Gamma rays: a window to the first stars?
The longest-lasting, most energetic explosions in the universe might occur in rare stars very similar to the very first stars to form in the universe.
The First Two Years of Advanced LIGO and Virgo
How quickly will Advanced LIGO/Virgo be able to detect a gravitational wave, and how precisely will they be able to tell their partner electromagnetic telescopes where to point? Today’s authors answer these questions for the most promising and best-understood type of system, binary neutron star mergers. Specifically, they take a realistic look at LIGO/Virgo’s first two online years, including their early sensitivity and expected downtime.
How Not Detecting Anything Can Be Useful
Null data are still data! Chen & Holz use a lack of detections to place a lower limit on the beaming angle of SGRBs.
Fishing For Neutrinos
A neutrino detector sits on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea whose goal it is to identify neutrinos from high-energy astrophysical sources.
2012: My Favorite Doomsday Scenarios
Let’s be serious for a moment: nothing dire is going to happen on December 21st. Rest easy. But in celebration I’ve decided to count down my top five favorite astronomical doomsday scenarios, ordered from most to least plausible.
The Christmas Burst: GRB 101225A Explained?
Last year on Christmas day, scientists observed a unique gamma-ray burst, GRB 101225A. Two interesting and very different models have developed for the ‘Christmas burst:’ a tidal disruption of a comet by a neutron star somewhere in our Galaxy, or a neutron star consuming its companion star over 5 billion light years away.