Astronomical Origin Research Articles

Navigating the Cosmos: The Evolution and Impact of Newtonian Mechanics

Mechanics is one of the most fundamental subfields of physics. Founded primarily by Isaac Newton, mechanics has strong relations with astronomy, one of the oldest sciences. It has astronomical origins and exhibits significant applications in astronomical problems. A historical perspective is necessary to grasp the big picture of physics, so this paper traces back to the very beginning of classical mechanics to discover its development through the literature review method. Starting from Keplers planetary motion laws and Newtons theories, then moving to two-body and three-body problems, this essay demonstrates the delicacy of classical mechanics and how it effectively solves different issues. Also, after centuries of development, the implications of Newtonian mechanics have been greatly expanded upon, serving as the foundation for numerous subsequent theories. In the end, this essay provides an outlook for other theories that either derive from or relate to Newtonian mechanics, like chaos theory and analytical mechanics. The paper finds that Newtonian mechanics is essential because it not only provided solutions to many of the modern astronomical difficulties but also encouraged the emergence of other important ideas

Learning about science topics of social relevance using lower and higher autonomy-supportive scaffolds

Learning about science topics of social relevance using lower and higher autonomy-supportive scaffolds

Initial cyclostratigraphy of the middle Nama Group (Schwarzrand Subgroup) in southern Namibia

The Ediacaran Period includes critical evolutionary trends of early complex life as well as climatic variations associated with ocean oxygenation, glaciations, and carbon cycling, which are still poorly understood in terms of astronomical climate forcing. The middle Nama Group in southern Namibia was deposited during the late Ediacaran in mainly shallow marine environments within a foreland basin and consists of hierarchically arranged depositional sequences. Here, we test a possible astronomical origin of these sedimentary variations by developing an initial cyclostratigraphic framework based on satellite images integrated with recently published high-precision U-Pb zircon ages. Regular sedimentary alternations occur dominantly on scales of several tens of meters, accompanied by smaller- and larger-scale variations, and are correlatable over distances of ∼50 km. Throughout the studied succession, 35 to 39 alternations are recognized on this dominant scale, which have an average duration of ∼120–180 k.y. This duration corresponds well with the period of short eccentricity (∼100 k.y.), given the likely presence of hiatuses, or alternatively, the period of obliquity amplitude modulation (∼173 k.y.), which would imply no time is missing on this scale. The dominant alternations are consistent with previously identified medium-scale sequences in this succession, which have been interpreted to record fluctuations in relative or eustatic sea level. We hypothesize that astronomically-forced fluctuations in eustatic sea level modulated deposition of the middle Nama Group. Geochemical studies suggested a relation between fossil distribution, redox variability and sea level, implying that astronomical forcing may have played a role in the distribution of early complex life.

Multi-million-year cycles in modelled δ13C as a response to astronomical forcing of organic matter fluxes

Abstract. Along with 400 kyr periodicities, multi-million-year cycles have been found in δ13C records over different time periods. An ∼ 8–9 Myr periodicity is found throughout the Cenozoic and part of the Mesozoic. The robust presence of this periodicity in δ13C records suggests an astronomical origin. However, this periodicity is barely visible in the astronomical forcing. Due to the large fractionation factor of organic matter, its burial or oxidation produces large δ13C variations for moderate carbon variations. Therefore, astronomical forcing of organic matter fluxes is a plausible candidate to explain the oscillations observed in the δ13C records. So far, modelling studies forcing astronomically the organic matter burial have been able to produce 400 kyr and 2.4 Myr cycles in δ13C but were not able to produce longer cycles, such as 8–9 Myr cycles. Here, we propose a mathematical mechanism compatible with the biogeochemistry that could explain the presence of multi-million-year cycles in the δ13C records and their stability over time: a preferential phase locking to multiples of the 2.4 Myr eccentricity period. With a simple non-linear conceptual model for the carbon cycle that has multiple equilibria, we are able to extract longer periods than with a simple linear model – more specifically, multi-million-year periods.

Comment on “seasonal and nodal variations of predominant tidal constituents in the global ocean” by in continental shelf research 217

Comment on “seasonal and nodal variations of predominant tidal constituents in the global ocean” by in continental shelf research 217

Astrophysical Neutrinos in Testing Lorentz Symmetry

An overview of searches related to neutrinos of astronomical and astrophysical origin performed within the framework of the Standard-Model Extension is provided. For this effective field theory, key definitions, intriguing physical consequences, and the mathematical formalism are summarized within the neutrino sector to search for effects from a background that could lead to small deviations from Lorentz symmetry. After an introduction to the fundamental theory, examples of various experiments within the astronomical and astrophysical context are provided. Order-of-magnitude bounds of SME coefficients are shown illustratively for the tight constraints that this sector allows us to place on such violations.

Non-marine tetrapod extinctions solve extinction periodicity mystery

ABSTRACT Based on their compiled data set of ten extinction episodes (four of which had no known extinction rates) published earlier in this journal, Rampino and co-authors claimed a 27.5-My period in non-marine-tetrapod extinctions. I reassessed that claim using the Gauss–Vaníček spectral analysis (GVSA), which revealed spectra of very low fidelity (mostly <<1) dominated by the Earth’s axial precession, without 99%-significant periods, but with hundreds of 95%-significant periods unrelated to the extinctions and the claimed period. Therefore, the data are physically nonsensical as far as any underlining cyclicity is concerned. The analysis did not reveal the claimed period in any band, at either 99% or 95% significance, so the claimed period is a ghost due to intermediary astronomical forcing of highly gapped data sampled arbitrarily and processed with inapt techniques. Thanks to the GVSA’s absolute accuracy, and insensitivity of non-marine data to the ocean-tidal component, I present remarkable proof that very long periods such as ~9 My (~27 My), ~11 My (~22 My), and ~33 My (~66 My), previously claimed in extinction data sets, have a common astronomical origin. They primarily arise due to the Earth’s axial precession. This circumstance then makes the enforcing, i.e., removing the axial-precession period — as the most enduring noise constituent — necessary in most if not all paleostudies.

A 60‐Year Cycle in the Meteorite Fall Frequency Suggests a Possible Interplanetary Dust Forcing of the Earth's Climate Driven by Planetary Oscillations

AbstractOne of the most famous climate oscillations has a period of about 60 years. Although this oscillation might emerge from internal variability, increasing evidence points toward a solar or astronomical origin, as also argued herein. We highlight that the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter presents prominent oscillations with a period of quasi 60 years due to its gravitational coupling with Saturn. This oscillation is found to be well correlated with quite a number of climatic records and also with a 60‐year oscillation present in long meteorite fall records relative to the periods 619–1943 CE. Since meteorite falls are the most macroscopic aspect of incoming space dust and their motion is mostly regulated by Jupiter, we propose that the interplanetary dust influx also presents a 60‐year cycle and could be forcing the climate to oscillate in a similar manner by modulating the formation of the clouds and, therefore, the Earth's albedo.

Introduction-Panspermia, 2020.

Introduction-Panspermia, 2020.

On the Connection between Planets, Dark Matter and Cancer: Comment on “Planetary Dependence of Melanoma”

In a recent paper, Zioutas and Valachovic (2018) claim that dark matter is responsible for a significant fraction of the melanoma skin cancer. This conclusion is drawn from their observation of a significant correlation between skin melanoma incidence in the US and the inner planets positions (especially those of Mercury and Earth). Here, I present a number of objections to their interpretation. Some (but not all) of the counterarguments are based on the analysis of a larger dataset from the same source, considering more cancer types and separating by patient attributes, such as race. One of the counterarguments is that if the melanoma fluctuations with periods similar to planetary orbits were produced by dark matter density enhancements on Earth, then we would have to conclude that the black population is somehow immune to dark matter, a conclusion that seems incompatible with the current Weakly-Interacting Massive Particles (WIMP) paradigm. Interestingly, some periodicities are present in the data, including the ones reported by Zioutas and Valachovic, but I argue that they must have a societal rather than astronomical origin.

Astronomical random numbers for quantum foundations experiments

Photons from distant astronomical sources can be used as a classical source of randomness to improve fundamental tests of quantum nonlocality, wave-particle duality, and local realism through Bell's inequality and delayed-choice quantum eraser tests inspired by Wheeler's cosmic-scale Mach-Zehnder interferometer gedankenexperiment. Such sources of random numbers may also be useful for information-theoretic applications such as key distribution for quantum cryptography. Building on the design of an "astronomical random-number generator" developed for the recent "cosmic Bell" experiment [Handsteiner et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 060401 (2017)], in this paper we report on the design and characterization of a device that, with 20-nanosecond latency, outputs a bit based on whether the wavelength of an incoming photon is greater than or less than 700 nm. Using the one-meter telescope at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Table Mountain Observatory, we generated random bits from astronomical photons in both color channels from 50 stars of varying color and magnitude, and from 12 quasars with redshifts up to $z = 3.9$. With stars, we achieved bit rates of $\sim 1 \times 10^6$ Hz / m$^2$, limited by saturation for our single-photon detectors, and with quasars of magnitudes between 12.9 and 16, we achieved rates between $\sim 10^2$ and $2 \times 10^3$ Hz /m$^2$. For bright quasars, the resulting bitstreams exhibit sufficiently low amounts of statistical predictability as quantified by the mutual information. In addition, a sufficiently high fraction of bits generated are of true astronomical origin in order to address both the locality and freedom-of-choice loopholes when used to set the measurement settings in a test of the Bell-CHSH inequality.

Long-term cyclicities in Phanerozoic sea-level sedimentary record and their potential drivers

Long-term cyclicities in Phanerozoic sea-level sedimentary record and their potential drivers

El temporal del 8 de agosto de 2015 en las regiones de Valparaiso y Coquimbo, Chile Central

A storm of August 8, 2015 was characterized by the joint occurrence of meteorological and oceanographic conditions that caused the destruction of coastal infrastructure and buildings in several localities of the central coast of Chile. The extreme swell was added to wind gusts coming from the northwest winds, and a historical minimum of atmospheric pressure. The tide of astronomical origin -although not extreme-, made its contribution to the sea level banking on which the waves broke violent on the coastal edge. In order to study the event, records of: a) 64 weather stations distributed in the coastal zone of Valparaiso and Coquimbo regions, b) six tide gauge stations, c) forecast and wave records in deep-waters, and d) a model of deep-water wave propagation towards the most affected sectors of the region, were processed. From the analysis of these variables, the observed damages in the coastal infrastructure are explained.

The first interferometric detections of fast radio bursts

We present the first interferometric detections of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), an enigmatic new class of astrophysical transient. In a 180-day survey of the Southern sky we discovered 3 FRBs at 843 MHz with the UTMOST array, as part of commissioning science during a major ongoing upgrade. The wide field of view of UTMOST ($\approx 9$ deg$^{2}$) is well suited to FRB searches. The primary beam is covered by 352 partially overlapping fan-beams, each of which is searched for FRBs in real time with pulse widths in the range 0.655 to 42 ms, and dispersion measures $\leq$2000 pc cm$^{-3}$. Detections of FRBs with the UTMOST array places a lower limit on their distances of $\approx 10^4$ km (limit of the telescope near-field) supporting the case for an astronomical origin. Repeating FRBs at UTMOST or an FRB detected simultaneously with the Parkes radio telescope and UTMOST, would allow a few arcsec localisation, thereby providing an excellent means of identifying FRB host galaxies, if present. Up to 100 hours of follow-up for each FRB has been carried out with the UTMOST, with no repeating bursts seen. From the detected position, we present 3$\sigma$ error ellipses of 15 arcsec x 8.4 deg on the sky for the point of origin for the FRBs. We estimate an all-sky FRB rate at 843 MHz above a fluence $\cal F_\mathrm{lim}$ of 11 Jy ms of $\sim 78$ events sky$^{-1}$ d$^{-1}$ at the 95 percent confidence level. The measured rate of FRBs at 843 MHz is of order two times higher than we had expected, scaling from the FRB rate at the Parkes radio telescope, assuming that FRBs have a flat spectral index and a uniform distribution in Euclidean space. We examine how this can be explained by FRBs having a steeper spectral index and/or a flatter log$N$-log$\mathcal{F}$ distribution than expected for a Euclidean Universe.

Optimizing significance testing of astronomical forcing in cyclostratigraphy

AbstractThe recognition of astronomically forced (Milankovitch) climate cycles in geological archives marked a major advance in Earth science, revealing a heartbeat within the climate system of general importance and key utility. Power spectral analysis is the primary tool used to facilitate identification of astronomical cycles in stratigraphic data, but commonly employed methods for testing the statistical significance of relatively high narrow‐band variance of potential astronomical origin in spectra have been criticized for inadequately balancing the respective probabilities of type I (false positive) and type II (false negative) errors. This has led to suggestions that the importance of astronomical forcing in Earth history is overstated. It can be readily demonstrated, however, that the imperfect nature of the stratigraphic record and the quasiperiodicity of astronomical cycles sets an upper limit on the attainable significance of astronomical signals. Optimized significance testing is that which minimizes the combined probability of type I and type II errors. Numerical simulations of stratigraphically preserved astronomical signals suggest that optimum significance levels at which to reject a null hypothesis of no astronomical forcing are between 0.01 and 0.001 (i.e., 99–99.9% confidence level). This is lower than commonly employed in the literature (90–99% confidence levels). Nevertheless, in consonance with the emergent view from other scientific disciplines, fixed‐value null hypothesis significance testing of power spectra is implicitly ill suited to demonstrating astronomical forcing, and the use of spectral analysis remains a difficult and subjective endeavor in the absence of additional supporting evidence.

Neutrino physics perspectives with Hyper-Kamiokande

Neutrino physics perspectives with Hyper-Kamiokande

WHAT PERYTONS ARE NOT, AND MIGHT BE

Chirped radio pulses known as perytons are consistent with plasma propagation, but an astronomical origin has been excluded. This paper considers several physical processes as possible explanations. TE and TM waveguide modes have dispersion relations formally similar to those of plasmas, and emission at the plasma frequency of a plasma recombining by two-particle processes also produces a chirp δt∝ω−2, but these hypotheses fail quantitatively. The chirp might be approximately fitted to three-body recombination, cyclotron radiation in exponentially decaying fields, or to the resonance of a distributed LC circuit whose component conductors move. Constraints are placed on these possible processes, but no specific source has been identified.

Convergence of Numbers of Synapses and Quantum Foci within Human Brain Space: Quantitative Implications of the Photon as the Source of Cognition

Quantitative solutions involving classical methods indicated that the numbers of quantum foci within the human cerebrum are the same order of magnitude as the numbers of synapses in the cerebral cortices. The Bohr frequency for the magnitude of the quantum associated with the removal of one nucleus from another is within the range of the width of synapse (~1 µm) while the recoil energy from a rest mass photon is equivalent to the energy produced by the entire field of dynamic neurons per second. The intrinsic energy (10-20 J) associated with each action potential is similar to the gravitational potential energy from Planck’s mass applied across 1 µm. Both the endogenous cerebral magnetic field strength which is similar in magnitude to intergalactic intensities and the interaction between weak geomagnetic variations and the cerebrum’s electric dipole current are associated with photon flux densities in the order (10-11 W∙m-2) that have been measured in the laboratory. The perspective of the human cerebral volume as a field of foci of photon quanta offers different perspectives for the intrinsic nature of consciousness and cognition and their influence by phenomena from astronomical origins.

Convergence of Numbers of Synapses and Quantum Foci within Human Brain Space: Quantitative Implications of the Photon as the Source of Cognition

Quantitative solutions involving classical methods indicated that the numbers of quantum foci within the human cerebrum are the same order of magnitude as the numbers of synapses in the cerebral cortices. The Bohr frequency for the magnitude of the quantum associated with the removal of one nucleus from another is within the range of the width of synapse (~1 µm) while the recoil energy from a rest mass photon is equivalent to the energy produced by the entire field of dynamic neurons per second. The intrinsic energy (10-20 J) associated with each action potential is similar to the gravitational potential energy from Planck’s mass applied across 1 µm. Both the endogenous cerebral magnetic field strength which is similar in magnitude to intergalactic intensities and the interaction between weak geomagnetic variations and the cerebrum’s electric dipole current are associated with photon flux densities in the order (10-11 W∙m-2) that have been measured in the laboratory. The perspective of the human cerebral volume as a field of foci of photon quanta offers different perspectives for the intrinsic nature of consciousness and cognition and their influence by phenomena from astronomical origins.

A global model of meteoric sodium

A global model of sodium in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere has been developed within the framework of the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). The standard fully interactive WACCM chemistry module has been augmented with a chemistry scheme that includes nine neutral and ionized sodium species. Meteoric ablation provides the source of sodium in the model and is represented as a combination of a meteoroid input function (MIF) and a parameterized ablation model. The MIF provides the seasonally and latitudinally varying meteoric flux which is modeled taking into consideration the astronomical origins of sporadic meteors and considers variations in particle entry angle, velocity, mass, and the differential ablation of the chemical constituents. WACCM simulations show large variations in the sodium constituents over time scales from days to months. Seasonality of sodium constituents is strongly affected by variations in the MIF and transport via the mean meridional wind. In particular, the summer to winter hemisphere flow leads to the highest sodium species concentrations and loss rates occurring over the winter pole. In the Northern Hemisphere, this winter maximum can be dramatically affected by stratospheric sudden warmings. Simulations of the January 2009 major warming event show that it caused a short‐term decrease in the sodium column over the polar cap that was followed by a factor of 3 increase in the following weeks. Overall, the modeled distribution of atomic sodium in WACCM agrees well with both ground‐based and satellite observations. Given the strong sensitivity of the sodium layer to dynamical motions, reproducing its variability provides a stringent test of global models and should help to constrain key atmospheric variables in this poorly sampled region of the atmosphere.