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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Observing one-dimensional anyons: Exotic quasiparticles in the coldest corners of the universe

    June 1, 2025, Categories  Physics, Astronomy/Space

    Illustration with balls and arrows and a ring
    Researchers inject an impurity into a one-dimensional ultracold gas, thereby generating a quasiparticle with exotic properties.

    Scientists led by Hanns-Christoph Nägerl have observed anyons — quasiparticles that differ from the familiar fermions and bosons — in a one-dimensional quantum system for the first time. The results, published in Nature, may contribute to a better understanding of quantum matter and its potential applications.

    Nature categorizes particles into two fundamental types: fermions and bosons. While matter-building particles such as quarks and electrons belong to the fermion family, bosons typically serve as force carriers — examples include photons, which mediate electromagnetic interactions, and gluons, which govern nuclear forces...

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    Cosmic mystery deepens as astronomers find object flashing in both radio waves and xuhuong rays

    May 30, 2025, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Cosmic mystery deepens as astronomers find object flashing in both radio waves and X-rays
    An image of the sky showing the region around ASKAP J1832-0911. X-rays from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, radio data from the South African MeerKAT radio telescope, and infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. Credit: Ziteng (Andy) Wang, ICRAR

    Astronomers from the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), in collaboration with international teams, have made a startling discovery about a new type of cosmic phenomenon.

    The object, known as ASKAP J1832-0911, emits pulses of radio waves and X-rays for two minutes every 44 minutes.

    The paper, “Detection of X-ray Emission from a Bright Long-Period Radio Transient,” is published in Nature.

    This is the first time objects like these, called long-period transients (LPTs), have been detected in X-rays...

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    ‘Raindrops in the Sun’s corona’: New adaptive optics shows stunning details of our star’s atmosphere

    May 28, 2025, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This image of a prominence above the solar surface is a snapshot of a 4-minute time-lapse movie that reveals its rapid, fine, and turbulent restructuring with unprecedented detail. The Sun’s fluffy-looking surface is covered by “spicules”, short-lived plasma jets, whose creation is still the subject of scientific debate. The streaks on the right of this image are coronal rain falling down onto the Sun’s surface. This image was taken by the Goode Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory using the new coronal adaptive optics system Cona. The image shows the hydrogen-alpha light emitted by the solar plasma. The image is artificially colorized, yet based on the color of hydrogen-alpha light, and darker color is brighter light. Credit: Schmidt et al./NJIT/NSO/AURA/NSF

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    Why are some rocks on the moon highly magnetic?

    May 26, 2025, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    The moon
    An image of the lunar far side.
    Credits:Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

    Why are some rocks on the moon highly magnetic?

    A large impact could have briefly amplified the moon’s weak magnetic field, creating a momentary spike that was recorded in some lunar rocks. Scientists may have solved the mystery of why the moon shows ancient signs of magnetism although it has no magnetic field today. An impact, such as from a large asteroid, could have generated a cloud of ionized particles that briefly enveloped the moon and amplified its weak magnetic field.

    Where did the moon’s magnetism go? Scientists have puzzled over this question for decades, ever since orbiting spacecraft picked up signs of a high magnetic field in lunar surface rocks...

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