries talk about how astronomy interacts with these other sciences. They describe modern instruments used in astronomy and the relations between astronomy and technology, industry, politics and philosophy. They also discuss what it means to be an astronomer, the history of astronomy, and the place of astronomy in society today.

Cosmic Bullets

Cosmic Bullets
Author: Roger Clay
Publisher:
Total Pages: 102
Release: 1999-04-23
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

The first complete book on one of the oldest cosmic mysteries.

A Thin Cosmic Rain

A Thin Cosmic Rain
Author: Michael W. Friedlander
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2002-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674009894

Enigmatic for many years, cosmic rays are now known to be not rays at all, but particles, the nuclei of atoms, raining down continually on the earth, where they can be detected throughout the atmosphere and sometimes even thousands of feet underground. This book tells the long-running detective story behind the discovery and study of cosmic rays, a story that stretches from the early days of subatomic particle physics in the 1890s to the frontiers of high-energy astrophysics today. Writing for the amateur scientist and the educated general reader, Michael Friedlander, a cosmic ray researcher, relates the history of cosmic ray science from its accidental discovery to its present status. He explains how cosmic rays are identified and how their energies are measured, then surveys current knowledge and theories of thin cosmic rain. The most thorough, up-to-date, and readable account of these intriguing phenomena, his book makes us party to the search into the nature, behavior, and origins of cosmic rays—and into the sources of their enormous energy, sometimes hundreds of millions times greater than the energy achievable in the most powerful earthbound particle accelerators. As this search led unexpectedly to the discovery of new particles such as the muon, pion, kaon, and hyperon, and as it reveals scenes of awesome violence in the cosmos and offers clues about black holes, supernovas, neutron stars, quasars, and neutrinos, we see clearly why cosmic rays remain central to an astonishingly diverse range of research studies on scales infinitesimally small and large. Attractively illustrated, engagingly written, this is a fascinating inside look at a science at the center of our understanding of our universe.

The Astrophysics of Galactic Cosmic Rays

The Astrophysics of Galactic Cosmic Rays
Author: Roland Diehl
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 486
Release: 2002-02-28
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781402001079

Proceedings from two ISSI workshops, 18-22 October 1999 and 15-19 May 2000, Bern, Switzerland

New Frontiers for Metrology: From Biology and Chemistry to Quantum and Data Science

New Frontiers for Metrology: From Biology and Chemistry to Quantum and Data Science
Author: M.J.T. Milton
Publisher: IOS Press
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2021-12-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1643682474

The use of standard and reliable measurements is essential in many areas of life, but nowhere is it of more crucial importance than in the world of science, and physics in particular. This book contains 20 contributions presented as part of Course 206 of the International School of Physics Enrico Fermi on New Frontiers for Metrology: From Biology and Chemistry to Quantum and Data Science, held in Varenna, Italy, from 4 -13 July 2019. The Course was the 7th in the Enrico Fermi series devoted to metrology, and followed a milestone in the history of measurement: the adoption of new definitions for the base units of the SI. During the Course, participants reviewed the decision and discussed how the new foundation for metrology is opening new possibilities for physics, with several of the lecturers reflecting on the implications for an easier exploration of the unification of quantum mechanics and gravity. A wide range of other topics were covered, from measuring color and appearance to atomic weights and radiation, and including the application of metrological principles to the management and interpretation of very large sets of scientific data and the application of metrology to biology. The book also contains a selection of posters from the best of those presented by students at the Course. Offering a fascinating exploration of the latest thinking on the subject of metrology, this book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners from many fields.

What Are Gamma-Ray Bursts?

What Are Gamma-Ray Bursts?
Author: Joshua S. Bloom
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2011-01-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1400837006

A brief, cutting-edge introduction to the brightest cosmic phenomena known to science Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest—and, until recently, among the least understood—cosmic events in the universe. Discovered by chance during the cold war, these evanescent high-energy explosions confounded astronomers for decades. But a rapid series of startling breakthroughs beginning in 1997 revealed that the majority of gamma-ray bursts are caused by the explosions of young and massive stars in the vast star-forming cauldrons of distant galaxies. New findings also point to very different origins for some events, serving to complicate but enrich our understanding of the exotic and violent universe. What Are Gamma-Ray Bursts? is a succinct introduction to this fast-growing subject, written by an astrophysicist who is at the forefront of today's research into these incredible cosmic phenomena. Joshua Bloom gives readers a concise and accessible overview of gamma-ray bursts and the theoretical framework that physicists have developed to make sense of complex observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. He traces the history of remarkable discoveries that led to our current understanding of gamma-ray bursts, and reveals the decisive role these phenomena could play in the grand pursuits of twenty-first century astrophysics, from studying gravity waves and unveiling the growth of stars and galaxies after the big bang to surmising the ultimate fate of the universe itself. What Are Gamma-Ray Bursts? is an essential primer to this exciting frontier of scientific inquiry, and a must-read for anyone seeking to keep pace with cutting-edge developments in physics today.

Plasma Science

Plasma Science
Author: National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine
Publisher:
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2021-02-28
Genre:
ISBN: 9780309677608

Plasma Science and Engineering transforms fundamental scientific research into powerful societal applications, from materials processing and healthcare to forecasting space weather. Plasma Science: Enabling Technology, Sustainability, Security and Exploration discusses the importance of plasma research, identifies important grand challenges for the next decade, and makes recommendations on funding and workforce. This publication will help federal agencies, policymakers, and academic leadership understand the importance of plasma research and make informed decisions about plasma science funding, workforce, and research directions.

Introduction To Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Ray Physics

Introduction To Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Ray Physics
Author: Pierre Sokolsky
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2018-03-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0429979282

Cosmic ray physics has recently attracted a great deal of attention from the high energy physics community because of the discovery of new sources and the advent of new techniques. The result of a series of lectures prepared for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, this book is a general introduction to experimental techniques and results in the field of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. It succinctly summarizes the rapidly developing field, and provides modern results that include data from newer detectors. Combining experiment and theory, the text explores the results of a single, easy-to-understand experiment to tie together various issues involved in the physics of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays.

Cosmic Rays at Earth

Cosmic Rays at Earth
Author: P.K.F. Grieder
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 1117
Release: 2001-07-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080530052

In 1912 Victor Franz Hess made the revolutionary discovery that ionizing radiation is incident upon the Earth from outer space. He showed with ground-based and balloon-borne detectors that the intensity of the radiation did not change significantly between day and night. Consequently, the sun could not be regarded as the sources of this radiation and the question of its origin remained unanswered. Today, almost one hundred years later the question of the origin of the cosmic radiation still remains a mystery.Hess' discovery has given an enormous impetus to large areas of science, in particular to physics, and has played a major role in the formation of our current understanding of universal evolution. For example, the development of new fields of research such as elementary particle physics, modern astrophysics and cosmology are direct consequences of this discovery. Over the years the field of cosmic ray research has evolved in various directions: Firstly, the field of particle physics that was initiated by the discovery of many so-called elementary particles in the cosmic radiation. There is a strong trend from the accelerator physics community to reenter the field of cosmic ray physics, now under the name of astroparticle physics. Secondly, an important branch of cosmic ray physics that has rapidly evolved in conjunction with space exploration concerns the low energy portion of the cosmic ray spectrum. Thirdly, the branch of research that is concerned with the origin, acceleration and propagation of the cosmic radiation represents a great challenge for astrophysics, astronomy and cosmology. Presently very popular fields of research have rapidly evolved, such as high-energy gamma ray and neutrino astronomy. In addition, high-energy neutrino astronomy may soon initiate as a likely spin-off neutrino tomography of the Earth and thus open a unique new branch of geophysical research of the interior of the Earth. Finally, of considerable interest are the biological and medical aspects of the cosmic radiation because of it ionizing character and the inevitable irradiation to which we are exposed. This book is a reference manual for researchers and students of cosmic ray physics and associated fields and phenomena. It is not intended to be a tutorial. However, the book contains an adequate amount of background materials that its content should be useful to a broad community of scientists and professionals. The present book contains chiefly a data collection in compact form that covers the cosmic radiation in the vicinity of the Earth, in the Earth's atmosphere, at sea level and underground. Included are predominantly experimental but also theoretical data. In addition the book contains related data, definitions and important relations. The aim of this book is to offer the reader in a single volume a readily available comprehensive set of data that will save him the need of frequent time consuming literature searches.