Related papers: Laser Communication with Proxima and Alpha Centaur…
Using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to monitor the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, we recorded the weakest X-ray flares on a magnetically active star ever observed. Correlated X-ray and optical variability provide strong…
The Alpha Centauri system is the primary target for planet search as it is the closest star system composed of a solar twin Alpha Centauri A, a K-dwarf Alpha Centauri B and an M-dwarf Proxima Centauri, which has a confirmed planet in the…
The energies and widths of gamma-ray lines emitted by ambient nuclei excited by flare-accelerated protons and alpha particles provide information on the ions directionality and spectra, and on the characteristics of the interaction region.…
The gravitational lens system CLASS B2108+213 has two lensed images separated by 4.56 arcsec. Such a wide image separation suggests that the lens is either a massive galaxy, or is composed of a group of galaxies. To investigate the…
Gravitational lensing by a spiral galaxy occurs when the line-of-sight to a background quasar passes within a few kpc from the center of the galactic disk. Since galactic disks are rich in neutral hydrogen, the quasar spectrum will likely…
The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) observed two bright X-class solar flares on 2012 March 7, and detected gamma-rays up to 4 GeV. We detected gamma-rays both during the impulsive and temporally-extended emission phases, with emission…
The precise mechanisms that provide the non-radiative energy for heating the chromosphere and the corona of the Sun and those of other stars constitute an active field of research. By studying stellar chromospheres one aims at identifying…
The Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL) is a gift of nature that Humanity is now ready to exploit. SGL physics started with Einstein's 1936 paper on the gravitational lensing; it was not until 1979 that the idea of a space mission reaching the…
Observing gravitationally lensed objects in the time domain is difficult, and well-observed time-varying sources are rare. Lensed gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer improved timing precision to this class of objects complementing observations of…
Centaurus B (Cen B) is one of the closest and brightest radio-loud galaxy in the southern sky. This radio galaxy, proposed as a plausible candidate for accelerating ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), is near the highest-energy neutrino…
We propose a novel telescope concept based on Earth's gravitational lensing effect, optimized for the detection of distant dark matter sources, particularly axion-like particles (ALPs). When a unidirectional flux of dark matter passes…
The solar gravitational lens (SGL) offers unique capabilities for high-resolution imaging of faint, distant objects, such as exoplanets. In the near future, a spacecraft carrying a meter-class telescope with a solar coronagraph would be…
The LAT instrument on the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope is performing an all-sky survey from 20 MeV to 300 GeV with unprecedented statistics and angular resolution. This is providing a wealth of new information on the non-thermal emission…
On the Large Phased Array (LPA) of Lebedev Physics Institute (LPI), a search for pulsars outside the Galaxy plane was carried out in a 300 sq. deg area. The search with a sensitivity 5-10 times better than that of previously conducted…
We present new radio and optical images of the nearest radio galaxy Centaurus A and its host galaxy NGC 5128. We focus our investigation on the northern transition region, where energy is transported from the ~5 kpc (~5 arcmin) scales of…
The recent discovery of the gamma-ray emission from the lobes of the closest radio galaxy Centaurus A by Fermi implies the presence of high-energy electrons at least up to gamma ~ 10^5 - 10^6. These high-energy electrons are required to…
The Fermi observatory was launched on June 11, 2008. It hosts the \emph{Large Area Telescope} (LAT), sensitive to $\gamma$-ray photons from 20 MeV to over 300 GeV. When the LAT began its activity, nine young and energetic pulsars were known…
FERMI-LAT is performing an all-sky gamma-ray survey from 20 MeV to >300 GeV with unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. FERMI is the only mission able to detect high energy (>20 MeV) emission from the Sun during the new solar…
The transparent Sun is modeled as a spherically symmetric and centrally condensed gravitational lens using recent Standard Solar Model (SSM) data. The Sun's minimum focal length is computed to a refined accuracy of 23.5 +/- 0.1 AU, just…
Proxima b is a terrestrial-mass planet in the habitable-zone of Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri's high stellar activity however casts doubt on the habitability of Proxima b: sufficiently bright and frequent flares and any associated…