Related papers: Life Extinctions By Cosmic Ray Bursts
The multiverse is a hierarchy in the number of universes, increasing stepwise towards infinity. It is an evolutionary system, in which universes survive only near critical mass. That mass is actually a factor of 1.94 less than the critical…
When binary systems of neutron stars merge, a very small fraction of their rest mass is ejected, either dynamically or secularly. This material is neutron-rich and its nucleosynthesis could provide the astrophysical site for the production…
Nucleosynthesis in the standard hot big bang cosmology offers a successful account of the production of the light nuclides during the early evolution of the Universe. Consistency among the predicted and observed abundances of D, $^3$He,…
Recent observations provide compelling evidence that the bulk of the high energy cosmic rays (CRs) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are co-produced by highly relativistic jets of plasmoids of stellar matter. These jets are launched by fall back…
Estimates made in the 1970's indicated that a supernova occurring within tens of parsecs of Earth could have significant effects on the ozone layer. Since that time, improved tools for detailed modeling of atmospheric chemistry have been…
When neutron stars (NS) accrete gas from low-mass binary companions, explosive nuclear burning reactions in the NS envelope fuse hydrogen and helium into heavier elements. The resulting thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts produce energy…
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are huge expulsions of magnetized matter from the Sun and stars, traversing space with speeds of millions of kilometers per hour. Solar CMEs can cause severe space weather disturbances and consumer power…
Cosmic explosions called $\gamma$-ray bursts are the most energetic bursting events in the universe. Observations of extremely high-energy emission from two $\gamma$-ray bursts provide a new way to study these gigantic explosions.
We have started an ambitious program to determine if the full diversity of extinction laws is real or if some of it is due to calibration or methodological issues. Here we start by analyzing the information on NIR extinction in a 2MASS…
It is well-known that active galactic nuclei (AGN) are accompanied by winds and outflows, some of which may reach weakly relativistic speeds of about $10$ percent the speed of light. Yet, in spite of their ubiquity, the impact of AGN…
Recent radio observations support a picture for star formation where there is accretion of matter onto a central protostar with the ejection of molecular outflows that can affect the surrounding medium. The impact of a supersonic outflow on…
An ionization plays a key role in formation of stars, planets and their atmospheres. Cosmic rays (CR) are the main source of the ionization, therefore it is important to know and be able to estimate fluxes of galactic and stellar cosmic…
In the nucleated instability picture of gas giant formation, the final stage is the rapid accretion of a massive gas envelope by a solid core, bringing about a tenfold or more increase in mass. This tends to trigger the scattering of any…
The origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays remains one of the central open questions in astroparticle physics. Recent measurements reveal anisotropies in arrival directions, a rigidity-dependent composition dominated by intermediate-mass…
We review the hypothesis that the acceleration of protons at internal shocks in Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) could be the origin of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) observed at earth, E_max > 10^19 eV. We find that, even though protons…
We consider global catastrophic risks due to cosmic explosions (supernovae, magnetars and gamma-ray bursts) and possible mitigation strategies by humans and other hypothetical intelligent beings. While by their very nature these events are…
We report on general relativistic hydrodynamic studies which indicate several new physical processes which may contribute to powering gamma-ray bursts in neutron star binaries. Relativistically driven compression, heating, and collapse of…
Solar eruptions generally refer to coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and flares. Both are important sources of space weather. Solar flares cause sudden change in the ionization level in the ionosphere. CMEs cause solar energetic particle (SEP)…
Assuming that there is no GZK (Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin) cut-off and that super-GZK cosmic rays correlate with AGN (Active Galactic Nuclei) at cosmological distances, it is speculated that a relic superheavy particle (X) has its lifetime…
The merger of two neutron stars usually produces a remnant with a mass significantly above the single (nonrotating) neutron star maximum mass. In some cases, the remnant will be stabilized against collapse by rapid, differential rotation.…