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Quantum Device Simultaneously Detects All Electrical Units

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A standardized unit is necessary for measuring electricity

Yuichi Rochino/Getty Images

A single quantum device can now define all three units critical for understanding electricity.

When calculating electricity, one must assess the current in amperes, resistance in ohms, and voltage in volts. Before proceeding, researchers need consensus on the measurements for each unit, which has historically required separate quantum devices and often necessitated visits to different labs.

Recently, Jason Underwood and his team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Maryland have showcased how to characterize these units using a single device. “Integrating these two quantum standards has always felt like a Holy Grail,” he remarks. “It was a prolonged endeavor. Much like Sisyphus, we’ve been pushing this boulder uphill.”

This integration posed challenges as both devices depend on delicate quantum effects observable only at extremely low temperatures. Additionally, certain devices historically required magnetic fields, which could disrupt the operation of others.

The innovative “One Box” approach circumvents these issues by utilizing new materials capable of conducting quantum functions without the need for magnetic fields, allowing previously separated quantum systems to function together within the same cryostat. This method successfully measures amperes, ohms, and volts with an uncertainty of just one in millions for each unit.

However, before these combined devices can be used practically, researchers must further enhance their precision. Currently, accuracy is hampered by the heating generated when placing the two systems and their wiring too closely together. Moreover, development on the new quantum material, which facilitates the cooperation of both systems, is ongoing, according to Lindsey Rodenbach at Stanford University in California.

He views the project as a significant achievement, yet Underwood highlights that Budget constraints at NIST, funded by the US government, have impeded the team’s reach for even higher precision. He specifically mentions the agency’s “Crossing Infrastructure” report, which revealed that several NIST facilities are in disrepair. NIST has chosen not to comment on the matter.

Susmit Kumar from the Norwegian Metrology Service describes the new device as an “impressive engineering feat” that could enhance quantum electrical standards, making them more accessible and affordable for researchers and tech developers worldwide. He is part of the Quahmet Consortium, which also aims to develop user-friendly devices for measuring ohms using novel materials.

“The International System of Units is a shared language for scientists and engineers everywhere. Our goal is to simplify their use as much as possible,” says Richard Davis, a retired member of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. He adds that integrating existing devices will foster advancement moving forward.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Astounding Discovery: Curiosity Detects Long-Chain Carbon Molecules in Martian Mudstones

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Sample analysis of Mars Instrument on NASA’s Curiosity Rover detected decane, anteca and dodecane molecules in Gale Crater samples.

This graphic shows the long chain organic molecules, decane, undercane, dodecane, and rover of curiosity from NASA. Image credit: NASA/Dan Gallagher.

“The main scientific goal of Curiosity is to quantitatively assess the possibility of Mars’ habitability in the past or present,” says Dr. Caroline Freissinet, researcher at Atmosphères ET Observation Spatiales at CNRS and Laboratoire.

“Sample analysis in the MARS (SAM) instrument suite on a rover is dedicated to this task by employing inventory of organic and inorganic compounds present on the surface of Mars as potential chemical biosignatures and investigating the nature of the conservation.”

Using SAM instruments, researchers analyzed molecules released from excavated mudstone samples called Cumberlands, collected in Yellowknife Bay, the geological layer of Gale Crater.

They were able to detect three long chain alkanes: decane (c)10htwenty two), unedecane (c11htwenty four), and dodecan (c12h26).

“These long carbon chains, which contain up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms, can exhibit similar characteristics to the fatty acids produced on Earth through biological activity,” the researchers said.

Dodecane represents the highest molecular mass organic molecule ever identified on the surface of Mars.

“Detection of long-chain alkanes shows various causes of organic matter and storage mechanisms in Cumberland samples,” the scientists said.

“Clays and sulfate minerals are expected to play an important role in this long-term storage.”

According to the author, the source of Mars’ long-chain alkanes remains uncertain.

“Laboratory experiments support sources from the saturated forms of linear chains, primary carboxylic acids, i.e. decano acids, dodecano acids, and tridecano acids, for decane, undecano and dodecano acids, respectively,” they said.

“Abiotic processes can form these acids, but are considered to be a universal product of biochemistry, on the ground and perhaps Mars.”

“The origin and distribution of these molecules therefore has great interest in searching for potential biosignatures on Mars.”

Survey results It will be displayed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Caroline Freecinet et al. 2025. Long chain alkanes are preserved in the mudstones of Mars. pnas 122 (13): e2420580122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2420580122

Source: www.sci.news

Webb detects ethereal Herbig Halo objects in the Taurus Molecular Cloud.

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Using Near-infrared camera (nircam) Mid-infrared instrument (Mil)Advanced on a James Webbspace Telescope, astronomers took a stunning image of an edge-on-protoplanetary disc around a Herbig Halo object HH 30The Dark Cloud LDN 1551, is located in Taurus Molecular Cloud.

This Webb/nircam/miri shows the Herbig-Haro object HH ​​30. et al.

The Herbig-Haro object is a small bright patch of nebula associated with protostars in the star-forming region.

These structures were first observed in the 19th century by American astronomer Sherburn Wesley Burnham, but were not recognized as a distinct type of ejection nebula until the 1940s.

The first astronomers to study them in detail were George Harbigue and Guillermo Halo, and they were later named.

Herbig Halo objects are formed in very specific circumstances. Hot gas discharged by the newborn star collides with the gas, hitting it at a speed of up to 250,000 kmh (155,000 mph), creating a bright shock wave.

They come in a wide range of shapes. The basic configuration is usually the same. Twin jets of hot gases are ejected in the opposite direction from the forming stars and flow through interstellar space.

“HH 30 is an example of where this effluent gas takes the form of a narrow jet,” the astronomer said.

“The source star is on one end of the jet and is hidden behind an edge-on-protoplanetary disc illuminated by the star.”

Using Webb Instruments, researchers investigate HH 30 objects in great detail.

They also analyzed data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and Atacama's Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA).

“Long-wavelength data from Alma tracks the location of millimeter-sized dust particles in a narrow area on the middle surface of the disk,” they said.

“Short wavelength infrared data from Webb reveals the distribution of smaller dust grains.”

“These grains are one millionth of a meter in diameter. They are the size of a single bacteria.”

“Large dust grains are concentrated in the most dense portions of the disc, while small grains are much more widely used.”

“Combined with Alma's sharp radio-wavelength eyes, Webb's observations show that large dust particles must migrate within the disk and precipitate into a thin layer,” they added.

“Creating narrow, dense layers of dust is an important step in the formation of the planet.”

“In this densely populated area, dust grains together form pebbles, and ultimately form the planet itself.”

“In addition to the behavior of dust grains, images of Webb, Hubble and Alma reveal several different structures nested with each other.”

“A high-speed jet of gas appears at a 90-degree angle from the narrow central disc.”

“The narrow jet is surrounded by wider, cone-shaped spills.”

“Enclosing the cone runoff is a broad nebula that reflects the light from the young stars embedded in the disc.”

“Together, these data reveal that HH 30 is a dynamic location, where small dust grains and huge jets play a role in the formation of a new planet.”

Survey results It will be published in Astrophysical Journal.

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Ryozaki et al. 2025. JWST imaging of edge-on protranetary discs. IV. HH 30 disc mid-infrared dust scattering. APJin press; Arxiv: 2412.07523

Source: www.sci.news

Webb detects a gravitationally stretched star located 6.5 billion light years from Earth

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Using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers found that at a time when the Universe was half its current age, a single galaxy behind the galaxy cluster Abel 370 had a redshift of 0.725 (Dragon We identified a star with more than 40 microlenses in an arc (called an arc).

In this Hubble image of Abell 370, the host galaxy in which 44 stars were discovered appears several times. Image credit: NASA.

“This groundbreaking discovery demonstrates for the first time that it is possible to study large numbers of individual stars in distant galaxies,” said Fengwu Sun, a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard University & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. the doctor said.

“Previous studies using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope discovered about seven stars, and now we have the ability to resolve them in a way that was previously impossible. ”

“Importantly, observing larger numbers of individual stars will also help us better understand the dark matter in the lens surfaces of these galaxies and stars. i didn't understand.”

In the study, Sun and his colleagues analyzed web images of a galaxy known as Dragon Arc, which lies along the line of sight from Earth behind a massive galaxy cluster called Abel 370.

Through gravitational lensing, Abel 370 stretches the Dragon Arc's characteristic spiral into an elongated shape. It is a hall of mirrors as big as the universe.

Astronomers carefully analyzed the color of each star in the Dragon Arc and discovered that many of them were red supergiants. This is in contrast to previous discoveries that primarily identified blue supergiants.

The researchers say this difference in star types highlights the unique ability of Webb observations at infrared wavelengths to reveal stars even at low temperatures.

“When we discovered these individual stars, we were actually looking for background galaxies that were magnified by galaxies within this giant cluster,” Dr. Sun said.

“But when we processed the data, we found that there were many what appeared to be individual star points.”

“It was an exciting discovery because it was the first time we had been able to see so many individual stars so far away.”

“We know more about red supergiants in our local galactic neighborhood, because they are closer and we can take better images and spectra, and sometimes even break up stars. It’s from.”

“Knowledge gained from studying red supergiants in the local universe can be used in future studies to interpret what happens next to red supergiants during the early stages of galaxy formation.”

Most galaxies, including the Milky Way, contain tens of billions of stars. In nearby galaxies, such as the Andromeda galaxy, astronomers can observe stars one by one.

But in galaxies that are billions of light years away, their light has to travel billions of light years to reach us, so stars appear mixed together, which explains how galaxies form and evolve. This has been a long-standing challenge for scientists who study it.

“To us, very distant galaxies usually look like diffuse, blurry clumps,” says Dr. Yoshinobu Fudamoto, an astronomer at Chiba University.

“But in reality, those clumps are made up of so many individual stars that our telescopes can't resolve them.”

of findings Published in a magazine natural astronomy.

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Yuya Fudamoto others. Identified over 40 gravitationally expanded stars in the galaxy at redshift 0.725. Nat Astronpublished online on January 6, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02432-3

Source: www.sci.news

COP29: Satellite detects methane leaks but “super emitters” fail to address issue

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Methane plume at least 4.8 kilometers long pours into the atmosphere south of Tehran, Iran

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology

The world now has more ways than ever to discover invisible methane emissions, which are so far responsible for a third of global warming. But methane “super emitters” take little action even when warned that they are leaking large amounts of the powerful greenhouse gas, according to a report released at the COP29 climate summit.

“We’re not seeing the transparency and urgency that we need,” he says. Manfredi Caltagirone director of the United Nations Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory, recently launched a system that uses satellite data to alert methane emitters of leaks.

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas to tackle after carbon dioxide, and more countries are pledging to reduce methane emissions to avoid short-term warming. At last year’s COP28 climate summit, many of the world’s largest oil and gas companies also pledged to “elimate” methane emissions from their operations.

Today, more and more satellites are beginning to detect methane leaks from the biggest sources of methane emissions, such as oil and gas infrastructure, coal mines, landfills, and agriculture. That data is critical to holding emitters accountable, he says. mark brownstein at the Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental advocacy group that recently launched its own methane sensing satellite. “But data alone won’t solve the problem,” he says.

The first year of the UN’s Methane Alert System shows a huge gap between data and action. Over the past year, this program has 1225 alerts issued When we saw plumes of methane from oil and gas infrastructure large enough to be detected from space, we reported them to governments and companies. To date, emitters have taken steps to control these leaks only 15 times, reporting a response rate of about 1 percent.

There are many possible reasons for this, Caltagirone says. Although emissions from oil and gas infrastructure are widely considered to be the easiest to deal with, emitters may lack the technical or financial resources and some methane sources may be difficult to shut down. there is. “It’s plumbing. It’s not rocket science,” he says.

Another explanation may be that emitters are not yet accustomed to the new alarm system. However, other methane monitoring devices have reported similar lack of response. “Our success rate is not that good,” he says Jean-François Gauthier GHGSat is a Canadian company that has been issuing similar satellite alerts for many years. “About 2 or 3 percent.”

Methane super emitter plume detected in 2021

ESA/SRON

There are also some success stories. For example, the United Nations issued several warnings this year to the Algerian government about a source of methane that has been leaking continuously since at least 1999, and whose global warming impact is equivalent to driving 500,000 cars a year. It is said to be equivalent. By October, satellite data showed it had disappeared.

But the big picture shows that monitoring is not yet leading to emissions reductions. “Simply showing a plume of methane is not enough to take action,” he says. rob jackson at Stanford University in California. The central problem, he sees, is that satellites rarely reveal who owns leaky pipelines or methane-emitting wells, making accountability difficult.

Methane is a major topic of discussion at the COP29 conference currently being held in Baku, Azerbaijan. a summit At a meeting on non-CO2 greenhouse gases convened by the United States and China this week, each country announced several measures on methane emissions. That includes a U.S. fee on methane for oil and gas emitters, a rule many expect the incoming Trump administration to roll back.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Blood test accurately detects ALS in 97% of cases

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Biomarkers in blood may indicate certain medical conditions

Evgeny Sarov/Alamy

Researchers have linked eight genetic markers to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which may one day be able to diagnose the disease with a blood test.

Patients with ALS, the most common motor neuron disease, suffer from problems walking, speaking, swallowing and breathing that worsen over time and ultimately lead to death. There is no cure, but treatments such as physical therapy can help reduce the impact of these symptoms.

Doctors typically diagnose ALS using an assessment of symptoms, tests that measure electrical activity of the nerves and brain scans. A lack of awareness about ALS means doctors have to track how a patient’s symptoms progress over time before making a diagnosis, which delays treatment, doctors say. Sandra Banack At Brain Chemistry Labs, a research institute in Wyoming.

To diagnose the disease earlier, Banach and his colleagues have been analyzing blood samples from small groups of ALS patients and non-patients, and have found eight genetic markers that appear to be present at different levels in the two groups.

To test this, the team looked at blood samples from 119 people with ALS and 150 people without ALS from a biobank called the National ALS Biorepository and found that the same eight markers remained different between the two groups. These markers are related to neuronal survival, brain inflammation, memory and learning, Banak says.

The researchers then trained a machine learning model to distinguish between people with and without ALS based on the marker levels of 214 participants, and when they subsequently tested it on the remaining 55 participants, found that it correctly identified 96 percent of ALS cases and 97 percent of non-ALS cases.

“This is a wonderful thing.” Ahmad Al Khlifat “The test is excellent at distinguishing between people with ALS and those without,” said researchers from King’s College London.

The researchers estimate that the test will cost less than $150 and hope to have it available within two years, Banach said. But it needs to be tested in different groups of people first. If the team partners with the right diagnostic labs, Banach said, the test could be available within a year.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Surprising discovery: AMS detector detects a higher-than-expected number of cosmic rays containing deuterons

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Deuteron It is believed that atomic nuclei consisting of protons and neutrons, like those of helium-3 nuclei, are formed in collisions between helium-4 nuclei and other nuclei in the interstellar medium. If this were the case, the flux ratio of deuterons to helium-4 should be similar to that of helium-3 to helium-4. However, this is not the case. Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (AMS) are watching.

Aguilar othersThe deuteron flux was measured using the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on board the International Space Station.

Cosmic rays are high-energy particles with energies ranging from MeV to 10.20 Electronic V.

These properties are studied from measurements of the energy (stiffness) spectrum (number of particles per unit time, solid angle, surface area, and energy as a function of energy), which is characterized by a rapid decrease in the spectrum as the energy increases.

Cosmic rays with energies below PeV are thought to originate in our own Milky Way galaxy.

The elemental composition of these galactic cosmic rays is dominated by hydrogen nuclei, primarily protons, with helium nuclei making up about 10%, and electrons and nuclei heavier than helium making up just 1% each.

The species synthesized in stars, such as protons, electrons, and most atomic nuclei, are called primary cosmic rays.

Light nuclei, synthesized by nuclear fusion in the cores of stars, are more abundant than heavy nuclei because their production becomes energetically unfavorable as mass increases.

The synthesis of atomic nuclei heavier than iron, such as nickel, occurs through explosive phenomena such as supernova explosions that occur at the end of the life of massive stars, so atomic nuclei heavier than iron are extremely rare.

When primary nuclei are ejected from their source in space, they can collide with interstellar material and split into lighter species.

This is the primary production mechanism for atomic nuclei that are energetically unfavorable to produce by stellar nucleosynthesis, such as lithium, beryllium, boron, fluorine, scandium, titanium, and vanadium. These are called secondary cosmic rays.

Compared to primary nuclei of similar mass, secondary nuclei are less abundant and, as stiffness increases, their stiffness spectrum decreases faster than that of primary nuclei.

The energy (or rigidity) dependence of the cosmic ray spectrum arises from a combination of source-directed emission, acceleration, and propagation mechanisms that occur during a cosmic ray's passage through the galaxy.

Cosmic rays are diffusely accelerated by expanding shock waves, propagate diffusely through the interstellar medium, and are scattered by irregularities in the galactic magnetic field, both of which depend on the particle's momentum, and thus on its magnetic stiffness.

Cosmic ray propagation is described by a stiffness-dependent diffusion coefficient that incorporates the properties of turbulence in the galactic magnetic field.

“Hydrogen nuclei are the most abundant species of cosmic ray,” members of the AMS collaboration wrote in the paper.

“They are made up of two stable isotopes: protons and deuterons.”

“Big Bang nucleosynthesis predicts negligible production of deuterium, and over time the abundance of deuterons has decreased from its primordial value, with the ratio of deuterons to protons measured in the interstellar medium being 0.00002.”

“Deuterons are thought to arise primarily from the interaction of helium with interstellar matter, rather than being accelerated in supernova remnants like primary cosmic ray protons and helium-4.”

“Deuterons, along with helium-3, are called secondary cosmic rays.”

For the latest study, AMS physicists examined data from 21 million cosmic deuterons detected by AMS between May 2011 and April 2021.

When investigating how the deuteron flux varies with rigidity, a surprising feature was discovered.

The AMS data show that these ratios differ significantly above a stiffness of 4.5 GV, with the deuteron to helium-4 ratio decreasing more slowly with stiffness than the helium-3 to helium-4 ratio.

Furthermore, and again contrary to expectations, when stiffness exceeds 13 GV, the data show that the flux of deuterons is nearly the same as the flux of protons, the primary cosmic ray.

Simply put, researchers found more deuterons than expected from collisions between main helium-4 nuclei and interstellar matter.

“Measuring deuterons is very challenging due to the large cosmic proton background radiation,” said Dr Samuel Ting, spokesman for the AMS collaboration.

“Our unexpected results show how little we know about cosmic rays.”

“Future upgrades to AMS will increase the acceptance rate by 300 percent, enabling AMS to measure all charged cosmic rays with 1 percent accuracy, providing the experimental basis for the development of accurate cosmic ray theory.”

The team's paper was published in the journal Physics Review Letter.

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M. Aguilar others(AMS Collaboration). 2024. Properties of cosmic deuterons measured with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Physiotherapy Rev Lett 132(26):261001;doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.261001

Source: www.sci.news

The Event Horizon Telescope Detects a Twisted Magnetic Field Surrounding the Central Black Hole of the Milky Way

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According to astronomers’ best models of black hole evolution, the magnetic field within the accretion disk must be strong enough to push the accreted plasma out into the surroundings. New results from Sagittarius A*, the 4.3 million solar mass black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and its much larger cousin M87* provide the first direct observational evidence supporting these models.

This image from the Event Horizon Telescope shows a polarized view of Sagittarius A*. The lines superimposed on this image show the direction of polarization associated with the magnetic field around the black hole’s shadow. Image credit: EHT Collaboration.

In 2022, EHT collaboration The first image of Sagittarius A*, about 27,000 light-years from Earth, has been released, showing that the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole looks very good despite being more than 1/1000th smaller and lighter in mass than M87. revealed that they are similar.

This led scientists to wonder if the two men had more in common than just their looks. To find out, they decided to study Sagittarius A* in polarized light.

Previous studies of the light surrounding M87* revealed that the magnetic field around the supermassive black hole causes powerful jets of matter to be ejected into the surrounding environment.

Based on this study, new EHT images reveal that the same may be true for Sagittarius A*.

“What we’re seeing now is a strong, twisted, organized magnetic field near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way,” said astronomers at the Harvard University & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. said Dr. Sarah Isaun.

“In addition to having a polarization structure that is strikingly similar to that seen in the much larger and more powerful M87* black hole, Sagittarius A* has a polarization structure that is strikingly similar to that seen in the much larger and more powerful M87* black hole. We found that strong, well-ordered magnetic fields are important for how they act.”

Light is a vibrating or moving electromagnetic wave that allows us to see objects. Light can oscillate in a particular direction, which scientists call polarization.

Polarized light is all around us, but to the human eye it is indistinguishable from “normal” light.

In the plasma around these black holes, particles swirling around magnetic field lines impart a polarization pattern perpendicular to the magnetic field.

This will allow astronomers to see in clearer detail what’s happening in the black hole region and map its magnetic field lines.

“By imaging polarized light from glowing gas near a black hole, we are directly inferring the structure and strength of the magnetic field that flows through the streams of gas and matter that the black hole feeds and ejects.” said Dr. Angelo Ricarte. Astronomer at Harvard University and the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

“Polarized light can tell us much more about astrophysics, the properties of the gas, and the mechanisms that occur when black holes feed.”

But imaging black holes under polarized light isn’t as easy as wearing polarized sunglasses. This is especially true for Sagittarius A*. Sagittarius A* changes so quickly that you can’t stand still and take a photo.

Imaging supermassive black holes requires sophisticated tools beyond those previously used to capture a more stable target, M87*.

“Sagittarius A*s are like enthusiastic toddlers,” said Avery Broderick, a professor at the University of Waterloo.

“For the first time, we see invisible structures that guide matter within a black hole’s disk, drive plasma to the event horizon, and help the plasma grow.”

“Sagittarius A* moves around while trying to photograph it, so it was difficult to even construct an unpolarized image,” said astronomer Dr. Jeffrey Bower of the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica in Taipei. Told.

“The first image is an average of multiple images from the movement of Sagittarius A*.”

“I was relieved that polarized imaging was also possible. Some models had too much scrambling and turbulence to build polarized images, but nature isn’t that cruel. did.”

Professor Maria Felicia de Laurentiis, University of Naples Federico II, said: “Using samples of two black holes with very different masses and host galaxies, we can determine what they agree on and what they do not agree on.” It’s important.

“Since both point us toward strong magnetic fields, this suggests that this may be a universal and perhaps fundamental feature of this type of system.”

“One similarity between these two black holes could be a jet. But while we imaged a very obvious black hole in M87*, we have yet to find one in Sagittarius A*. not.”

The results of this research are published in two papers (paper #1 & paper #2) in Astrophysics Journal Letter.

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Collaboration with Event Horizon Telescope. 2024. Horizon telescope results for the first Sagittarius A* event. VII. Polarization of the ring. APJL 964, L25; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad2df0

Collaboration with Event Horizon Telescope. 2024. Horizon telescope results for the first Sagittarius A* event. VIII. Physical interpretation of polarization rings. APJL 964, L26; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad2df1

Source: www.sci.news

Webb Observatory detects radiation from the neutron star remnant of supernova 1987A

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SN 1987A is the only supernova visible to the naked eye in the past 400 years and the most studied supernova in history. This event was a nuclear collapse supernova, meaning that the compressed remains of its core formed either a neutron star or a black hole. Evidence for such compact objects has long been sought, and while indirect evidence for the existence of neutron stars has been found before, most likely the effects of high-energy emissions from young neutron stars have not been detected. This is the first time I have done so.

Webb observed the best evidence to date for radiation from neutron stars in SN 1987A. Image credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / C. Fransson, Stockholm University / M. Matsuura, Cardiff University / MJ Barlow, University College London / PJ Kavanagh, Maynooth University / J. Larsson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

SN 1987A was first observed on February 23, 1987 at the edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 163,000 light-years away.

This was the first supernova to be observed with the naked eye since Johannes Kepler witnessed one more than 400 years ago.

About two hours before the first visible light observation of SN 1987A, three observatories around the world detected a burst of neutrinos that lasted just a few seconds.

The two different types of observations were associated with the same supernova event and provided important evidence that informs theories about how nuclear collapse supernovae occur.

This theory included the expectation that supernovae of this type would form neutron stars or black holes.

Since then, astronomers have been searching for evidence of these compact objects at the center of expanding debris.

Indirect evidence for the presence of neutron stars at the center of remnants has been discovered in recent years, with observations of much older supernova remnants such as the Crab Nebula showing that neutron stars have been found in many supernova remnants. has been confirmed.

However, until now no direct evidence of neutron star formation in the aftermath of SN 1987A has been observed.

“Theoretical models of SN 1987A suggest that the 10-second burst of neutrinos observed just before the supernova explosion led to the formation of a neutron star or black hole,” said lead author of the study. said Claes Fransson, an astronomer at Stockholm University.

“However, no convincing signs of such a newborn object due to a supernova explosion have been observed.”

“With this observatory, we found direct evidence of ejection caused by a newborn compact object, likely a neutron star.”

In the study, Dr. Franson et al. mm and NIR spec Instruments on NASA/ESA/CSA's James Webb Space Telescope observed SN 1987A at infrared wavelengths, showing that a heavy mass whose outer electrons have been stripped (i.e., atoms have become ionized) near where the star exploded occurred. They found evidence of argon and sulfur atoms. .

They modeled a variety of scenarios in which these atoms could be driven solely by ultraviolet or They discovered that it could have been ionized only by the wind. (Pulsar wind nebula).

If the former scenario were true, the neutron star's surface would be about 1 million degrees Celsius, cooling from about 100 billion degrees Celsius at the moment it formed at its collapse center more than 30 years ago.

Professor Mike Barlow of University College London said: “The detection of strong ionizing argon and sulfur emission lines from the very center of the nebula surrounding SN1987A using Webb's MIRI and NIRSpec spectrometers suggests a central source of ionizing radiation. This is direct evidence of the existence of .

“Our data can only match neutron stars as the power source of ionizing radiation.”

“This radiation is not only emitted from the multi-million-degree surface of a hot neutron star, but also from the pulsar winds that may be produced when a neutron star spins rapidly, dragging charged particles around it. It can also be emitted from nebulae.”

“The mystery surrounding whether neutron stars are hidden in dust has been going on for more than 30 years, so we are very happy to have solved it.”

“Supernovae are the main source of the chemical elements that make life possible, so we want to accurately derive the supernova model.”

“No other object like the neutron star SN 1987A is so close to us and formed so recently. The surrounding material is expanding, so we'll see more of it over time. It will be.”

“It was clear that there had to be a high-energy radiation source at the center of the SN 1987A debris to produce the ions observed in the ejecta,” Dr. Franson said.

“The paper discusses a variety of possibilities, but we found that only a few scenarios are likely, and all of them involve newly formed neutron stars.”

of paper Published in the February 22, 2024 edition of the Journal science.

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C. Franson other. 2024. Emission lines from ionizing radiation from a compact object in the remains of supernova 1987A. science 383 (6685): 898-903; doi: 10.1126/science.adj5796

Source: www.sci.news

App-Connected Smart Hat Detects Signal Changes and Sends Notifications

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This hat looks normal, but you can sense it when the traffic light changes color

Wang Zhihun

Flexible, wear-resistant strands of conductive fibers are used to make smart clothing with embedded computers and sensors, such as hats that can sense changes in signals.

Previous efforts to create fibers with wear-resistant coatings and conductive cores have encountered problems. When materials cool and shrink at different rates during manufacturing, or are twisted and cleaned once in the final product, small stress cracks can develop and often cause smart devices to stop working.

now, Rayway Researchers at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have discovered a conductive material that shrinks on cooling and does not develop stress cracks, similar to the aluminosilicate glass used in smartphone screens. The material borrows techniques from fiber-optic cable manufacturing, and the process is cheap and “industry-ready,” Wei said.

The technique involves placing a semiconductor wire made of silicon or germanium into molten glass at a temperature of about 1000 degrees Celsius and drawing it into thin strands. The glass is later etched away with hydrofluoric acid and replaced with a polymer coating that allows for a more flexible material. Fibers can stretch up to 10 kilometers.

A small amount of this fiber is then woven into fabric using a standard loom and regular cotton. Wei says the new material alone feels like “fishing line” on the skin, so cotton is needed to make the clothes comfortable.

The researchers used the fibers to create several prototypes, including electronic sensors and chips that communicate through conductive materials, such as a hat that detects changes in the color of traffic lights. It then passes that information to a smartphone app, a jumper that can receive and decode images sent by pulses of light rather than radio waves, and a watch strap that measures the wearer's heart rate.

In a six-month test where the garment was worn, washed and dried, the fibers were durable and continued to conduct electricity.

However, there are still weaknesses. The link between the flexible material and the rigid circuit board that holds computer chips and other components tends to fail after a few months, causing smart features to stop working.

“The only part that consistently leads to test failures is the connection between the fiber and the external circuitry,” Wei says. “The challenge now is to find a stable connection method.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The ultrasound patch developed by MIT accurately detects bladder fullness

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MIT researchers have developed a wearable ultrasound patch that can non-invasively image internal organs, primarily focusing on bladder health. The device eliminates the need for an ultrasound operator or gel and could transform the monitoring of various organ functions and disease detection.

The wearable device is specifically designed to monitor the health of the bladder and kidneys and could be instrumental for early diagnosis of cancers deep within the body.

Designed in the form of a patch, the ultrasound monitor can capture images of organs inside the body without requiring an ultrasound operator or gel application. The patch can accurately image the bladder and determine its fullness, allowing patients with bladder or kidney problems to efficiently monitor the functionality of these organs.

Additionally, the wearable patch has the potential for use in monitoring other organs in the body by adjusting the ultrasound array’s position and signal frequency. This capability could enable the early detection of deep-seated cancers like ovarian cancer.

The researchers behind this groundbreaking technology are based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the study has been published in Nature Electronics. Their aim is to develop a series of devices that improve information sharing between clinicians and patients and ultimately shape the future of medical device design.

In an initial study, the wearable ultrasound patch was able to obtain bladder images comparable to traditional ultrasound probes. To advance the clinical application of this technology, the research team is working on a portable device that can be used to view the images.

The MIT team also has aspirations to develop an ultrasound device capable of imaging other deep-seated organs in the body, such as the pancreas, liver, and ovaries. This will involve designing new piezoelectric materials and conducting further research and clinical trials.

Funding for this research was provided by various organizations, including the National Science Foundation, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, Texas Instruments Corporation, and the MIT Media Lab Consortium, among others.

Source: scitechdaily.com