spacescience – Institute of Space Science

A new technique to gauge the distant Universe

11/12/2015 by spacescience

Image credit: ESA/XMM-Newton/G. Hasinger, N. Cappelluti, and the XMM-COSMOS collaboration

Scientists have developed a technique to use quasars – powerful sources driven by supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies – to study the Universe’s history and composition. To demonstrate the new method, based on a relation between a quasar’s luminosity at X-ray and ultraviolet wavelengths, they made extensive use of data from XMM-Newton X-ray observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA). This approach promises to become an important tool to constrain the properties of our Universe.

Dark knowledge to search for dark matter — CERN workshop on artificial intelligence (AI)

08/12/2015 by spacescience

During 9–13 November, physicists who work on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and artificial intelligence (AI) researchers attended a workshop — the first of its kind — at which they discussed how advanced AI techniques could speed discoveries at the LHC.

A search for cosmic-ray sources with IceCube, the Pierre Auger Observatory, and the Telescope Array

08/12/2015 by spacescience

Image credit: Pierre Auger Collaboration

In a new study by the IceCube, Pierre Auger and Telescope Array Collaborations, scientists have looked for correlations between the highest energy neutrino candidates in IceCube and the highest energy cosmic rays in these two cosmic-ray observatories.

Announcement

06/01/201607/12/2015 by spacescience

The Institute of Space Science (ISS), Branch of INFLPR, is organising a competition for the positions of heads of laboratory.

CERN has launched the Beamline for Schools competition 2016

24/11/2015 by spacescience

CERN is offering high-school students from around the world the chance to create and perform a scientific experiment on a CERN accelerator beamline within the Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition. Applications are open until 1 April 2016.

Pierre Auger Observatory continues operations for another decade — Romania takes part at the International Agreement signature ceremony

19/11/201519/11/2015 by spacescience

On 16 November, Dr. Paula Gina Isar, researcher at the Institute of Space Science (ISS) and institutional representative at the Pierre Auger Observatory, took part together with other Romanian researchers at the signature ceremony of a new International Agreement for continued operation of the Observatory until 2025. The event took place during the AugerPrime Symposium, which was held from 15 to 16 November 2015 in Malargüe, Argentina, to celebrate 15 years of achievements and the AugerPrime upgrade to the Observatory. The International Collaboration counts about 450 scientists from 16 countries and 82 institutions. Former associated country during 2011-2014, Romania became a full member state of the largest cosmic ray experiment in the world in 2014.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has completed proton run for 2015 and prepares for lead collisions

09/11/2015 by spacescience

One of the first lead-lead collisions at the LHC, recorded by the ALICE detector in November 2010. Note the large number of particle tracks. Image credit: ALICE Collaboration

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has successfully completed its planned proton run for 2015, delivering the equivalent of about 400 trillion (1012) proton-proton collisions to both the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) and CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiments. LHCb (Large Hadron Collider beauty) and ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) have also enjoyed successful data taking at lower collision rates.

Workshop on ESA’s Earth Observation Programme

11/11/201502/11/2015 by spacescience

The Institute of Space Science (ISS) in collaboration with the National Institute for Research and Development in Optoelectronics (INOE2000) and the National Institute for Aerospace Research “Elie Carafoli” (INCAS) are organising today, 3 November 2015, the workshop “Romanian projects and initiatives in support of the ESA Programme for Earth Observation”. The event is taking place in the conference room of the Romanian Atmospheric Observatory (RADO) on the Physics Magurele platform, 409 Atomistilor Street, Magurele, Ilfov.

The “Lights of the World” international conference has started in Bucharest

02/11/201531/10/2015 by spacescience

Romania joins the international celebration of the International Year of Light 2015 and the 70th anniversary of UNESCO and is organising the “Lights of the World”conference from 30 October to 1 November at the Parliament Palace in Bucharest. The event will bring together personalities from Romania and from abroad, people with outstanding resultsin science, art and culture, UNESCO representatives, representatives of prestigious organisations and research centers from around the world, successful businessmen, but also tho interested public, including middle- and high-school students and teachers, researchers and university professors, who will engage in a creative and fruitful dialogue to promote the scientific universe.

Astronomers observed a star being swallowed by its host galaxy

03/11/201526/10/2015 by spacescience

Image credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/C. Carreau

Astronomers used a trio of X-ray telescopes – NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer, and ESA’s XMM-Newton – to observe a tidal disruption located in the center of a galaxy about 300 million light years away from us. This makes this event, dubbed ASASSN-14li, the closest tidal disruption discovered in ten years.