Related papers: Short-term effects of Gamma Ray Bursts on oceanic …
We analyze the additional effect on planetary atmospheres of recently detected gamma-ray burst afterglow photons in the range up to 1 TeV. For an Earth-like atmosphere we find that there is a small additional depletion in ozone versus that…
High-energy astrophysical events, particularly Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs), have been proposed as significant contributors to mass extinction events on Earth-like planets in most of the galaxy, internal to our radius in it. This paper examines…
In this work we apply a mathematical model of photosynthesis to quantify the potential for photosynthetic life in the very Early Archean oceans. We assume the presence of oceanic blockers of ultraviolet radiation, specifically ferrous ions.…
A recent paper states that ultraviolet backradiation from the solar transition region and upper chromosphere strongly affects the degree of ionization of minority stages at the top of the photosphere, i.e., in the temperature minimum of the…
In this chapter, we present an overview of sources of biologically relevant astrophysical radiation and effects of that radiation on organisms and their habitats. We consider both electromagnetic and particle radiation, with an emphasis on…
We present a physical framework that can account for most of the observed spectral properties of the prompt gamma-ray burst emission. This includes the variety of spectral shapes, shape evolutions, and spectral correlations between flux and…
It is shown, that spontaneous ultraviolet radiation of cells (infusoria) plays the role of agent, restricting the upper limit of the quantity of cells in quasi-stationary phase of cultire's development. The spectral region of this radiation…
We investigate and evaluate the contribution of the ultraviolet radiation spectrum on the temperature and efficiency of commercial crystalline silicon-based photovoltaics (PVs) that operate outdoors. The investigation is performed by…
We modify a mathematical model of photosynthesis to quantify the perturbations that high energy muons could make on aquatic primary productivity. Then we apply this in the context of the extragalactic shock model, according to which Earth…
It has been suggested that galactic shock asymmetry induced by our galaxy's infall toward the Virgo Cluster may be a source of periodicity in cosmic ray exposure as the solar system oscillates perpendicular to the galactic plane. Here we…
Gamma-ray bursts are produced by the dissipation of the kinetic energy of a highly relativistic fireball, via the formation of a collisionless shock. When this happens, Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays up to 10^20 eV are produced. I show in…
The observation by the BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are distributed isotropically around the Earth but nonuniformly in distance has led to the widespread conclusion that GRBs are most…
We investigated the potential biological impacts at Earth's surface of stratospheric O3 depletion caused by nearby supernovae known to have occurred about 2.5 and 8 million years ago at about 50 pc distance. New and previously published…
Phytoplankton photosynthesis in most natural waters is often inhibited by ultraviolet (UV) and intense photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) but the effects on ocean productivity have received little consideration aside from polar…
Interactions of grazing incidence, ultra high energy cosmic rays with the earth's atmosphere may provide a new method of studying energetic cosmic rays with gamma-ray satellites. It is found that these cosmic ray interactions may produce…
X-rays and gamma-rays from astronomical sources such as solar flares are mostly absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. Resulting electron-ion production rate as a function of height depends on the intensity and wavelength of the injected…
Although Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) have been detected for many decades, the lack of knowledge regarding the radiation mechanism that produces the energetic flash of radiation, or prompt emission, from these events has prevented the full use…
We study the narrowest spectra expected from gamma-ray bursts. We present an analytical function for the spectrum that is emitted from the photosphere of a radiation-dominated flow that is under acceleration. This is the narrowest possible…
Astrophysical ionizing radiation events such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and solar proton events have been recognized as a potential threat to life on Earth, primarily through depletion of stratospheric ozone and subsequent increase in…
The emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis created a new niche with dramatic potential to transform energy flow through Earth's biosphere. However, more primitive forms of photosynthesis that fix CO2 into biomass using electrons from reduced…