Notte Europea dei Ricercatori 2022
In occasione della Notte Europea dei Ricercatori 2022, l’INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania ha organizzato varie attività per il pubblico che si svolgeranno tra il 29 settembre e l’1 ottobre.
Pagina di caricamento
eventi-seminari
Gravitational collapse to regular black holes
The Oppenheimer-Snyder-Datt model for homogeneous dust collapse describes how a black hole forms. Considering semi-classical corrections at large curvature obtained from general relativity coupled to non-linear electrodynamics may lead to the resolution of the central singularity and the formation of a regular black hole.
Catania osserva l’eclissi parziale di Sole
Il 25 ottobre sarà possibile assistere da Catania a un'eclissi parziale di Sole, con inizio alle ore 11:36, massimo di visibilità alle 12:31 e fine alle 13:27.
Studying the rotation of solar-type stars, from the surface to the core
Being able to constrain the rotation profile, both radial and latitudinal, of main-sequence solar-type stars, from the surface to the core, is a fundamental problem if we want to improve our understanding of stellar evolution (especially in order to get better constraints on stellar ages) and of the interactions of stars with their environment. As of today, the core rotation profile of the Sun and other main-sequence solar-type stars remains a mystery.
Cleaning RV time series from stellar activity: SN-fit and bp-method
The radial velocity (RV) technique is one of the most successful method for detecting exoplanets and it is based on measuring the Doppler reflex motion induced on a star by its orbiting planets. However, the stellar activity in the form of oscillations, granulations, spots or faculae also produces Doppler signals which may completely hide the Keplerian signal of an exoplanet.
Unveiling the atmospheric evolution of exoplanets: the PASTA tool
A thorough characterisation of an exoplanetary system includes also studying the evolution of planetary atmospheres. To this end, we developed a custom Python tool that we have dubbed PASTA: Planetary Atmospheres and Stellar roTation rAtes. The tool runs within a Bayesian framework and it adopts a MCMC scheme to estimate the atmospheric content of exoplanets at the dispersal of the protoplanetary disk accounting for the present day system observables. As a positive by-product, the evolution of the stellar rotation period is reconstructed as well. In detail, our tool relies on planetary evolutionary models relating mass, radius and equilibrium temperature with the expected atmospheric mass fraction and mass loss rate, the latter derived from hydrodynamic simulations. The atmospheric mass loss rate is significantly influenced by the stellar activity level, which is estimated from the stellar rotation period via empirical relations. In particular, gyrochronology and theoretical stellar evolutionary tracks are essential to evaluate the high-energy emission over time. We have successfully applied this framework to a number of recently discovered planets, including various CHEOPS targets. The synergy between CHEOPS and radial velocity spectrographs have already allowed us to identify different systems amenable to PASTA’s analysis, so to constrain the planet formation and stellar evolution.
Michelson-Morley Experiments: An Enigma for Physics and the History of Science
The “null result” of the original 1887 Michelson-Morley experiment represents a fundamental step for physics and the history of science. Since then, more and more precise measurements have apparently strengthened the original interpretation. However, in principle, if the two-way velocity of light in the interferometers is not exactly the same parameter “c” of Lorentz transformations, nothing would prevent a non-zero effect. For instance, in a gaseous medium the small fraction of refracted light could keep track of the motion of matter with respect to some preferred reference frame. Starting from this observation, there is now a new interpretation where the small irregular residuals always observed in laboratory show intriguing correlations with the direct CMB observations with satellites in space. This opens the possibility of linking the CMB to a fundamental reference system for relativity with substantial implications for cosmology and the interpretation of non-locality in the quantum theory. The talk will focus on the basics of this research with brief notes on some leading scientists involved in these measurements.
The Evolutionary Map of the Universe
EMU, the Evolutionary Map of the Universe, is an ongoing ASKAP survey of the Southern three-quarters of the sky, aiming to achieve rms noise levels of 20 μJy. EMU will support a broad range of science, spanning star formation and evolution in our own Galaxy, galaxy evolution and the links between star formation and supermassive black holes, to cosmology. EMU has been allocated approximately 1 year of time on ASKAP in the coming 5 year window. I will summarise the technical and scientific goals of the survey, the current status of and timeline for the survey, and highlight a selection of recent results from early science and pilot survey data.
Avvistamento lunare
Un incontro dedicato all’avvistamento, assistito con strumentazione astronomica, della Luna Nuova di Ramadan.
Comunicazione@INAF
Sede A. Riccò Via Santa Sofia 78, CataniaLa terza missione sta diventando sempre più cruciale per enti di ricerca e atenei, in particolare tutte quelle attività che vanno sotto il nome di Public Engagement o, se preferite, Comunicazione nel senso più ampio del termine. Attività che vedono coinvolti sempre più ricercatori e ricercatrici in prima persona. In questo incontro vorremmo fornirvi alcuni strumenti per orientarvi al meglio e per collaborare secondo le attitudini e le aspirazioni di ciascuno di voi, ma anche dirvi com’è articolata la Struttura per la comunicazione dell'INAF. Ma, soprattutto, vorremmo dare risposta alle tante domande che spesso ci ponete: cosa si intende per press release, news, conferenza stampa, embargo, comunicato congiunto, virgolettato e cose simili? A chi vi rivolgete? Cosa posso raccontare a bambini e bambine di sei anni? Perché a volte avete così fretta di contattarmi mentre sono impegnato in un meeting o una call? Perché non mi hanno accettato al festival della scienza? E, soprattutto, perché parlate di qualunque cosa tranne che delle mie ricerche?