light and dark

[angelinamei]

[world-beauty]

Remembering NEOWISE

Credits: Petr Horalek, Institute of Physics in Opava

[spacewonder19]

Protostars in the young star system FS Tau © JWST

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Dust and water surviving in the extreme environment around the Milky Way’s central black hole

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*.

The new observations provide the most detailed mid-infrared view yet of the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. IRS 3 has reached a stage near the end of its life called the asymptotic giant branch phase. Stars in this phase of life are huge, cool, and luminous, and they shed gas into space with their powerful stellar winds. This cast-off stellar material is one of the most important sources of cosmic dust, but it was not clear if it could be produced by a star so close to a supermassive black hole.

By analysing the star’s infrared light with Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), the research team identified clear signatures of oxygen-rich dust and, for the first time, detected water in the star’s surrounding envelope. The results show that even under the harsh conditions near a supermassive black hole, evolved stars like IRS 3 can still produce dust and other materials important for the creation of future generations of stars and planets.

“Galactic centres are among the most extreme environments, so understanding whether stars can continue enriching their surroundings there is an important question,” said lead author Florian Peißker of the University of Cologne in Germany. “With Webb, we can directly observe how stars behave under these conditions and see that dust production remains remarkably resilient.”

IRS 3 is one of the brightest mid-infrared sources in the galactic centre and has long stood out because of its enormous dusty envelope. Previous studies suggested the star could be carbon-rich, but the new observations paint a different picture. The Webb data revealed two strong infrared signatures associated with silicate dust, which is composed of silicon and oxygen. These features identify IRS 3 as an oxygen-rich evolved star, which is nearing the end of its life and shedding material into space.

“This discovery was possible because of Webb’s highly capable infrared instruments,” said Macarena Garcia Marin of ESA, a co-author of the study and PI of the MICONIC programme. “This is the first time a continuous mid-infrared spectrum has been collected for this star, allowing us to detect the features from the silicate dust and uncover the star’s true chemical identity.”

By combining Webb’s observations of the star’s spectrum with simulations of how its radiated light would move through different models of the surrounding envelope, the team were able to reconstruct the structure of the star’s envelope. Their results indicate a layered, shell-like distribution of dust extending roughly 10 000 astronomical units from the star, with temperatures falling from approximately 1200 Kelvin close to the star to around 100 Kelvin in the outer regions. The observations also revealed evidence for water within the envelope of IRS 3: the first clear detection of its kind for this object.

“The detection of water is especially exciting because it shows that molecular material can survive in an environment dominated by intense radiation,” said Garcia Marin. “This tells us that even close to a supermassive black hole, stars can continue contributing material back into their surroundings.”

From the observations and stellar modelling, the researchers estimate that IRS 3 has a mass of approximately six times that of the Sun and is around 72 million years old. The star appears to be undergoing intense mass loss, ejecting material into space and creating the extended envelope seen by Webb.

These results suggest that evolved stars may continue playing an important role in supplying dust to galactic centres — regions that were previously thought to be especially hostile to these processes.

The observations were obtained in 2025 as part of the Mid-Infrared Characterisation of Nearby Iconic galaxy Centres (MICONIC) Guaranteed Time Observations programme (#1266) using Webb’s MIRI instrument.

TOP IMAGE: This image features data from Webb’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) to capture the most detailed mid-infrared view yet of the field that hosts the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*. The data in this image were taken with Webb programmes #1939 (J. Lu), #3571 (F. Yusef-Zadeh), #2491 (N. B. Sabha), and #2075 (C. Chan). [Image description: A dense star field fills the entire image, with countless stars scattered across a backdrop of glowing clouds in shades of red, orange, pink, white, and blue. At the centre, a brilliant concentration of stars creates a bright, almost white core surrounded by intricate filaments and wisps of illuminated gas and dust that radiate outward. Dark, irregular patches of opaque dust interrupt the glowing clouds, particularly toward the left side of the image, where they appear as silhouetted shapes against the brighter background. The surrounding stellar population varies in brightness and colour, with cool blue stars and warmer orange and red stars distributed throughout the scene.] Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, J. Lu, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha, C. Chan

LOWER IMAGE: This image showcases the location of the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*. The data in this image were taken with Webb programmes #1939 (J. Lu), #3571 (F. Yusef-Zadeh), #2491 (N. B. Sabha), and #2075 (C. Chan). Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, J. Lu, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha, C. Chan

This image features data from Webb’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) to capture the most detailed mid-infrared view yet of the field that hosts the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*. The data in this image were taken with Webb programme #1939 (J. Lu). [Image description: A densely packed field of stars fills the image, with a bright cluster of stars near the centre surrounded by glowing clouds of gas and dust in soft shades of red, pink, and white. Dark patches of dust appear scattered throughout the scene, contrasting with the luminous background. Several bright foreground stars display Webb's distinctive six-pointed diffraction spikes, while countless fainter stars extend across the entire image.] Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, J. Lu

This image features data from Webb’s MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) to capture the most detailed mid-infrared view yet of the field that hosts the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole.  An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*. The data in this image were taken with Webb programmes #3571 (F. Yusef-Zadeh), #2491 (N. B. Sabha), and #2075 (C. Chan). [Image description: A bright, densely populated star cluster lies near the centre of the image, surrounded by intricate clouds of glowing gas and dust in shades of red, pink, orange, and blue. Dark lanes of dust weave through the nebula, contrasting with the luminous central region. Countless stars are scattered across the field, with a few brighter foreground stars showing Webb's characteristic diffraction spikes. An irregular black region occupies the lower-right corner of the image, indicating an area where no observational data was available.] Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha, C. Chan

This image showcases the location of the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. The images show a progressinvely closer view of the region using ground- and space-based data. An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik/M. Zamani, ESO/S. Guisard, NASA/JPL-Caltech/S. Stolovy (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech), F. Peißker, J. Lu

This image shows a close-up of the surrounding region of the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*. The data in this image were taken with Webb programme #1939 (J. Lu). Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, J. Lu

This video features new images from Webb’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) to capture the most detailed mid-infrared view yet of the field that hosts the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. More information and download options: http://esawebb.org/videos/weic2617a/ Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Peißker, J. Lu, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha, C. Chan, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb) Music: Stellardrone - Twilight

This video showcases three insights of the most detailed mid-infrared view yet of the field that hosts the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. This first image shown includes data from Webb's NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument). The second video features only NIRcam data, while the third image uses only MIRI data. More information and download options: http://esawebb.org/videos/weic2617b/ Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Peißker, J. Lu, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha, C. Chan, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb) Music: Stellardrone - The Night Sky in Motion

[materialsscienceandengineering]

X-Rays with Lower Doses, Higher Resolution

Many patients wonder if the X-rays ordered by their physicians will subject them to radiation overdoses. In the future, those medical images could require a lot less radiation. Scientists in China have developed a new computational imaging technique that reconstructs X-ray pictures from a tiny fraction of the photons normally required in medical diagnostics. (Optica, doi: 10.1364/OPTICA.598975). The proof-of-concept study yielded images nearly 2 megapixels in resolution, yet using only 0.48% of the usual X-ray dosage. “While traditional X-ray imaging relies on enough X-ray photons reaching a detector to form a clear image, our approach uses computational techniques to reconstruct an image from fewer photons,” said researcher Tiqiao Xiao, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences. “We were able to show the low-dose potential of this approach by achieving megapixel radiology with ultra-low-light.”

Read more.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Machine learning maps the atomic complexity inside batteries

Physics-informed machine learning connects atomic structure with ion transport and electrolyte stability, accelerating better sodium- and li

(Nanowerk News) For grid-scale energy storage and national energy resilience, the U.S. needs better batteries. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are tackling that challenge in many ways, but one approach is making a significant impact: physics-informed machine learning. In two recent publications, LLNL researchers examined how integrating molecular dynamics simulations with physics-informed machine learning can illuminate the relationships between structure and behavior in complex battery materials. They used the powerful combination of techniques to explore carbon anodes in sodium-ion batteries and liquid electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries.

Read more.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Thin Films “Dance” with Substrates That Are No Longer Inert | Newswise

Many of today’s electronic devices are built on thin-film substrates where the thin film is electronically conductive and the substrate is

Newswise — Many of today’s electronic devices — from the semiconductors in your cell phone to the photovoltaic cells in your solar panels — are built on thin-film substrates. The thin film is an electronically conductive material while the substrate is an inert material. Or is it? Physicists and materials scientists have long assumed substrates do not react to electrical stimulus, but new research from the University of California San Diego and a team of collaborators has shown that substrates are not inert after all. The discovery has the potential to help engineers build the dense, three-dimensional, brain-inspired computer chips needed for more energy-efficient computing. This work appears in Science. The research began four years ago in UC San Diego Associate Professor of Physics Alex Frañó’s lab. Frañó is a principal investigator and assistant director at the Quantum Materials for Energy-Efficient Neuromorphic Computing (Q-MEEN-C), one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Centers. One of the goals of Q-MEEN-C is to develop quantum materials that can be used in neuromorphic, or “brain-like” computing. 

Read more.

[rocedmed]

[smoothwhisper]

[anands420]

Hare Krishna..

My words are like a RIVER..

Runs towards Your OCEAN of LOVE.

- Raadhe Raadhe

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Transparent ceramic enables rewritable 3D optical writing

(Nanowerk Spotlight) Optical discs store data as microscopic marks spread across a thin recording layer. That is essentially two-dimensional storage. Writing similar marks at many depths inside a transparent solid would turn the whole volume into usable recording space, potentially increasing capacity. The laser, however, must reach each point without being scattered or absorbed along the way. Glass is well suited to this kind of three-dimensional writing because it can be made highly transparent. It already supports high-density laser writing across multiple depths and optical dimensions. Ceramics are more resistant to heat, chemicals, and physical damage, which makes them attractive for durable storage. Their drawback is that the crystal defects needed to produce a strong optical mark can also block or scatter the writing beam.

Read more.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Carbon nanorings enable a new form of quantum control

Carbon nanorings could generate lossless, switchable toroidal moments, offering a precise way to control quantum states for future quantum c

(Nanowerk News) Quantum states can be precisely controlled with the help of tiny carbon rings measuring only a few nanometres in size. This is made possible by a class of rarely utilized electromagnetic dipoles called toroidal moments. Using computer simulations, physicists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have now found a way to generate and control these nanostructures without any loss. The findings were published in the journal npj Computational Materials ("Topology-enabled quantum toroidal moment in carbon nanotori") and create new opportunities for quantum computer technology.

Read more.

[cocorossss]

[mindblowingscience]

Heat-stressed cells use nuclear stress bodies to restart RNA splicing, study finds

If you want to beat the heat of the summer sun, slowing down and doing less is a good strategy. However, researchers have long asked whether

If you want to beat the heat of the summer sun, slowing down and doing less is a good strategy. However, researchers have long asked whether the same occurs at the cellular level. While cellular stress responses have been repeatedly studied, the impact of the environment on these responses remains relatively unknown. Now, researchers from Japan report an elegant mechanism by which cells shut down certain nonessential functions when they get too hot. In a study recently published in Molecular Cell, researchers from the University of Osaka revealed how nuclear stress bodies sense temperature to regulate survival during and recovery from thermal stress.

Continue Reading.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

New Physics Model Targets Better Powder Layer Formation

A new research paper proposes a physics based control model to improve powder layer formation in powder bed AM. Why Layer Formation Matters Powder layer formation is the key to powder bed fusion and binder jetting, yet it is still tuned largely by trial and error. Uneven layers create spatter, lack of fusion, binder pooling, dimensional drift, and the even dreaded recoater crash scenario. In other words, if the powder layer is wrong, everything that follows is compromised. Industrial systems from EOS, SLM Solutions, GE Additive, Renishaw and HP protect their recoater recipes very closely. Operators fiddle with blade or roller type, traverse speed, gap, preheat, and stripe overlaps, then cross their fingers that today’s powder spreadability matches yesterday’s. Metals often require layers in the 20 to 60 micron range; polymer SLS tends to be thicker; binder jetting can vary even more. The tighter the layer, the smaller the process window — and the higher the risk.

Read more.

[universe888]

Raising your consciousness requires prioritizing personal growth and objective truth over comfort and illusions. As a result of this higher awareness, internal and external chaos lose their power to control your life.

[nobeerreviews]

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.

-- John Keats

(Delémont, Switzerland)