scholarly journals Formulation and resolutions of the red sky paradox

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (26) ◽  
pp. e2026808118
Author(s):  
David Kipping
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Type ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Probability Function ◽  
Prebiotic Chemistry ◽  
Bayesian Probability ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
Random Chance ◽  
Red Dwarfs ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
The Universe

Most stars in the Universe are red dwarfs. They outnumber stars like our Sun by a factor of 5 and outlive them by another factor of 20 (population-weighted mean). When combined with recent observations uncovering an abundance of temperate, rocky planets around these diminutive stars, we are faced with an apparent logical contradiction—Why do we not see a red dwarf in our sky? To address this “red sky paradox,” we formulate a Bayesian probability function concerning the odds of finding oneself around an F/G/K-spectral type (Sun-like) star. If the development of intelligent life from prebiotic chemistry is a universally rapid and ensured process, the temporal advantage of red dwarfs dissolves, softening the red sky paradox, but exacerbating the classic Fermi paradox. Otherwise, we find that humanity appears to be a 1-in-100 outlier. While this could be random chance (resolution I), we outline three other nonmutually exclusive resolutions (II to IV) that broadly act as filters to attenuate the suitability of red dwarfs for complex life. Future observations may be able to provide support for some of these. Notably, if surveys reveal a paucity of temperate rocky planets around the smallest (and most numerous) red dwarfs, then this would support resolution II. As another example, if future characterization efforts were to find that red dwarf worlds have limited windows for complex life due to stellar evolution, this would support resolution III. Solving this paradox would reveal guidance for the targeting of future remote life sensing experiments and the limits of life in the cosmos.

scholarly journals Millisecond Pulsars

1989 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 161-165
Author(s):  
J.H. Krolik
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Close Binary ◽  
Millisecond Pulsar ◽  
Millisecond Pulsars ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Cast Doubt ◽  
Standard Picture ◽  
The Universe ◽  
New System

AbstractMillisecond pulsars are intrinsically interesting because they illustrate some of the most extreme physical conditions to be found anywhere in the Universe, and because their evolution exhibits several stages of great drama. It had been widely believed for several years that spin-up of an old neutron star by accretion from a close stellar companion explained their fast rotation, but the absence of companions in several cases cast doubt on that picture. This spring a millisecond pulsar in a close binary was discovered in which the companion appears to be evaporating, thus reconciling the existence of lone millisecond pulsars with the standard picture. Ongoing observations of this new system, and complementary calculations, promise to answer many of the questions remaining about this dramatic phase in stellar evolution.

scholarly journals Time and Life in the Relational Universe: Prolegomena to an Integral Paradigm of Natural Philosophy

Philosophies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abir Igamberdiev
Keyword(s):  
Probability Function ◽  
Natural Philosophy ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Spatiotemporal Structure ◽  
Internal Logic ◽  
Decision Making System ◽  
Relational Domains ◽  
Relational Order ◽  
Infinite Set ◽  
The Universe

Relational ideas for our description of the natural world can be traced to the concept of Anaxagoras on the multiplicity of basic particles, later called “homoiomeroi” by Aristotle, that constitute the Universe and have the same nature as the whole world. Leibniz viewed the Universe as an infinite set of embodied logical essences called monads, which possess inner view, compute their own programs and perform mathematical transformations of their qualities, independently of all other monads. In this paradigm, space appears as a relational order of co-existences and time as a relational order of sequences. The relational paradigm was recognized in physics as a dependence of the spatiotemporal structure and its actualization on the observer. In the foundations of mathematics, the basic logical principles are united with the basic geometrical principles that are generic to the unfolding of internal logic. These principles appear as universal topological structures (“geometric atoms”) shaping the world. The decision-making system performs internal quantum reduction which is described by external observers via the probability function. In biology, individual systems operate as separate relational domains. The wave function superposition is restricted within a single domain and does not expand outside it, which corresponds to the statement of Leibniz that “monads have no windows”.

scholarly journals A microvariability study of nearby M dwarfs from the Western Italian Alps: Status update

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S276) ◽  
pp. 525-526
Author(s):  
Mario Damasso ◽  
Andrea Bernagozzi ◽  
Enzo Bertolini ◽  
Paolo Calcidese ◽  
Paolo Giacobbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Italian Alps ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Red Dwarfs ◽  
Typical Period ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
M Stars ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
Long Term Survey

AbstractSmall ground-based telescopes can effectively be used to look for transiting rocky planets around nearby low-mass M stars, as recently demonstrated for example by the MEarth project. Since December 2009 at the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley (OAVdA) we are monitoring photometrically a sample of red dwarfs with accurate parallax measurements. The primary goal of this ‘pilot study’ is the characterization of the photometric microvariability of each target over a typical period of approximately 2 months. This is the preparatory step to long-term survey with an array of identical small telescopes, with kick-off in early 2011. Here we discuss the present status of the study, describing the stellar sample, and presenting the most interesting results obtained so far, including the aggressive data analysis devoted to the characterization of the variability properties of the sample and the search for transit-like signals.

scholarly journals Dark Stars: Dark matter in the first stars leads to a new phase of stellar evolution

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S255) ◽  
pp. 56-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Freese ◽  
Douglas Spolyar ◽  
Anthony Aguirre ◽  
Peter Bodenheimer ◽  
Paolo Gondolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Dark Matter ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles ◽  
First Stars ◽  
History Of ◽  
Born Again ◽  
The Universe ◽  
New Phase

AbstractThe first phase of stellar evolution in the history of the universe may be Dark Stars, powered by dark matter heating rather than by fusion. Weakly interacting massive particles, which are their own antiparticles, can annihilate and provide an important heat source for the first stars in the the universe. This talk presents the story of these Dark Stars. We make predictions that the first stars are very massive (~800M⊙), cool (6000 K), bright (~106L⊙), long-lived (~106years), and probable precursors to (otherwise unexplained) supermassive black holes. Later, once the initial DM fuel runs out and fusion sets in, DM annihilation can predominate again if the scattering cross section is strong enough, so that a Dark Star is born again.

scholarly journals Mass loss from early-type stars

1970 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 209-212
Author(s):  
J. B. Hutchings
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Spectral Type ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Early Type ◽  
High Luminosity ◽  
Spectroscopic Evidence ◽  
Ob Stars ◽  
Early Type Stars ◽  
Very High ◽  
Hr Diagram

Following the detailed study of four very high luminosity OB stars, a survey has been made for spectroscopic evidence of mass loss in a number of early-type supergiants. A list of spectroscopic criteria is given and the mass loss estimates for 24 stars plotted on the HR diagram. The dependence of the phenomenon on spectral type and luminosity is discussed as well as its significance in terms of stellar evolution.

Perovskite in Earth’s deep interior

Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 358 (6364) ◽  
pp. 734-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Hirose ◽  
Ryosuke Sinmyo ◽  
John Hernlund
Keyword(s):  
Phase Transition ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Transport Properties ◽  
Lower Mantle ◽  
Dynamic Evolution ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Perovskite Type ◽  
Important Constituent

Silicate perovskite-type phases are the most abundant constituent inside our planet and are the predominant minerals in Earth’s lower mantle more than 660 kilometers below the surface. Magnesium-rich perovskite is a major lower mantle phase and undergoes a phase transition to post-perovskite near the bottom of the mantle. Calcium-rich perovskite is proportionally minor but may host numerous trace elements that record chemical differentiation events. The properties of mantle perovskites are the key to understanding the dynamic evolution of Earth, as they strongly influence the transport properties of lower mantle rocks. Perovskites are expected to be an important constituent of rocky planets larger than Mars and thus play a major role in modulating the evolution of terrestrial planets throughout the universe.

scholarly journals IAU Focus Meeting 7: Stellar Physics in Galaxies throughout the Universe

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29B) ◽  
pp. 139-141
Author(s):  
Claus Leitherer ◽  
Stéphane Charlot ◽  
Claudia Maraston
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Binary Stars ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Dust Production ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
The Universe

AbstractA 3-day Focus Meeting entitled “Stellar Physics in Galaxies throughout the Universe” was held during the IAU XXIX General Assembly. The meeting brought together astrophysicists from the stellar physics, extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology communities to discuss how current and future results can foster progress in these disjoint science areas. Areas covered include stellar evolution of single and binary stars from the zero-age main-sequence to the terminal stage, the feedback of stars to the interstellar medium via radiation, dust production and chemical enrichment, and the properties of the most massive stars and of cosmologically significant stellar phases such as AGB and Wolf-Rayet stars. The limitations of our understanding of the physics of local stars and their effects on, e.g., ages, chemical composition and the initial mass function of galaxies at low to high redshift were evaluated.

scholarly journals Four direct measurements of the fine-structure constant 13 billion years ago

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (17) ◽  
pp. eaay9672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Wilczynska ◽  
John K. Webb ◽  
Matthew Bainbridge ◽  
John D. Barrow ◽  
Sarah E. I. Bosman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Temporal Change ◽  
Structure Constant ◽  
Fine Structure Constant ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
Near Ir ◽  
Very Large Telescope ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
The Universe

Observations of the redshift z = 7.085 quasar J1120+0641 are used to search for variations of the fine structure constant, a, over the redshift range 5:5 to 7:1. Observations at z = 7:1 probe the physics of the universe at only 0.8 billion years old. These are the most distant direct measurements of a to date and the first measurements using a near-IR spectrograph. A new AI analysis method is employed. Four measurements from the x-shooter spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) constrain changes in a relative to the terrestrial value (α0). The weighted mean electromagnetic force in this location in the universe deviates from the terrestrial value by Δα/α = (αz − α0)/α0 = (−2:18 ± 7:27) × 10−5, consistent with no temporal change. Combining these measurements with existing data, we find a spatial variation is preferred over a no-variation model at the 3:9σ level.

scholarly journals How Common are Earths? How Common are Jupiters?

2004 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 41-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Lineweaver ◽  
Daniel Grether ◽  
Marton Hidas
Keyword(s):  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Simple Analysis ◽  
Know How ◽  
Difficult Question ◽  
Rocky Planets ◽  
The Universe

Among the billions of planetary systems that fill the Universe, we would like to know how ours fits in. Exoplanet data can already be used to address the question: How common are Jupiters? Here we discuss a simple analysis of recent exoplanet data indicating that Jupiter is a typical massive planet rather than an outlier. A more difficult question to address is: How common are Earths? However, much indirect evidence suggests that wet rocky planets are common.

scholarly journals The theory of winds in early type stars

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Hearn
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Spectral Type ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
Optical Measurements ◽  
Early Type ◽  
Large Uncertainty ◽  
Early Type Stars ◽  
Loss Rates

I assume that the purpose of this review of the theory of winds from early type stars is to summarize the way in which the mass loss rate of a star may be included in a calculation of stellar evolution. Let me summarize my conclusions. It is not possible. One can only use estimates of mass loss rates obtained from the observations. Even these give a large uncertainty. The observed mass loss rates for different stars of the same spectral type vary. Further the mass loss rates obtained by different methods for the same star differ. An extreme example of this is 9 Sgr. The mass loss rate derived from the radio observations is forty times greater than that derived from the U.V. and optical measurements (Abbott et al. 1980).

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