Einstein’s Universe and Beyond…

Presentation on theme: "Einstein’s Universe and Beyond…"— Presentation transcript:

1 Einstein’s Universe and Beyond…
Professor Lynn Cominsky Sonoma State University January 15, 2004

2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

3 Space

4 Space Science NASA ENTERPRISES Aerospace Biological and Technology
Physical Research Human Exploration and Development of Space Earth Science Education Space Science

5 Mars Exploration program
Living with a Star

6 Astronomy and Physics Division
Infrared, Visible and Ultraviolet Structure and Evolution of the Universe Radio, Microwave, X-ray, Gamma-ray, Gravity, Cosmic Rays

7 Structure and Evolution of the Universe
To explain structure in the Universe and forecast our cosmic destiny; To explore the cycles of matter and energy in the evolving Universe; To examine the ultimate limits of gravity and energy in the Universe ranging from the closest stars to the most distant quasars.

8 Structure and Evolution of the Universe Missions
ACE HETE-2 ASTRO E2 INTEGRAL Chandra LISA CHIPS RXTE Constellation-X SWAS GALEX Swift GLAST WMAP Gravity Probe B XMM-Newton Not yet launched In orbit Hubble

9 Spanning the EM Spectrum
Radio Infrared Visible UV X-ray Gamma ray Energy (eV) ASTRO-E2 MAP Swift SWAS ACE GP-B LISA Misfits of Science: GLAST GALEX Chandra RXTE HETE-2 CHIPS Con-X INTEGRAL XMM-Newton

10 Your first choice for on-line information!

11 SEU Main research areas
Cosmic Microwave Background X-ray Astronomy Gamma-ray Astronomy Gravity Coming soon ---- Beyond Einstein!

12 X-ray Astronomy – a brief history
Began in 1962 with the discovery of first extra-solar X-ray source (Sco X-1) in a rocket flight by Giacconi et al. (Nobel prize in 2002) First satellite was SAS-A aka Uhuru (1970-3) Uhuru

13 X-ray Astronomy First imaging X-ray satellite was Einstein Observatory ( ) Currently in orbit: RXTE, Chandra and XMM-Newton (ESA/NASA) Einstein Chandra

14 X-ray Sourcery Earliest source was Sun – corona and flares
Then neutron stars and black holes in accreting binaries were discovered to be strong x-ray emitters – 10 orders of magnitude greater!

15 Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity
Event horizon around singularity is defined by radius where escape velocity is equal to the speed of light Not even light can escape, once it has crossed the event horizon R = 2GM/c2

16 Chandra X-ray Observatory
1 arcsecond images  “HST of X-ray Astronomy” Breakthroughs in every area of study Stars Compact Objects Galaxies Galaxy Clusters 1-10 keV X-rays Launched 7/23/99 Cas A SNR shows central NS in one of Chandra’s first images

17 Black Holes Are Everywhere!
Black holes in empty space Chandra deep field Deep Image Empty Black holes in“normal” galaxies Galaxy Black holes in quasars QSO

18 Coming soon – we hope! NuSTAR
SMEX Phase A study underway Spectrum Astro will provide spacecraft and Mission Operations Center Focusing hard X-ray telescope (6-80 keV) with CdZnTe detectors Black hole finder and supernova remnant studies Launch in 8/07 if selected for flight

19 Gamma-ray Astronomy: The Big Picture
Whole sky glows Extreme environments Probes of the Universe CGRO/EGRET All Sky Map

20 Early Gamma-ray Astronomy
• Gamma-ray Bursts Vela Program : A Bomb or Not a Bomb? A few hundred events, a few hundred theories Gamma-ray Sources SAS-2 – discovered 2 pulsars (1972) COS-B – about 25 sources ( ) Most unidentified, but 1 quasar Diffuse extra-galactic background Compton GRO – four instruments Opened up the gamma-ray Universe

21 Mass and energy E = mc2 Einstein’s most famous equation
Einstein realized that mass and energy were equivalent and interchangeable This interchange is commonly observed in high-energy astronomy Swift and GLAST use this principle in different ways

22 Creating Energy from Mass
When two oppositely charged particles meet in flight, they can annihilate to create two gamma-ray photons traveling in opposite directions The rest mass of an electron or its anti-particle, the positron, is 511 keV/c2 Annihilating an electron creates E= 511 keV

23 Explosions in Space Energy is also created from mass when stars explode Supernovae herald the deaths of stars Gamma-ray Bursts signal the deaths of even more massive stars They are the birth cries of black holes

24 Gamma-Ray Bursts When you’ve seen one gamma-ray burst…..

25 Distribution of GRBs in the Sky

26 Swift Gamma-ray Burst Mission
Will study Gamma-Ray Bursts with a “swift” response Burst Alert Telescope X-ray Telescope UV/Optical Telescope Spacecraft by Spectrum Astro To be launched in 2004 Nominal 2-year lifetime

27 Detects about 150 GRBs per year and their afterglows
Swift.sonoma.edu Repoints within 50 s after detecting GRB to obtain X-ray and optical data Detects about 150 GRBs per year and their afterglows Sends initial coordinates of burst to ground within 15 s Sends high resolution coordinates of GRB to ground within 50 s Determines distance to burst within 1000 s The Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer has a complement of three coaligned instruments: the BAT, XRT, and UVOT. The XRT and UVOT are an X-ray and a UV/optical focusing telescope which will produce arcsecond positions and multiwavelength lightcurves for gamma ray Burst (GRB) afterglows. Broad band afterglow spectroscopy will produce redshifts for the majority of GRBs. BAT is a wide Field-Of-View (FOV) coded-aperture gamma ray imager that will produce arcminute GRB positions onboard within 10 seconds. The spacecraft will execute a rapid autonomous slew that will point the focusing telescopes at the BAT position in typically ~ 50s.

28 Creating Mass from Energy
Pairs of oppositely charged particles can be produced from a single energetic gamma-ray photon, interacting with converter material

29 Pair production in space
NASA is launching GLAST in 2007 Large Area Telescope (joint with DOE) GLAST Burst Monitor LAT uses pair production to track gamma-rays from space to their sources – often huge black holes! Spacecraft by Spectrum Astro

30 GLAST LAT Technologies

31 GLAST Science Explore the era of star formation in the universe, the physics of dark matter and the creation and evolution of galaxies

32 Going Beyond Einstein NASA is beginning a new program to test predictions of Einstein’s theories: What happens at the edge of a black hole? What powered the Big Bang? What is the mysterious Dark Energy that is pulling the Universe apart? Do Einstein’s theories completely describe our Universe?

33 BE Great Observatories
Constellation X LISA Four X-ray telescopes flying in formation Three satellites, each with 2 lasers and 2 test masses

34 Beyond Einstein Probes
Black Hole Finder Dark Energy Inflation Census of hidden Black Holes Measure expansion history Polarization of CMB

35 BE Mission Concept Studies
Black Hole Finder: EXIST: Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope Spectrum Astro is providing spacecraft information to concept study SSU is leading E/PO Dark Energy Probe: Leading concept is SNAP: Supernova Acceleration Probe NASA and DOE have signed agreement for “Joint Dark Energy Mission”

36 Beyond Einstein Vision Missions
Big Bang Observer Black Hole Imager Direct detection of gravitational waves from Big Bang Resolved image of the Event Horizon

37 Some last words from Einstein
“The most incomprehensible thing about the Universe is that it is comprehensible”

38 Background follows

39 GLAST design