Tiniest ‘starquake’ ever detected – new study
2024-03-26
(Press-News.org) An orange dwarf star has yielded the tiniest ‘starquakes’ ever recorded, measured by an international team of scientists.
Named Epsilon Indi, the star is the smallest and coolest dwarf star yet observed with solar-like oscillations – “starquakes” like those shown by the Sun. These oscillations provide indirect glimpses of stellar interiors – just as earthquakes tell us about Earth's interior – and so are important sources of information about the makeup of the star.
The measurements were taken by an international team, led by the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, and including researchers from the University of Birmingham. The study is published in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters.
The quakes were detected using a technique dubbed asteroseismology, which measures oscillations in stars. Using the ESPRESSO spectrograph, mounted at the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT), the team was able to record the oscillations with unprecedented precision.
Lead author Tiago Campante, of the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the University of Porto, said: “The extreme precision level of these observations is an outstanding technological achievement. Importantly, this detection conclusively shows that precise asteroseismology is possible down to cool dwarfs with surface temperatures as low as 4200 degrees Celsius, about 1000 degrees cooler than the Sun's surface, effectively opening up a new domain in observational astrophysics.”
Orange dwarf stars have recently become a focus in the search for habitable planets and extraterrestrial life. Professor Bill Chaplin, Head of the School of Physics & Astronomy at Birmingham, and a member of the team, said: “The mismatch between the predicted and observed sizes of these stars has implications for finding planets around them. If we use the most successful planet-finding technique – the so-called transit method – we get the size of the planet relative to the size of the star; if we don’t size-up the star correctly, the same will be true of any small planet we have found.” The detection of oscillations will help to understand and minimise these discrepancies, and improve the theoretical models of stars.
The detection of starquakes in Epsilon Indi will now inform plans to use the upcoming European Space Agency’s (ESA) PLATO Mission, scheduled to be launched in 2026, to detect oscillations in many more orange dwarfs. PLATO will also be searching for planets around these stars. Birmingham has responsibility for the design and delivery of much of the asteroseismology pipeline for PLATO, the results of which will be used by thousands of researchers around the world.
ENDS
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2024-03-26
When we talk, we often use our hands in addition to words. Gesturing is a phenomenon that has been observed across languages and cultures. Some cultures are typically thought to use more gestures than others.
To find out if the deeply rooted stereotype of Italians gesturing more than other cultures is true, researchers in Sweden have examined the differences in gesture rate and function between Italians and Swedes who were telling a story to a friend.
“We show that Italians do gesture more than Swedes, which was expected,” ...
2024-03-26
Researchers at the University of Leeds and Lancaster University in the UK have identified a new potential target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease – PDE4B.
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia and disability in old age. As the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is on the increase, new treatments are urgently needed to improve the quality of life for people living with the disease.
PDE4B is an enzyme inside cells that breaks down a molecule known as cyclic AMP, which regulates a range of cellular processes. Based on an Australian study that identified the ...
2024-03-26
Scientists from Nagoya University have discovered a novel regulatory mechanism that controls the opening of stomata in plants, which is crucial for harnessing solar energy through photosynthesis. The team uncovered the role of phosphorylation at the 881st threonine residue (Thr881) of the plasma membrane proton pump in response to red and blue light in this process. This research opens up possibilities for manipulating plant physiology in specific ways, benefiting agriculture and the environment. The researchers reported their findings in Nature Communications.
“This phosphorylation event, ...
2024-03-26
As authorities crack down on illicit drugs, University of South Australia experts have issued an alert on the use of the synthetic stimulant pentylone, as new research finds a 75% increase in detections across Australia.
In a new study as part of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, researchers identified 20 different novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in wastewater treatment plants across Australia (between Feb 22-23) with pentylone detected at every collection site. Other NPS, eutylone and phenibut were also commonly detected.
Pentylone, (street name ‘bath salts’), ...
2024-03-26
It’s taboo to consume seaweed soup before exams in Korea since it can lead to failing the exam. The belief is rooted in the idea that the slippery nature of seaweed may cause people to slip and falter during the test. The slick surface of seaweeds such as seaweed and kelp is attributed to alginate, a mucilaginous substance. Notably, an intriguing study exploring the use of alginate for the treatment of retinal detachment has been recently published.
A collaborative effort between Professor Hyung Joon Cha from the Department of Chemical Engineering and the School of Convergence Science and Technology and Dr. Geunho Choi from ...
2024-03-26
Researchers say more needs to be done for depressed stroke survivors as new findings show 60% of stroke survivors would experience depression within 18 years, a much higher estimation than previous studies.
This compares to 22% of the general population experiencing depression in the same time frame.
The King’s College London study, published today in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, also found 90% of cases of depression occurred within five years of surviving a stroke, indicating a key time for healthcare intervention.
The findings, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, looks at incidence of mild ...
2024-03-26
Researchers have successfully transformed CO2 into methanol by shining sunlight on single atoms of copper deposited on a light-activated material, a discovery that paves the way for creating new green fuels.
An international team of researchers from the University of Nottingham's School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, University of Queensland and University of Ulm have designed a material, made up of copper anchored on nanocrystalline carbon nitride. The copper atoms are nested ...
2024-03-25
Following the events of Jan. 6, 2021 — when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an effort to interrupt the certification process of the 2020 presidential election — experts began to question how to protect the next presidential election from a similar threat. To that end, University of Notre Dame political scientists have partnered with preeminent scholars of democracy from across the country to produce a set of recommendations to strengthen and safeguard democracy in America.
The University’s Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy established the January 6th, ...
2024-03-25
Scientists have developed a new lung surfactant that is produced synthetically rather than relying on the use of animal tissues. With further development, the formulation could provide a cheaper and more readily available alternative to Infasurf, a medication used to prevent and treat respiratory distress in premature babies.
Surfactants are substances that decrease surface tension where liquids interface with other liquids, gases or solids. In addition to their use in medicines, they are found in a wide range of products including detergents, cosmetics, motor oils and adhesives.
Suzanne Farver Lukjan, a lecturer in chemistry ...
2024-03-25
Researchers have identified a new complex-carbohydrate biomolecule, or glycan, that plays a key role in the nasal colonization of the Bordetella bacteria responsible for whooping cough. The discovery could make it possible to create a new drug or vaccine that interferes with the glycan to greatly reduce or even stop ongoing Bordetella transmission.
Bordetella pertussis is the cause of the respiratory infection pertussis, which is widely known as whooping cough. Today’s pertussis vaccines keep people from getting severely sick, but they don’t eliminate the bacteria because it excels at colonizing, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Tiniest ‘starquake’ ever detected – new study
