Tidbits from 2012

Spectroscopy for the FSRQ Zoo: KIPAC scientists have amassed detailed optical light spectra for 165 FSRQ-type blazars seen by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The observations can be used to learn about their violent central regions where a supermassive black hole holds sway.
Nomadic Planets May Swarm the Galaxy: Much public attention has focused on the recent discoveries of many hundreds of planets around other stars. A group of KIPAC scientists has now estimated that there may be up to ten thousand times as many planet-sized objects flying freely through our Galaxy as there are planets orbiting stars. They explore the implications for future sky surveys such as LSST, as well as our view of planet formation and even the origin of life.
Simulations Show How Matter May Get To Where It Matters Around Black Holes: Simulations of accretion flows around black holes, involving General Relativity and relativistic plasma physics, have led to a new model of how extreme particle acceleration is achieved in the hearts of galaxies, gamma-ray bursts, and elsewhere.
Learning About Dark Matter From Invisible Satellites: Simulations suggest that our Milky Way galaxy has many dark-matter-dominated satellites swarming around it, but without large numbers of stars they are too dim to be seen as satellite galaxies. However, KIPAC astrophysicists using data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope can learn about dark matter by fishing for these dark satellites with gamma rays.
A Tool To Find Merging Needles In Cosmic Data Haystacks: Scientists from KIPAC have devised more accurate tools to track how galaxies collide in giant computer simulations, enabling researchers to learn more about what happens during these spectacular and important events.
Important Gamma Rays Glow in the Galaxy: Using Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope observations of the diffuse gamma-ray emission that fills our Galaxy, scientists are learning crucial information about the gas, dust, and high energy charged particles that form the interstellar medium of space.
Getting WISE To Infrared Emission From Blazars: A team led by a KIPAC postdoctoral researcher tried the novel idea of using an orbiting infrared telescope to see blazars, and it turns out it was just crazy enough to work.
Millisecond Pulsars Can't Hide From Multiwavelength Detectives: Although the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has seen the gamma-rays from over 100 pulsars, many potential pulsars remain undiscovered because the pulsations are not obvious in the Fermi data. Combining radio observations with Fermi, scientists have now found five more rapidly rotating pulsars, including one particularly intriguing object, indicating that techniques will continue to be successful.
Satellites' X-ray Eyes Catch Magnetar's Tantrums: A multinational team including a KIPAC postdoctoral researcher has combined observations from several orbiting X-ray observatories to obtain a better understanding of one of nature's most bizarre objects.
X-rays Reveal Picture of Relaxed Giants: By studying in detail the X-rays emitted from nearby giant elliptical galaxies, KIPAC astrophysicists have uncovered clues to the behavior of these interacting systems of stars, hot gas, and jets.
Black Hole Spin and The Ringing of Accretion Disks: Using models of diskoseismology, a KIPAC professor has determined that the phenomena of quasi-periodic X-ray oscillations in stellar black hole systems may be related to particular motions in the accretion disk of matter that the black hole pulls off of a companion star.
Gamma-ray Emitting Supernova Remnant Is a Giant Particle Collider In Space: Gamma-ray observations of a supernova remnant interacting with a molecular cloud in the outskirts of our Galaxy highlights the interplay of particle physics and particle astrophysics.
Galaxies Reveal Surprises Statistically: A team of astronomers has found unexpected relationships between star formation, stellar mass, and dark matter halo mass in central galaxies of groups.
Shear Analysis For LSST Cuts To The Chase: In order to better understand of the greatest challenges in dark energy science, researchers tackle what can be squeezed from the shapes of galaxies.
Whether Fermi Sees Galaxies In Gammas Or Not, We Learn A Lot: Besides our own Milky Way, seven other non-active galaxies have been detected in gamma-ray emission by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Combined with what is known from radio and infrared observations about others which have not yet been seen by Fermi, scientists can learn a lot about the inner lives of galaxies.
Fermi and SDO Have Synergy With Sun Energy: During a recent solar flare, the Sun appeared 1000 times brighter in gamma rays than usual, as observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The flare was also observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, another space mission in which the Stanford community is heavily involved.
Combining ROCKSTARS and MUSIC To Get a RHAPSODY: Simulations that push the edges of computing capability are key to understanding the large scale behavior of dark matter, which constitutes 80% of the mass of the Universe. Using algorithms developed in-house, a KIPAC team has achieved important new simulation results to study the most massive dark matter structures, the enormous halos which envelop galaxy clusters.
Astronomers Detect Much Sought-After Cosmic Dark Matter Filament: One of the most important predictions of current cosmological theory is that the Universe is filled with a giant web-like structure of dark matter, arrayed in vast filaments between the galaxies. Astronomers have now, for the first time, found direct evidence for such a filament.
Ungrateful Pulsar Is Destroying Its Companion: Combining data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and observations with optical telescopes, a KIPAC scientist has discovered the most extreme 'black widow' pulsar yet.
An Interpolation Sensation For Image Relations: A new technique for understanding the subtle differences in the observed shapes of celestial objects brings LSST's measurement of dark energy closer to reality.
Quasars Have Turned Down the Radio, And the Lights: A new study reveals the behavior of quasars in both radio and optical light over the past ten billion years, and it seems they have become progressively more considerate of their fellow cosmic residents.
A Study For Strategic Spectroscopy: A program of obtaining time-consuming spectroscopic redshifts of a large sample of galaxies will be crucial to the success of dark energy probes such as DES and LSST in the coming years. A new analysis is providing essential information which will help devise the most efficient strategy for doing so.
Weighing the Giants: With Einstein's help, KIPAC astronomers take measure of the largest objects in the Universe, galaxy clusters.
Astronomers Play With Techniques To Push Cosmological Computing: The specialized properties of computer graphics processing units, developed primarily to render sophisticated graphics for video games, have been harnessed by scientists for their parallel computing abilities. KIPAC astrophysicists have demonstrated their use in speeding up time consuming cosmological calculations.
Cluster Gas Puts The Kibosh on AGN: A population study of active galaxies in X-rays shows that they get discouraged from living near the centers of galaxy clusters, and that there is an important interplay between gas inside and outside the galaxies.
Cosmic Blender Churns Galaxy Cluster: Scientists have used a suite of X-ray observations to find evidence of large scale swirling gas motion in the Perseus galaxy cluster.
How Fast Does Dark Matter Fly Around Here?: Understanding the local velocity distribution of dark matter is crucial in predicting and interpreting the results of direct detection experiments. With new cosmological simulations and theoretical insights, KIPAC scientists have found a better way to describe the local velocity distribution, and identified the most important uncertainty in determining the distribution.
The Light Of Ten Thousand Splendid (Simulated) Suns: A new simulation strategy allows astronomers to virtually unravel a crucial component of galaxy evolution.
From Blazars Back To The First Stars, With Particle Astrophysics: By analyzing the gamma-ray light from blazars seen with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, astrophysicists can learn about a faint glow that pervades the cosmos, and even about the first stars in the Universe.
Magnetism May Mold Massive Monsters and Perpetuate Particles' Pointing: New computer simulations combining the physics of intense gravity and relativistic plasmas are shedding light on how the Universe's giant accelerators keep their beams of particles pointed.
A Giant Geant Physics Synergy: KIPAC scientists have leveraged on-site expertise in particle physics to develop novel approaches to answer a crucial telescope engineering question.

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