12 research outputs found
A Lunar Backup Record of Humanity
The risk of a catastrophic or existential disaster for our civilization is
increasing this century. A significant motivation for a near-term space
settlement is the opportunity to safeguard civilization in the event of a
planetary-scale disaster. A catastrophic event could destroy the significant
cultural, scientific, and technological progress on Earth. However, early space
settlements can preserve records of human activity by maintaining a backup data
storage system. The backup can also store information about the events leading
up to the disaster. The system would improve the ability of early space
settlers to recover our civilization after collapse. We show that advances in
laser communications and data storage enable the development of a data storage
system on the lunar surface with a sufficient uplink data rate and storage
capacity to preserve valuable information about the achievements of our
civilization and the chronology of the disaster.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in the journal
"Signals" (2022
Stringent Limits on the Polarized Submillimeter Emission from Protoplanetary Disks
We present arcsecond-resolution Submillimeter Array (SMA) polarimetric
observations of the 880 um continuum emission from the protoplanetary disks
around two nearby stars, HD 163296 and TW Hydrae. Although previous
observations and theoretical work have suggested that a 2-3% polarization
fraction should be common for the millimeter continuum emission from such
disks, we detect no polarized continuum emission above a 3-sigma upper limit of
7 mJy in each arcsecond-scale beam, or <1% in integrated continuum emission. We
compare the SMA upper limits with the predictions from the exploratory Cho &
Lazarian (2007) model of polarized emission from T Tauri disks threaded by
toroidal magnetic fields, and rule out their fiducial model at the ~10-sigma
level. We explore some potential causes for this discrepancy, focusing on model
parameters that describe the shape, magnetic field alignment, and size
distribution of grains in the disk. We also investigate related effects like
the magnetic field strength and geometry, scattering off of large grains, and
the efficiency of grain alignment, including recent advances in grain alignment
theory, which are not considered in the fiducial model. We discuss the impact
each parameter would have on the data and determine that the suppression of
polarized emission plausibly arises from rounding of large grains, reduced
efficiency of grain alignment with the magnetic field, and/or some degree of
magnetic field tangling (perhaps due to turbulence). A poloidal magnetic field
geometry could also reduce the polarization signal, particularly for a face-on
viewing geometry like the TW Hya disk. The data provided here offer the most
stringent limits to date on the polarized millimeter-wavelength emission from
disks around young stars.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
A study of a coronal hole associated with a large filament eruption
We report the results of a detailed study of an equatorial coronal hole and a dimming region related to the eruptions of a nearby large filament and subsequent coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The dynamic eruptions of the filament and the associated CMEs are probably related to the magnetic reconnection involving the magnetic field lines at the filament footpoints. During the starting processes of the filament eruption, we observed several newly emerged small magnetic flux concentrations close to the filament footpoints. Disturbance increase in the prominence body was observed during the pre-eruption processes. After the filament eruption, we observed evacuated filament material from the filament channel towards the coronal hole. Thus, all the region is perturbed and EUV loops and bright points are observed before and after the eruptions. Additionally, after the CME, we observed the disappearance of the dimming region and the coronal hole, followed by photospheric magnetic diffusion. We discussed a possible magnetic reconnection scenario and MHD waves involved during these processes.National Science Foundation/[1212096]/NSF/Estados UnidosNational Aeronautics and Space Administration/[NNX14AJ53G]/NASA/Estados UnidosUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigaciones Espaciales (CINESPA
The JWST Galactic Center Survey -- A White Paper
The inner hundred parsecs of the Milky Way hosts the nearest supermassive
black hole, largest reservoir of dense gas, greatest stellar density, hundreds
of massive main and post main sequence stars, and the highest volume density of
supernovae in the Galaxy. As the nearest environment in which it is possible to
simultaneously observe many of the extreme processes shaping the Universe, it
is one of the most well-studied regions in astrophysics. Due to its proximity,
we can study the center of our Galaxy on scales down to a few hundred AU, a
hundred times better than in similar Local Group galaxies and thousands of
times better than in the nearest active galaxies. The Galactic Center (GC) is
therefore of outstanding astrophysical interest. However, in spite of intense
observational work over the past decades, there are still fundamental things
unknown about the GC. JWST has the unique capability to provide us with the
necessary, game-changing data. In this White Paper, we advocate for a JWST
NIRCam survey that aims at solving central questions, that we have identified
as a community: i) the 3D structure and kinematics of gas and stars; ii)
ancient star formation and its relation with the overall history of the Milky
Way, as well as recent star formation and its implications for the overall
energetics of our galaxy's nucleus; and iii) the (non-)universality of star
formation and the stellar initial mass function. We advocate for a large-area,
multi-epoch, multi-wavelength NIRCam survey of the inner 100\,pc of the Galaxy
in the form of a Treasury GO JWST Large Program that is open to the community.
We describe how this survey will derive the physical and kinematic properties
of ~10,000,000 stars, how this will solve the key unknowns and provide a
valuable resource for the community with long-lasting legacy value.Comment: This White Paper will be updated when required (e.g. new authors
joining, editing of content). Most recent update: 24 Oct 202
A Lunar Backup Record of Humanity
The risk of a catastrophic or existential disaster for our civilization is increasing this century. A significant motivation for a near-term space settlement is the opportunity to safeguard civilization in the event of a planetary-scale disaster. A catastrophic event could destroy the significant cultural, scientific, and technological progress on Earth. However, early space settlements can preserve records of human activity by maintaining a backup data storage system. The backup can also store information about the events leading up to the disaster. The system would improve the ability of early space settlers to recover our civilization after collapse. We show that advances in laser communications and data storage enable the development of a data storage system on the lunar surface with a sufficient uplink data rate and storage capacity to preserve valuable information about the achievements of our civilization and the chronology of the disaster