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Hotter than expected neutron star surfaces help explain superburst frequency

04-13-2007 · EurekAlert!

A new theoretical thermometer built from heavy-duty mathematics and computer code suggests that the surfaces of certain neutron stars run significantly hotter than previously expected. Hot enough, in fact, to at least partially answer an open question in astrophysics -- how to explain the observed frequency of ultra-violent explosions known as superbursts that sometimes ignite on such stars' surfaces?

Keywords: hotter, expected, neutron, star, surfaces, explain, superburst, frequency, surface

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Chandra discovers cosmic cannonball
11-28-2007 · EurekAlert!
One of the fastest moving stars ever seen has been discovered with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This cosmic cannonball is challenging theories to explain its blistering speed.Astronomers used Chandra to observe a neutron star, known as RX J0822-4300, over a period of about five years. During that span, three Chandra observations clearly show the neutron star moving away from the center of the Puppis A supernova remnant at over 3 million miles per hour.
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Global warring
07-09-2007 · EurekAlert!
Climate change, and the resulting shortage of ecological resources, could be to blame for armed conflicts in the future, according to David Zhang from the University of Hong Kong and colleagues. Their research, which highlights how temperature fluctuations and reduced agricultural production explain warfare frequency in eastern China in the past, has been published online in Springer's journal Human Ecology.
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Neutron stars join the black hole jet set
06-27-2007 · EurekAlert!
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has revealed an X-ray jet blasting away from a neutron star in a binary system. This discovery may help astronomers understand how neutron stars as well as black holes can generate powerful beams of relativistic particles.
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Scientists explain how insulin secreting cells maintain their glucose sensitivity
09-05-2007 · EurekAlert!
Scientists at the leading Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have now disclosed the mystery how the insulin-secreting cells maintain an appropriate number of ATP sensing ion channel proteins on their surface. This mechanism, which is described in the latest issue of Cell Metabolism, explains how the human body can keep the blood glucose concentration within the normal range and thereby avoid the development of diabetes.
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AGU journal highlights -- Nov. 6, 2006
11-06-2006 · EurekAlert!
In this issue, the following articles are published: Land surface evaporation increased during the second half of the 20th century; Symmetry and stability of the geomagnetic field; Quantifying lava flows at Arenal volcano, Costa Rica; Detailed analyses of the October 2005 Pakistan earthquake; Surface temperatures in China will increase despite a decrease in insolation; Ground frequency recovery after strong earthquakes; Seasonal variations in seismic velocities at Merapi Volcano, Indonesia, and A new technique for measuring turbulence dissipation rates in the ocean.
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Possible closest neutron star to Earth found
08-20-2007 · EurekAlert!
Astronomers have identified an object that is likely one of the closest neutron stars to Earth -- and possibly the closest. The object, located in the constellation Ursa Minor, is nicknamed Calvera, after the villain in the movie "The Magnificent Seven." If confirmed, it would be only the eighth known "isolated neutron star" -- a neutron star that does not have an associated supernova remnant, binary companion or radio pulsations.
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Dental crowns reveal the diet of a species:
12-14-2006 · EurekAlert!
According to recent research, the complexity of tooth surfaces reveals the diet of a species. Scientists at the University of Helsinki's Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Geology showed that the more complex the surface of an animal's teeth, the greater the share of vegetables in its diet. For instance, the teeth of carnivores and rodents differ in almost every aspect, but if a carnivore and a rodent eat similar food, their teeth are equally complex. The results were published in Nature.
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Odd little star has magnetic personality
12-05-2007 · EurekAlert!
Observations that included the Gemini Observatory show that a very low-mass star has unexpected magnetic activity and a hot spot that could cover one-half of its surface.
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Microprinting technique for patterning single molecules
02-05-2007 · EurekAlert!
A new process for creating patterns of individual molecules on a surface, known as "microcontact insertion printing," combines control of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and a soft-lithography technique known as microcontact printing. The process, which can build surfaces that have molecules with specific functions inserted at known intervals, has potential applications ranging from analysis of biochemical mixtures to molecular-scale electronic components.
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UNH researchers prove existence of new type of electron wave
07-04-2007 · EurekAlert!
New research led by University of New Hampshire physicists has proved the existence of a new type of electron wave on metal surfaces: The acoustic surface plasmon, which will have implications for developments in nano-optics, high-temperature superconductors and the fundamental understanding of chemical reactions on surfaces. The research, led by Bogdan Diaconescu and Karsten Pohl of UNH, is published in the July 5 issue of the journal Nature.
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