scholarly journals LIGHT SUPERCONDUCTING STRINGS IN THE GALAXY

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (12b) ◽  
pp. 2399-2405 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCESC FERRER ◽  
TANMAY VACHASPATI

Observations of the Milky Way by the SPI/INTEGRAL satellite have confirmed the presence of a strong 511 keV gamma ray line emission from the bulge, which requires an intense source of positrons in the galactic center. These observations are hard to account for by conventional astrophysical scenarios, whereas other proposals, such as light DM, face stringent constraints from the diffuse gamma ray background. Here we suggest that light superconducting strings could be the source of the observed 511 keV emission. The associated particle physics, at the ~ 1 TeV scale, is within the reach of planned accelerator experiments, while the distinguishing spatial distribution, proportional to the galactic magnetic field, could be mapped by SPI or by future, more sensitive satellite missions.

1998 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 237-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Leisawitz ◽  
S.W. Digel ◽  
S. Geitz

The Astrophysics Data Facility at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center supports the processing, management, and dissemination of data obtained by past, current, and future NASA and international astrophysics missions, and promotes the effective use of those data by the astrophysics community, educators, and the public. Our Multiwavelength Milky Way poster was printed for broad distribution. It depicts the Galaxy at radio, infrared, optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths. In particular, the poster contains images of the Galactic 21-cm and CO (J = 1 → 0) line emission, and IRAS 12, 60, and 100 μm, COBE/DIRBE 1.25, 2.2, and 3.5 μm, Digitized Sky Survey optical wavelength, ROSAT/PSPC 0.25, 0.75, and 1.5 keV X-ray, and CGRO/EGRET E > 100 MeV gamma ray broadband emission. All of the data sets are publicly available. Captions describe the Milky Way and what can be learned about the Galaxy from measurements made in each segment of the electromagnetic spectrum. The poster is intended to be an educational tool, one that will stimulate heightened awareness by laypersons of NASA's contribution to modern astronomy.Through an interface available on the World Wide Web at http://adf.gsfc.nasa.gov/adf/adf.html one may view the images that appear on the poster, read the poster captions, and locate the archived data and references.


1985 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 431-435

During the triennium under review many papers reported on studies of the structure of the galactic magnetic field. Andreasyan used rotation measures (RM) of large samples of extra-galactic radio sources and pulsars (29.156.001) or radio sources (32.156.002), and Inoue and Tabara (31.156.011) used in addition optical polarization of stars to investigate the direction of the large-scale regular magnetic field. Thomson and Nelson analyse the RMs of 459 extragalactic sources (32. 161.001) to determine the best fit parameters for a galactic magnetic-field model, and find agreement with their earlier work using pulsars (27.156.009). Similarly, Sofue and Fujimoto (33.155.011) show that the characteristic features of the RM distribution on the sky are well reproduced by a model in which the magnetic field is in a bisymmetric, two-armed logarithmic spiral configuration. Finally, Welter, Perry and Kronberg (37.159.096) present a statistical analysis of the (Galaxy-corrected) residual rotation measure (RRM) of 116 QSOs.


1989 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. 617-625
Author(s):  
R. Diehl ◽  
P. v.Ballmoos ◽  
V. Schönfelder ◽  
G. E. Morfill

MPE Compton Telescope observations of MeV radiation from the direction of the Galactic Center result in constraints on the central gamma-ray source in the Galaxy: The extent of 1.8 MeV line emission from26Al suggests an26Al production process with pronounced concentration towards the Galactic Center. The absence of other gamma-ray lines constrains nucleosynthesis and cosmic ray excitation parameters in the Galaxy. Calculations demonstrate that time variable Galactic Center annihilation radiation may be related to a central26Al source.


Galaxies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Xiang Cai ◽  
Jonathan H. Jiang ◽  
Kristen A. Fahy ◽  
Yuk L. Yung

In the field of astrobiology, the precise location, prevalence, and age of potential extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) have not been explicitly explored. Here, we address these inquiries using an empirical galactic simulation model to analyze the spatial–temporal variations and the prevalence of potential ETI within the Galaxy. This model estimates the occurrence of ETI, providing guidance on where to look for intelligent life in the Search for ETI (SETI) with a set of criteria, including well-established astrophysical properties of the Milky Way. Further, typically overlooked factors such as the process of abiogenesis, different evolutionary timescales, and potential self-annihilation are incorporated to explore the growth propensity of ETI. We examine three major parameters: (1) the likelihood rate of abiogenesis (λA); (2) evolutionary timescales (Tevo); and (3) probability of self-annihilation of complex life (Pann). We found Pann to be the most influential parameter determining the quantity and age of galactic intelligent life. Our model simulation also identified a peak location for ETI at an annular region approximately 4 kpc from the galactic center around 8 billion years (Gyrs), with complex life decreasing temporally and spatially from the peak point, asserting a high likelihood of intelligent life in the galactic inner disk. The simulated age distributions also suggest that most of the intelligent life in our galaxy are young, thus making observation or detection difficult.


1989 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. 581-585
Author(s):  
W. R. Cook ◽  
D. M. Palmer ◽  
T. A. Prince ◽  
S. M. Schindler ◽  
C. H. Starr ◽  
...  

The Caltech imaging γ-ray telescope was launched by balloon from Alice Springs, NT, Australia and performed observations of the galactic center during the period 12.62 to 13.00 April 1988 UT. The first coded-aperture images of the galactic center region at energies above 30 keV show a single strong γ-ray source which is located 0.7±0.1° from the galactic nucleus and is tentatively identified as 1E1740.7-2942. If the source is at the distance of the galactic center, it is one of the most luminous objects in the galaxy at energies from 35 to 200 keV.


2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry Chernyshov ◽  
V. A. Dogiel ◽  
V. Tatischeff ◽  
Kwong-Sang Cheng ◽  
Chung-Ming Ko ◽  
...  

1990 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 379-380
Author(s):  
Kazunari Shibata ◽  
Ryoji Matsumoto

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mechanisms producing radio lobes, shells, and filaments in the Galactic center as well as in the gas disk of the Galaxy are studied by using two-dimensional MHD code: (a) the explosion in a magnetized disk, (b) the interaction of a rotating disk with vertical fields, and (c) the nonlinear Parker instability in toroidal magnetic fields in a disk. In all cases, dense shells or filaments are created along magnetic field lines in a transient state, in contrast to the quasi-equilibrium filaments perpendicular to magnetic fields.


1996 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 437-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Bloemen

Gamma-ray astronomy has become a rich field of research and matured significantly since the launch of NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory in April 1991. Studies of the diffuse γ-ray emission of the Galaxy can now be performed in far more detail and extended into the MeV regime, including both continuum and line emission. These studies provide unique insight into various aspects of the interstellar medium, in particular of the cosmic-ray component. This paper gives a brief review on the diffuse Galactic γ-ray emission and summarizes early results and prospects from the Compton Observatory.


1988 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Robert Zinn

Harlow Shapley (1918) used the positions of globular clusters in space to determine the dimensions of our Galaxy. His conclusion that the Sun does not lie near the center of the Galaxy is widely recognized as one of the most important astronomical discoveries of this century. Nearly as important, but much less publicized, was his realization that, unlike stars, open clusters, HII regions and planetary nebulae, globular clusters are not concentrated near the plane of the Milky Way. His data showed that the globular clusters are distributed over very large distances from the galactic plane and the galactic center. Ever since this discovery that the Galaxy has a vast halo containing globular clusters, it has been clear that these clusters are key objects for probing the evolution of the Galaxy. Later work, which showed that globular clusters are very old and, on average, very metal poor, underscored their importance. In the spirit of this research, which started with Shapley's, this review discusses the characteristics of the globular cluster system that have the most bearing on the evolution of the Galaxy.


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