| Experimentally realizing the immense size of the Universe are among our society's, in part due to the Hubble Space Telescope, highest goals. But beyond size is structure, that is what and how is our Universe constructed? |
| The Sun, the Earth and its sister planets make up only one of many billions of solar systems in our own Milky Way Galaxy. It turns out that there are many billions of galaxies, each of which hosting their own suns and planets, the closest, the Andromeda galaxy is 2.4 million light-years away, a distance comparable to 75 billion round-trips to our Sun. |
| There is strong evidence that the age of the universe is beyond 200 billion years and that its astrophysical evolution depends strongly on gravity. Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope and its observation of M87 [1], there is more tangible evidence for a super-massive (and dense) object known as a Black Hole to be at the core of each and every galaxy, capable of an immense gravitational reach, and so horribly strong that planets and matter in its proximity, including light, become easily inhaled. |
| However, in the inhalation process, as matter is ripped apart at super-sonic velocities, accretion disks are formed producing x-ray and gamma-ray radiation which leak out across the heavens, forever unscathed, becoming messengers of our past when detected upon space or Earth-borne detectors. |
| In the radiative emission process near a Black Hole, particles known as neutrinos are also produced. Neutrinos were only recently discovered and have yet to be fully understood. For example, their precise mass (if not zero) and any androgynous behavior have yet to be fully disclosed, however researchers at the University of Minnesota are working on the MINOS and NUMI projects [2] in an effort to understand the enigmatic character of the neutrino. |
| Among the MINOS researchers are Dr. David DeMuth of UMC who is currently visiting Argonne National Laboratory [3] near Chicago, IL to finalize a measurement of neutrinos stemming from Black Holes, or more generally from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Dr. DeMuth and his UMN dissertation co-advisor, Dr. Maury Goodman of Argonne and the Soudan 2 Collaboration, are completing an analysis of over eight years of neutrino data recorded at the Soudan 2 experiment which is located 1/2 mile underground in Soudan, MN [4]. By commenting on Black Holes as a source of neutrinos, the mechanism of the Black Hole is better understood as is the behavior and structure of the galaxies and thus Universe. |
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In addition to allowing Dr. DeMuth a rich and collegial research environment to work, the Soudan 2 and MINOS experiments have provided many computer-based opportunities for UMC students. In particular, the production of web-based tools including an inventory control system, electronic log/notebook and a rooms scheduling system to accommodate visiting researchers at Soudan and to seed similar projects for the UMC campus and in their extension to stimulate economic development in the region [5].
For more information, feel free to contact David DeMuth at demuth@umn.edu. |
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References: [1] Gas Disk in Active Galaxy M87 [2] The MINOS Experiment [3] Argonne National Laboratory [4] Soudan 2 Experiment [5] Frank W. Veden Chair for Economic and Rural Development
Further Reading: |