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Simons Center for Geometry and Physics to Host 2013 String-Math Conferences

Organizing Committee: Alexander Abanov, Michael Douglas, Ljudmila Kamenova, Claude LeBrun, John Morgan, Nikita Nekrasov, Leonardo Rastelli, and Martin Rocek

27 May 2013

Best Measurement of Evolution of Extragalactic Background Light Over the Past 5 Billion Years

How much light has been emitted by all galaxies since the cosmos began? After all, almost every photon (particle of light) from ultraviolet to far infrared wavelengths ever radiated by all galaxies that ever existed throughout cosmic history is still speeding through the Universe today.

27 May 2013

Astronomers Overcome Technical Challenges of Measuring Extragalactic Background Light

If all the light emitted by all galaxies in the observable universe at all wavelengths during all of cosmic history were known, it would clue astronomers about the entire history of galaxy formation and evolution, and provide insights to key aspects of the expansion history of the universe.

27 May 2013

Astronomers Confirm Mysterious Behaviour of Two Stars

A University of Alberta physicist brought together backyard astronomers and professionals to confirm the mysterious behaviour of two stars more than 300 light-years from Earth.

27 May 2013

Ring Nebula’s Complex Structure Revealed by Hubble

The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist.

27 May 2013

AAVSO Amateur Astronomers aid ICRAR to Measure Distance to SS Cygni Star System

An extremely precise measurement of the distance to a star system has finally allowed astronomers to solve a decade-old puzzle, confirming understanding of the way exotic objects like black holes interact with nearby stars.

27 May 2013

Researchers Locate Double-Star System 370 Light-Years from Earth

Sometimes astronomy is like real estate -- what's important is location, location, and location. Astronomers have resolved a major problem in their understanding of a class of stars that undergo regular outbursts by accurately measuring the distance to a famous example of the type.

27 May 2013

ETH Zurich Physicists Develop Quantum Simulator for Magnetic Materials

Physicists understand perfectly well why a fridge magnet sticks to certain metallic surfaces. But there are more exotic forms of magnetism whose properties remain unclear, despite decades of intense research. An important step towards filling these gaps comes now from Tilman Esslinger and his group at the Department of Physics.

24 May 2013

Magnetars may be More Diverse and common than Previously Thought

Magnetars – the dense remains of dead stars that erupt sporadically with bursts of high-energy radiation - are some of the most extreme objects known in the Universe. A major campaign using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and several other satellites shows magnetars may be more diverse - and common - than previously thought.

24 May 2013

Tuning Electronic Properties of Topological Insulators may Help Realize Quantum Computers

Research teams from UW-Milwaukee and the University of York investigating the properties of ultra-thin films of new materials are helping bring quantum computing one step closer to reality.

24 May 2013

ESO Celebrates 15 Years of the Very Large Telescope with New View of Spectacular Stellar Nursery

This new picture celebrates an important anniversary for the Very Large Telescope – it is fifteen years since the first light on the first of its four Unit Telescopes, on 25 May 1998. Since then the four original giant telescopes have been joined by the four small Auxiliary Telescopes that form part of the VLT Interferometer (VLTI).

24 May 2013

3M Quantum Dot Enhancement Film in Final Stages of Scale-Up

3M announced today it is in the final stages of scale-up for its new 3M™ Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEF). The new film allows up to 50 percent more color than current levels in liquid crystal display (LCD) devices. 3M has teamed with Nanosys, Inc., to produce the 3M QDEF solution specifically to deliver more color, and to make devices such as smart phones, tablets and televisions, lighter, brighter and more energy efficient.

24 May 2013