We argue that light sails with nanometer-scale thicknesses that
are rapidly accelerated to relativistic velocities by lasers must
be significantly curved in order to reduce their intrafilm
mechanical stresses and avoid tears. Using an integrated...
The Bahcall Lunch follow the astrophysics colloquium
lecture. Registration is required by 3pm the previous
Friday so a meal can be provided. Please contact Amanda
Cenker with questions.
A satisfying theory for star or planet formation should not
consider these processes in isolation. With the power of recent
observational surveys, we are well positioned to test detailed
theoretical models of multiple-star formation and orbital...
Dynamical Chern-Simons gravity (dCS) is a four-dimensional
parity-violating extension of general relativity. Current models
predict the effect of this extension to be negligible due to large
decay constants f close to the scale of grand unified...
Abstract: Pure 3d gravity in AdS has only
boundary degrees of freedom. I will show that these interact
nontrivially if spacetime is restricted to a finite size. Their
dynamics can be obtained equivalently by TTbar deforming the
infinite volume...
High energy stellar irradiation is believed to control
atmospheric chemistry in and mass loss of short-period planets.
These effects are intensified in the earliest stages of planetary
evolution because young stars are more active and produce...
Type Ia supernovae involve the thermonuclear detonation of white
dwarf stars, and are an essential tool allowing us to study the
Universe on vast scales. However, Type Ia supernovae are not the
only byproducts of the mergers at the endpoints of...
Large-area surveys such as Gaia have given us an unprecedented
amount of data on stars in the Milky Way. One of the largest
ongoing challenges in understanding the present-day structure and
formation history of our Galaxy (i.e. Galactic archaeology)...
