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Total Solar Eclipse and the Picture of the Universe

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Few are aware of the imminent cosmic phenomenon that sweeps all across USA in its splendor and rarity—the wonder of total solar eclipse. August 21st of this year will mark its occurrence after a void of almost 100 years, when it had painted the entire nation in the year 1918 (In the year 1979 it touched a tiny spot in the northern USA before veering off northbound). The whole effort of this year’s annual ASP (Astronomical Society of the Pacific) meeting was to spread out the word, engage as many science followers as possible into the majesty of this celestial display; urge them on into once in a lifetime kind of show.

There were stimulating talks disseminating the scientific background, and the enormous efforts that have been put in to popularize, educate, and incite on the appearance and experience of a total solar eclipse itself. And the ASP plans to upload all the talks on their website, in the hope to spur on a wider enthusiasm and interest.  Here is some useful set of information to help you prepare and indulge if you feel interested: NASA (1), Being in the Shadow (2), Great American Eclipse (3).

I being an ardent proponent of the physical sciences indeed tuned in, and pitched my own take on the subject of total solar eclipse, and how this phenomenon has played a vital role in revealing the basic principles of how the universe structures and continues. So here is my talk—The Eclipse that Changed the Picture of the Universe—at the meeting, in case you feel inspired.

Total solar eclipse takes place when the earth, moon and sun together strike a perfect alignment such that the moon situated in the middle fully blocks out the sun for a brief moment in space and time, leaving out the halo of corona—the usually invisible sun’s outer atmosphere—a brilliant ring that glows from behind. For that brief period we remain under the shadow of the moon while the radiating corona flags the sun’s only identity in the sky. It is the only instance in time when although the sun is present in our view of the sky, its intense glare remains occluded. Albert Einstein around the year 1915 realized that this relatively rare instance gives us an astonishing window into the nature of reality. How? In the year 1915 Einstein had proposed—by his theory of general relativity—that spacetime conforms to the force of gravity. Simply, gravity gives geometry to the universe. And if this is true then matter bends light.

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An event of a total solar eclipse extends us a perfect window into which we can verify such bending of the light. The ultra bending of the light reaches a detection level only when caused by a massive cosmic body, such as sun. The bending of the light by the sun is ascertained by measuring the shifts in the positions of the background stars—the deflections of stars as the sun passes through (Picture 1). Measured in arcseconds—an extraordinarily miniscule amount—this deflection, however, would be impossible to pin down due the intense glare of sun on a usual day. The event of a total solar eclipse thus gives us a perfect window for studying sun’s gravitational field without being bedazzled by the blinding glow.

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The total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, became a legendary eclipse (Picture 2) that attested the bending of light by matter, theorized by Einstein. The discovery of spacetime curvation by the force of gravity led us to a bigger and finer picture of the universe: From the way the universe might have begun to the existence of black holes to theory of wormhole to the pulsation of gravitational waves, recently detected by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).

The new picture emerged, and Einstein celebrated, by the mechanics of the natural grandeur.

Neeti.

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The Upcoming 2017 Solar Eclipse, Sweeping America on its Totality

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The simple mechanics of total solar eclipse exposes deep-seated fundamentals of spacetime. Total solar eclipse occurs in an event of earth, moon, and sun alignment such that moon fully blocks out the sun, casting its shadow on earth on the zone of totality. What remains on sky is sun’s corona shimmering behind the bulbous moon: Includes a rendering imaginatively known as diamond ring. On August 21, 2017 we will transit such a mesmerizing and momentous (literally!) event, and the eclipse experts, chasers and broadcasters have their bits and takes on this. Here are some genuine picks  (1, 2) for those interested in details, and here is an interactive map of the upcoming totality. This year the ASP (Astronomical Society of the Pacific) is holding its annual meeting just for the purpose of convening the ideas and topics around the wonder of total solar eclipse, particularly toward preparing the upcoming 2017 one. Those interested in cosmic magnificence, and like to partake in grasping the nature of reality, would truly benefit from the event.

As profound as the cosmic phenomenon itself is, total solar eclipse has been pivotal in our understanding of the way universe shapes and continues, and a linchpin in rubber stamping a revolutionary theory to be a truly authentic reality. On the May 29 of 1919, an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician, Arthur Eddington, captured total solar eclipse on the island of Principe to validate Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. General relativity offered to blend gravity in the earlier picture of Einstein’s own special relativity, showing that gravity is the geometry of spacetime itself. The endeavor set out by Eddington and his team pinned the precise bending of light that occurs due to the presence of a massive body, in accordance with the principle of general relativity, thus fully endorsing Einstein’s Magnum Opus. Sun as a massive body too bends light that travel from distant stars, but we cannot verify such bending simply because sun’s intense glare blocks out the positions of distant stars. The shade of a total solar eclipse enables us to measure such deflections in the position of stars, as the sun observes its gravity.

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The ramifications of general relativity are wide and far reaching, many we are still trying to fathom: From the origin of the universe to the existence of black holes (remember the fascinating Interstellar Gargantua), the phenomenon of wormhole, the prodigiously expanding universe to speculations of dark matter and dark energy to the recent detection of gravitational waves that employed state of the art technological sensitivity (10-16 cm in 4 km). General relativity has stood a century of experimental verifications, one recent with the validation of gravitational waves by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), and some tests are still brewing that involve extraordinary precisions to further endorse general relativity, like appraising the contortions due to the black hole at the center of our galaxy or seeing the free fall of different materials in space missions.

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The theory has shown the way universe propels, but also made our lives efficient on a daily basis. General relativity is a part of GPS navigation that we employ every day. Two well crafted titles that shed light on this deeply enriching theory are 1) The Perfect Theory by Pedro Ferreira, and 2) Big Bang by Simon Singh.

The first real validation of general relativity was ticked by the 1919 total solar eclipse. I will be attending the ASP meeting, and in the context of total solar eclipse, I will be speaking on the fundamental architecture of spacetime that the general relativity imparted.

For those interested in cosmic mechanics, deeper universal structure, or just scientific outreach to a wider community, it will be a good venue to participate and connect.

See you soon,

Neeti.

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Piling On

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From the revelations of particle smashers of CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), the discoveries of radio detectors of ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), the disclosers of outer spatial and extragalactic missions of COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer), Hubble, Fermi Gamma-ray, Chandra X-ray, Spitzer, Kepler, the forthcoming James Webb telescopes (list is almost endless), the evidence of gravitational waves by Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (BICEP), the detections of dark matter and energy to the readings of underground neutrino missions (one upcoming- Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) toward understanding the evolution of the universe, the amount of information waves at us in all sorts of gestures for us to pin down the meaning of it all—in one sweep.

The bona fide bits are flying in from other places equally effectively.

And I am not referring to, or including, the classical principles—such as Einstein’s relativities, Newtonian’s mechanics or pure thermodynamics—that are tested stringently and utilized intensively. Or alluding to the established systems such as calculus or polynomials that help us shape and employ those doctrines. I am referring to all these new inputs that although seem foundational, are turning out to be rather bewildering in our trek to fathom the nature of reality.

The universe prodigiously expands; the dark matter lurks; the dark energy overpowers gravity; the cosmic matter outplays antimatter; the black hole engulfs and dissipates; parallelism pounds; the particle world compounds; the mathematical models of reality amass evermore intricate complexities; the interplay of consciousness in the game of matter and forces takes a scientific stage. These are all real deals piled on us waiting to be pieced into a seeable picture.

We would pause, take a break, by cramming a book in a very different subject, or even more leisurely, indulging in a movie. Indeed, we have different tastes and choices. But for those of us inspired by the workings of reality, often these tangential sprints put us right back into the same captivating territory laden with puzzles and strewn with myriad codes. In recent times, the art of science fiction has grown rapidly: Interstellar, Inception, Knowing, and Contact are some flicks that caught attention. Many literary works on science fiction did equally effectively: I happen not to browse science fiction books too many, but the regular page-long coverage in Nature appears stimulating.

The reason we enjoy such fictions is because all of this at the end of the day makes us ask the very same questions the scientist in each of us does. In fact fiction flicks such as Interstellar and Contact incite in us those deeper questions we otherwise miss out.

Then there are other science topics not directly addressing the nature of physical universe: Medicine, psychiatry, neurosurgery, psychology, even biographical (mostly scientific, but some psychology and philosophy). They bring forth new perspectives. Some of them as a pure info are utterly ravishing—like Many Lives, Many Master by Brian Weiss, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, Brain Surgeon by Keith Black, When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick, The Blind Spot: Science and the Crisis of Uncertainty by William Byers, announcing their own bits. They are excellent reads if for pure knowledge and quality time, but segregated sets of pileups if employing them to conceive a theory of everything.
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That reminds me of yet another movie Theory of Everything: smooth and entertaining, immediately after watching which, I grabbed the copy of Black Holes and Baby Universes by Stephen Hawking from the bookshelf and studied through. I had read this many years ago, but this time browsed with a fresh perspective. The messages are sharp and the assays delightful.

But in this context the theory of everything appears niche based, not all-inclusive. Piling continues nonetheless.

The segregation of scientific—or philosophical, for that matter—queries and exhaustive understanding is apparent wherever we go. The discrete details remain crisp and sharp, but when implied holistically the notion becomes vague, in science or otherwise.

The seemingly delusionary tussle between science and philosophy dissolves at the frontiers of a full-length scheme. Anyway, this is an entirely different story.

And in the heap of data that gapes at us, we have the pitches on consciousness, mind, philosophy of religion, whatnot. So keep track of all the pileups, at least till we get there.

See you soon.
Neeti.

 

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Universe Needing to Inflate

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Universe Needing to Inflate

In the evolution of the universe there conceivably occurred an instance of prodigious expansion, so rapid that the universe’s once infinitely dense miniscule glob swiftly stretched—light years across in a fraction of a second. The incident is commonly referred to as inflation. As enigmatic as it may sound, the scenario of expeditious growth does have healthy outlooks to support of the way we envisage the universe based on scientific judgments.

Inflation explains why the universe we find ourselves in is flat; it explains away why the observable universe is constitutionally same whichever side we look, or is largely isotropic. First proposed by Alan Guth, the stunt of inflation further goes on to explain the unification of the two grand principles, general relativity and quantum mechanics. That is, the inflation exposes a way to realize that a gravitational wave is just a mere transfiguration of quantum fluctuation. That is why the conclusive detection of gravitational wave by BICEP2 (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2) was a much celebrated event, especially for scientific community, because it was a firsthand glimpse into the universe undergone inflation. Although several reports following the initial discovery wavered between optimistic and skeptical standpoints on having identified gravitational waves—we very likely saw it; no we didn’t; we probably did; no probably not—over all the observations do seem to provide a rational evidence for the beat of gravitational waves from the dawning cosmos, supporting the occurrence of inflation.

Here is the entertaining part. Methodical measurements suggest that this abrupt unfurling of the cosmos was rapider that the speed of the light itself. Truly intriguing: because the speed of light is the maximum attainable speed as per the well-credited Einstein’s special relativity. As delightful as it is to relish, when comes to explaining such an oddity we are struck with the quandary of seeing the space-time to have momentarily broken the rule by which it itself flows. From special relativity we know that the time dilates to accommodate speed, but in an instance of a speed surpassing the light how do we see the time as a part of space, in the usual texture of space-time?

In justifying a speed faster than that of light, where time still permeates the texture, we probably have just one way of seeing the picture—An order where the space-time doesn’t flow but manifests as discrete units. This is not something entirely new I am referring to here. It is suggested in Einstein’s special relativity that the speed of light is constant for all observers, and this basically means that two objects approaching with different speeds would both be seen at once—not the one with the higher velocity first. Thus, when it comes to the light-speed the space-time arena manifests. For velocities within the light-speed the time shifts—the higher the speed the lower the ticking of the time. In a possible event of surpassing light-speed the flow halts, and the manifestation transpires. In all the scenarios though, the time is indeed valued to be inextricably blended with the space.

Besides figuring out the dilemma of how exactly the inflation came about, the idea of inflation itself is truly insightful, and as stated above it does iron out two of the deepest mysteries of the cosmic plane: one that the universe is flat on all sides we see. But the cosmic structure appearing flat doesn’t necessarily mean it is flat. The geometrical appearance is a matter of perception. Encountering an object is an advent of electromagnetic radiation from that object impinging the eye, which doesn’t impart much information on how the space itself is structured. We can surely assign closeness and farness to an object but cannot refer with certainty whether the space-time is flat or infinitely curved, or even permanently shapeless.

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The cosmic isotropy that is supported by inflation, on the other hand, signifies the continuum of a single overarching tapestry from the initiation, billions of years ago, to our vision.

The full-length reality entails that the cosmic plane and quantum décor, Newtonian mechanics, Einstein relativities and particle fields all harmonize to announce a single continuum. And the   inflation once again gives us a way to see the metamorphosis of the minute quantum fluctuation to a gigantic gravitational wave—where seeing the unification of quantum and cosmic planes becomes conceivable.

But in the above schematic there is a slight glitch, which is to justify the continuum of the palpating “multiverse” that we make out from purely quantum studies. To overcome this perplexity it is proposed that different regions of the universe experienced their own separate growth (or inflation)—what we glance at is just one of those regions.

Seeing the cosmic and quantum structures as one field involves the principles of Einstein’s relativities, quantum field and how we perceive the universe directly, but I will end this post here, and leave the matter for the coming ones.

I will be back shortly.

Neeti

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