Physical Sciences

X-rays Fly as Cracking Comet Streaks Across the Sky
NASA's Swift satellite captured this image of comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 as it chanced to fly in front of the Ring Nebula.
Penn State Researchers Look Beyond the Birth of the Universe
The figure represents our expanding universe as the right branch of the arc.
Penn State Joins New Survey to Monitor the Sky
A current rendering of the 8.4-meter LSST which will use a special three-mirror design, creating an exceptionally wide field of view. The LSST will have the ability to survey the visible sky in only three nights. Credit: LSST Corporation
Gases in One Dimension -- Not Your Typical Desk Toy
Images of quantum Newton’s cradles during their first cycle of oscillation. Credit: David Weiss, Penn State
New Tools Developed for Studying Neurodegenerative Brain Disorders
A simple biophysical model of an axon was used to study the catastrophic consequences of oxidative stress to neurons.
New Process Builds Electronic Function into Optical Fiber
Credit: Neil Baril, Penn State This photo shows a glass fiber with a bundle of semiconductor wires emanating from it. Each wire is just 2 microns in diameter — 20 times smaller than a human hair. The glass fiber is glowing from blue laser light.
Scientists Piece Together the Most Distant Cosmic Explosion
Image credit: Dr. Neil Gehrels Figure above: Shows the counting rate in the gamma-ray instrument on Swift for two gamma-ray bursts. The top panel is for the high redshift burst observed on September 4, 2005 (GRB 050904). The bottom panel shows a typical burst for comparison; it is the one Swift detected on March 26, 2005 (GRB 050326). GRB 050904 is fainter and much longer than typical.
Swift Satellite Detects Unusual Cosmic Explosion
The collapsing star scenario that is one of the leading contenders as the cause of gamma-ray bursts. Dr. Stan Woosley of the University of California at Santa Cruz proposed the collapsar theory in 1993. This artist's concept of the collapsar model shows the center of a dying star collapsing minutes before the star implodes and emits a gamma-ray burst that is seen across the universe. Credit: NASA/Dana Berry
Deep X-ray Surveys Reveal Black Hole Population, Glimpse at the Universe
Planet Discovered by a New Detection Technique
An artist’s rendition shows a planet orbiting a very young, active star pocked with dark star spots and speckled with flares and other surface activity.
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