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Daily Archives: May 8, 2017
Chess notes – The Boston Globe
Posted: May 8, 2017 at 12:31 am
The just concluded Gashimov Memorial had a few interesting moments. The great positional player and former world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, decided to channel Mikhail Tal and sacrificed a rook for three pawns versus Pentala Harikrishna. Even though the engines say it is wasnt any good, the defense was just too hard for a human. We reproduce the game here:
Kramnik Harikrishna; 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.00 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a3 00 9.Nc3 Nb8 10.Ne2 Nbd7 11.c3 Bb7 12.Ng3 c5 13.Re1 Rc8 14.Nf5 c4 15.dxc4 Bxe4 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.cxb5 axb5 18.Bg5 Nc5 19.Ba2 h6 20.Bh4 g5 21.Bg3 Bh7 22.Qe2 Kg7 23.Rad1 Nfe4 24.Rd5 f5 25.Rxe5!!?? dxe5 26.Bxe5+ Nf6 27.Qxb5 Nce4 28.Bd4 Rfd8 29.h3 Rb8 30.Qe2 Bg8 31.Bb1 Qb7 32.b4 Re8 33.c4 Qc6 34.Qb2 Rbd8 35.c5 Qe6 36.b5 Kf8 37.c6 g4 38.hxg4 fxg4 39.Bxe4 gxf3 40.Bxf6 Rd6 41.Bg7+ Kf7 42.Be5; 10
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American champ, Wesley So, ground down the great defensive stars Sergey Karjakin and Vladimir Kramnik in endgames no less, which doesnt happen every day. Pavel Eljanov, in a tweet, compared himself to Santa Claus as he gave so many gift points to his rivals and promised to be a bad Santa the next time around.
Todays game is another point of interest. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was just cruising to back-to-back wins in this important hometown event when he lost to Radoslaw Wojtaszek, who adopted a damn the torpedoes attitude, and assayed a very, very sharp line in the Gruenfeld. To his credit, Mamedyarov hung on to win.
2017 Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir, Azerbaijan
Wojtaszek (2745) Mamedyarov (2772)
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Qb3 Nb6 6.d4 Bg7 7.e4 Behold the Gruenfeld Defense. 7...Bg4 8.Bb5+ c6 not 8...Nc6 9.d5 9.Ng5 00 10.Be2 Bxe2 11.Nxe2 As 11Na6 is not holding up in practice, maybe 11..c5 deserves a look or 11...h6 first, driving the knight back, and then 12Na6 11...Na6 11...Bxd4 may be playable but looks very dangerous after... 12.Qh3 h5 13.g4 12.Qh3 h6 13.Nf3 h5 Why not 13h6? The engines have nothing really bad to say about it and it does avoid Whites attack. 14.Rg1! Nb4 15.g4 No beating around the bush here. 15...Qd7 16.Qh4! Whats a rook when theres mate in the air? 16...Nc2+ 17.Kf1 Nxd4 A change of plans as taking the rook, upon reflection, is just too dangerous, for example: 17...Nxa1 18.gxh5 Bf6 19.Bg5 Bg7 20.h6 Bf6 21.Bxf6 exf6 22.h7+ Kh8 (22Kg7 23.Ng3!) 23.Qxf6+ Kxh7 24.Rg3 Kg8 25.Ne5 Qd8 26.Qf5 Qd6 27.Nxg6 Qxg6 28.Rxg6+ fxg6 29.Qxg6+ which should be winning for White 18.Nexd4 Bxd4 19.gxh5 The assault begins and at no cost! 19...Bf6 20.Bg5 Bxb2 After 20...Bxg5 21.Rxg5 Qd3+ 22.Kg2 f6 23.hxg6 Qxf3+ 24.Kg1 Rf7 25.Rg3 Qe2 26.Rh3 Black will eventually be mated. 21.Re1 Qd3+ 22.Kg2 f6!? Very tricky! Now what happens after the apparent winning 23.hxg6, threatening mate? 23.Bh6 and not 23.hxg6 due to the shot 23Qxf3+!! 24.Kxf3 (or 24.Kf1 Qxf2+ 25.Qxf2 fxg5 26.Rxg5 Rxf2+ 27.Kxf2) 24...fxg5+ 25.Kg2 gxh4 and in both cases, Black is winning! 23...g5 or 23...Rfe8 24.hxg6 and it is very hard to stop mate after either 25.Bg7 or 25.Be3 24.Nxg5! Rf7 25.Nxf7 Kxf7 Not only is White up material but his king is a lot safer than Blacks and dont forget about Whites passed h-pawn! 26.Re3 Qc2 27.Rg3 Bd4 28.Rg7+ Ke6 29.Qg4+ Kd6 30.Be3 Bxe3 31.Qg3+ Down material and with an exposed king, Black had enough; 10
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Complete mastery: Gaylord Perry’s durable legacy – Kitsap Sun
Posted: at 12:31 am
John McGrath, Sports viewpoint 5:15 p.m. PT May 7, 2017
John McGrath, Tacoma News Tribune(Photo: TNT)
SEATTLE As Jerry Dipoto was revealing details of the forearm strain that put James Paxton on the disabled list Friday, the Mariners general manager stood a few feet away from a Gaylord Perry jersey display.
The symbolism was rich.
Invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch Saturday the 35th anniversary of the Hall of Famers 300th victory Perry, 78, has vivid memories of his astonishingly brief history with the disabled list.
He hurt his ankle sliding into second base in 1966. The injury forced Perry to miss two weeks, but soon he was back on the mound, resuming a career remarkable for its durability.
Between 1962 and 1983, Perry made 690 starts, threw 303 complete games and faced 21,953 batters, yet never suffered the kind of arm problems plaguing Paxton and fellow starters Felix Hernandez and Drew Smyly.
An ability to avoid injuries requires some good luck, but as Branch Rickey liked to say, luck is the residue of design. Perry adhered to a self-taught winter workout routine that stressed conditioning before throwing.
Every year, at my home in North Carolina, Id run sprints and do resistance exercises to get my shoulder, elbow and legs strong, Perry said Friday. Id do that for 30 days, beginning on Jan. 1. I did not pick up a baseball until Feb. 1, when Id play catch with my dad or my son. When Id get to spring training, I was ready to go six innings nobody else was as ready as that.
I think the arm problems pitchers have now could be corrected by the right exercises. I wanted my arm to be strong. I wanted to pitch a lot of innings and I didnt want to get my arm to get tired. You had to do it religiously, though. You couldnt just do it once a week. I did it at least five times a week.
In March of 1982, Perry owned 297 lifetime victories and no job. But his workout-warrior discipline led to a spring-training tryout offer from Mariners general manager Dan OBrien.
I finally found someone who gave me a chance to pitch for a couple more years, said Perry. I played for Dan in Texas. He knew I was in good condition and said, Come on in.
Perry arrived in camp on March 5, two weeks after pitchers and catchers reported. He was named the opening day starter at Oakland and went the distance.
In his Kingdome debut for the Mariners, against the Angels on April 20, Perry broke a team record by striking out 13. He was 43 years old.
Not since Early Wynn, in 1961, had a pitcher won 300 games. Perry beat the Yankees at New York for No. 299 on April 30 and then, six days later, beat them again for the milestone.
He gave up nine hits in the 7-3 victory, striking out four while walking one. Not a dominant performance, but a complete game with minimal late-inning drama.
In other words, by todays standards, a gem.
Nobody goes nine innings anymore, said Perry. I dont think theyre taught to go nine innings. The manager and general manager and pitching coach wont let starters go more than five or six innings.
Perry is remembered for doctoring baseballs with a grease that created a sinking action. The illegal pitch maddened opponents and defined his legacy, and while theres no doubt he dabbed the ball on occasion, the most tangible benefit of the greaseball was its potential to get inside the head of a hitter.
Perry knew that, and played the is-he-cheating-or-not? card as as a ruse. When a pitcher reputed to apply grease on a ball puts his fingers on the bill of his cap once, twice, three times it tends to distract a hitter from the task at hand.
Perry grew up working in the fields of the family tobacco farm. Casual fans heard his drawl and presumed he was an easy-going bumpkin.
Wrong. Perry had street smarts or, more accurately, rural highway smarts. A gifted 6-foot-4 athlete who declined a chance to pursue a Division I college basketball career, he combined his versatile pitching repertoire with the focus of a chess master.
If there was an edge to be had, the big lug took it.
I always watched the opposing club hit during batting practice, he said. Id see who was taking good cuts and who was working on something, either pulling the ball too much or getting the ball off the ground.
Although Perry believes starting pitching has become a lost art six serviceable innings are the new complete game he has no doubt baseball players are better equipped to maximize their ability than they were in 1961, when he was a Triple-A star with the Tacoma Giants.
Take travel, for instance. Perry can recall flights from Cleveland to Detroit in a DC-6 plane spewing oily smoke from the engines.
There was a lot of praying as we crossed over the lake, he said. It got so bad we had a team meeting and decided to take the bus.
Swimming, Perry noted, was not a skill.
Then again, a pitcher who throws 303 complete games without any arm, shoulder or elbow issues doesnt have to swim.
He just changes into his cape and resumes the flight alone.
John McGrath is a columnist for the Tacoma News Tribune. Contact him atjmcgrath@thenewstribune.com.
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Complete mastery: Gaylord Perry's durable legacy - Kitsap Sun
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Astronomy – Wikipedia
Posted: at 12:30 am
Astronomy (from Greek: ) is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It applies mathematics, physics, and chemistry, in an effort to explain the origin of those objects and phenomena and their evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, galaxies, and comets; while the phenomena include supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic microwave background radiation. More generally, all astronomical phenomena that originate outside Earth's atmosphere are within the purview of astronomy. A related but distinct subject, physical cosmology, is concerned with the study of the Universe as a whole.[1]
Astronomy is the oldest of the natural sciences. The early civilizations in recorded history, such as the Babylonians, Greeks, Indians, Egyptians, Nubians, Iranians, Chinese, and Maya performed methodical observations of the night sky. Historically, astronomy has included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation, observational astronomy and the making of calendars, but professional astronomy is now often considered to be synonymous with astrophysics.[2]
During the 20th century, the field of professional astronomy split into observational and theoretical branches. Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects, which is then analyzed using basic principles of physics. Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. The two fields complement each other, with theoretical astronomy seeking to explain the observational results and observations being used to confirm theoretical results.
Astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still play an active role, especially in the discovery and observation of transient phenomena. Amateur astronomers have made and contributed to many important astronomical discoveries, such as finding new comets.
Astronomy (from the Greek from astron, "star" and - -nomia from nomos, "law" or "culture") means "law of the stars" (or "culture of the stars" depending on the translation). Astronomy should not be confused with astrology, the belief system which claims that human affairs are correlated with the positions of celestial objects.[5] Although the two fields share a common origin, they are now entirely distinct.[6]
Generally, either the term "astronomy" or "astrophysics" may be used to refer to this subject.[7][8][9] Based on strict dictionary definitions, "astronomy" refers to "the study of objects and matter outside the Earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties"[10] and "astrophysics" refers to the branch of astronomy dealing with "the behavior, physical properties, and dynamic processes of celestial objects and phenomena".[11] In some cases, as in the introduction of the introductory textbook The Physical Universe by Frank Shu, "astronomy" may be used to describe the qualitative study of the subject, whereas "astrophysics" is used to describe the physics-oriented version of the subject.[12] However, since most modern astronomical research deals with subjects related to physics, modern astronomy could actually be called astrophysics.[7] Few fields, such as astrometry, are purely astronomy rather than also astrophysics. Various departments in which scientists carry out research on this subject may use "astronomy" and "astrophysics," partly depending on whether the department is historically affiliated with a physics department,[8] and many professional astronomers have physics rather than astronomy degrees.[9] Some titles of the leading scientific journals in this field includeThe Astronomical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal and Astronomy and Astrophysics.
In early times, astronomy only comprised the observation and predictions of the motions of objects visible to the naked eye. In some locations, early cultures assembled massive artifacts that possibly had some astronomical purpose. In addition to their ceremonial uses, these observatories could be employed to determine the seasons, an important factor in knowing when to plant crops, as well as in understanding the length of the year.[13]
Before tools such as the telescope were invented, early study of the stars was conducted using the naked eye. As civilizations developed, most notably in Mesopotamia, Greece, Persia, India, China, Egypt, and Central America, astronomical observatories were assembled, and ideas on the nature of the Universe began to be explored. Most of early astronomy actually consisted of mapping the positions of the stars and planets, a science now referred to as astrometry. From these observations, early ideas about the motions of the planets were formed, and the nature of the Sun, Moon and the Earth in the Universe were explored philosophically. The Earth was believed to be the center of the Universe with the Sun, the Moon and the stars rotating around it. This is known as the geocentric model of the Universe, or the Ptolemaic system, named after Ptolemy.[14]
A particularly important early development was the beginning of mathematical and scientific astronomy, which began among the Babylonians, who laid the foundations for the later astronomical traditions that developed in many other civilizations.[15] The Babylonians discovered that lunar eclipses recurred in a repeating cycle known as a saros.[16]
Following the Babylonians, significant advances in astronomy were made in ancient Greece and the Hellenistic world. Greek astronomy is characterized from the start by seeking a rational, physical explanation for celestial phenomena.[17] In the 3rd century BC, Aristarchus of Samos estimated the size and distance of the Moon and Sun, and was the first to propose a heliocentric model of the solar system.[18] In the 2nd century BC, Hipparchus discovered precession, calculated the size and distance of the Moon and invented the earliest known astronomical devices such as the astrolabe.[19] Hipparchus also created a comprehensive catalog of 1020 stars, and most of the constellations of the northern hemisphere derive from Greek astronomy.[20] The Antikythera mechanism (c. 15080 BC) was an early analog computer designed to calculate the location of the Sun, Moon, and planets for a given date. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks appeared in Europe.[21]
During the Middle Ages, astronomy was mostly stagnant in medieval Europe, at least until the 13th century. However, astronomy flourished in the Islamic world and other parts of the world. This led to the emergence of the first astronomical observatories in the Muslim world by the early 9th century.[22][23][24] In 964, the Andromeda Galaxy, the largest galaxy in the Local Group, was discovered by the Persian astronomer Azophi and first described in his Book of Fixed Stars.[25] The SN 1006 supernova, the brightest apparent magnitude stellar event in recorded history, was observed by the Egyptian Arabic astronomer Ali ibn Ridwan and the Chinese astronomers in 1006. Some of the prominent Islamic (mostly Persian and Arab) astronomers who made significant contributions to the science include Al-Battani, Thebit, Azophi, Albumasar, Biruni, Arzachel, Al-Birjandi, and the astronomers of the Maragheh and Samarkand observatories. Astronomers during that time introduced many Arabic names now used for individual stars.[26][27] It is also believed that the ruins at Great Zimbabwe and Timbuktu[28] may have housed an astronomical observatory.[29] Europeans had previously believed that there had been no astronomical observation in pre-colonial Middle Ages sub-Saharan Africa but modern discoveries show otherwise.[30][31][32][33]
The Roman Catholic Church gave more financial and social support to the study of astronomy for over six centuries, from the recovery of ancient learning during the late Middle Ages into the Enlightenment, than any other, and, probably, all other, institutions. Among the Church's motives was finding the date for Easter.[34]
During the Renaissance, Nicolaus Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system. His work was defended, expanded upon, and corrected by Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler. Galileo used telescopes to enhance his observations.[35]
Kepler was the first to devise a system that described correctly the details of the motion of the planets with the Sun at the center. However, Kepler did not succeed in formulating a theory behind the laws he wrote down.[36] It was left to Newton's invention of celestial dynamics and his law of gravitation to finally explain the motions of the planets. Newton also developed the reflecting telescope.[35]
The English astronomer John Flamsteed catalogued over 3000 stars.[37] Further discoveries paralleled the improvements in the size and quality of the telescope. More extensive star catalogues were produced by Lacaille. The astronomer William Herschel made a detailed catalog of nebulosity and clusters, and in 1781 discovered the planet Uranus, the first new planet found.[38] The distance to a star was first announced in 1838 when the parallax of 61 Cygni was measured by Friedrich Bessel.[39]
During the 1819th centuries, the study of the three body problem by Euler, Clairaut, and D'Alembert led to more accurate predictions about the motions of the Moon and planets. This work was further refined by Lagrange and Laplace, allowing the masses of the planets and moons to be estimated from their perturbations.[40]
Significant advances in astronomy came about with the introduction of new technology, including the spectroscope and photography. Fraunhofer discovered about 600 bands in the spectrum of the Sun in 181415, which, in 1859, Kirchhoff ascribed to the presence of different elements. Stars were proven to be similar to the Earth's own Sun, but with a wide range of temperatures, masses, and sizes.[26]
The existence of the Earth's galaxy, the Milky Way, as a separate group of stars, was only proved in the 20th century, along with the existence of "external" galaxies. The observed recession of those galaxies led to the discovery of the expansion of the Universe.[41] Theoretical astronomy led to speculations on the existence of objects such as black holes and neutron stars, which have been used to explain such observed phenomena as quasars, pulsars, blazars, and radio galaxies. Physical cosmology made huge advances during the 20th century, with the model of the Big Bang, which is heavily supported by evidence provided by cosmic microwave background radiation, Hubble's law, and the cosmological abundances of elements. Space telescopes have enabled measurements in parts of the electromagnetic spectrum normally blocked or blurred by the atmosphere. In February 2016, it was revealed that the LIGO project had detected evidence of gravitational waves in the previous September.
Our main source of information about celestial bodies and other objects is visible light more generally electromagnetic radiation.[42] Observational astronomy may be divided according to the observed region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Some parts of the spectrum can be observed from the Earth's surface, while other parts are only observable from either high altitudes or outside the Earth's atmosphere. Specific information on these subfields is given below.
Radio astronomy uses radiation outside the visible range with wavelengths greater than approximately one millimeter.[43] Radio astronomy is different from most other forms of observational astronomy in that the observed radio waves can be treated as waves rather than as discrete photons. Hence, it is relatively easier to measure both the amplitude and phase of radio waves, whereas this is not as easily done at shorter wavelengths.[43]
Although some radio waves are emitted directly by astronomical objects, a product of thermal emission, most of the radio emission that is observed is the result of synchrotron radiation, which is produced when electrons orbit magnetic fields.[43] Additionally, a number of spectral lines produced by interstellar gas, notably the hydrogen spectral line at 21cm, are observable at radio wavelengths.[12][43]
A wide variety of objects are observable at radio wavelengths, including supernovae, interstellar gas, pulsars, and active galactic nuclei.[12][43]
Infrared astronomy is founded on the detection and analysis of infrared radiation, wavelengths longer than red light and outside the range of our vision. The infrared spectrum is useful for studying objects that are too cold to radiate visible light, such as planets, circumstellar disks or nebulae whose light is blocked by dust. The longer wavelengths of infrared can penetrate clouds of dust that block visible light, allowing the observation of young stars embedded in molecular clouds and the cores of galaxies. Observations from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have been particularly effective at unveiling numerous Galactic protostars and their host star clusters.[45][46] With the exception of infrared wavelengths close to visible light, such radiation is heavily absorbed by the atmosphere, or masked, as the atmosphere itself produces significant infrared emission. Consequently, infrared observatories have to be located in high, dry places on Earth or in space.[47] Some molecules radiate strongly in the infrared. This allows the study of the chemistry of space; more specifically it can detect water in comets.[48]
Historically, optical astronomy, also called visible light astronomy, is the oldest form of astronomy.[49] Images of observations were originally drawn by hand. In the late 19th century and most of the 20th century, images were made using photographic equipment. Modern images are made using digital detectors, particularly using charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and recorded on modern medium. Although visible light itself extends from approximately 4000 to 7000 (400 nm to 700nm),[49] that same equipment can be used to observe some near-ultraviolet and near-infrared radiation.
Ultraviolet astronomy employs ultraviolet wavelengths between approximately 100 and 3200 (10 to 320nm).[43] Light at those wavelengths are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, requiring observations at these wavelengths to be performed from the upper atmosphere or from space. Ultraviolet astronomy is best suited to the study of thermal radiation and spectral emission lines from hot blue stars (OB stars) that are very bright in this wave band. This includes the blue stars in other galaxies, which have been the targets of several ultraviolet surveys. Other objects commonly observed in ultraviolet light include planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, and active galactic nuclei.[43] However, as ultraviolet light is easily absorbed by interstellar dust, an adjustment of ultraviolet measurements is necessary.[43]
X-ray astronomy uses X-ray wavelengths. Typically, X-ray radiation is produced by synchrotron emission (the result of electrons orbiting magnetic field lines), thermal emission from thin gases above 107 (10million) kelvins, and thermal emission from thick gases above 107 Kelvin.[43] Since X-rays are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, all X-ray observations must be performed from high-altitude balloons, rockets, or X-ray astronomy satellites. Notable X-ray sources include X-ray binaries, pulsars, supernova remnants, elliptical galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and active galactic nuclei.[43]
Gamma ray astronomy observes astronomical objects at the shortest wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Gamma rays may be observed directly by satellites such as the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory or by specialized telescopes called atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes.[43] The Cherenkov telescopes do not detect the gamma rays directly but instead detect the flashes of visible light produced when gamma rays are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere.[50]
Most gamma-ray emitting sources are actually gamma-ray bursts, objects which only produce gamma radiation for a few milliseconds to thousands of seconds before fading away. Only 10% of gamma-ray sources are non-transient sources. These steady gamma-ray emitters include pulsars, neutron stars, and black hole candidates such as active galactic nuclei.[43]
In addition to electromagnetic radiation, a few other events originating from great distances may be observed from the Earth.
In neutrino astronomy, astronomers use heavily shielded underground facilities such as SAGE, GALLEX, and Kamioka II/III for the detection of neutrinos. The vast majority of the neutrinos streaming through the Earth originate from the Sun, but 24 neutrinos were also detected from supernova 1987A.[43]Cosmic rays, which consist of very high energy particles (atomic nuclei) that can decay or be absorbed when they enter the Earth's atmosphere, result in a cascade of secondary particles which can be detected by current observatories.[51] Some future neutrino detectors may also be sensitive to the particles produced when cosmic rays hit the Earth's atmosphere.[43]
Gravitational-wave astronomy is an emerging field of astronomy that employs gravitational-wave detectors to collect observational data about distant massive objects. A few observatories have been constructed, such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory LIGO. LIGO made its first detection on 14 September 2015, observing gravitational waves from a binary black hole.[52] A second gravitational wave was detected on 26 December 2015 and additional observations should continue but gravitational waves require extremely sensitive instruments.[53][54]
The combination of observations made using electromagnetic radiation, neutrinos or gravitational waves and other complementary information, is known as multi-messenger astronomy.[55][56]
One of the oldest fields in astronomy, and in all of science, is the measurement of the positions of celestial objects. Historically, accurate knowledge of the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars has been essential in celestial navigation (the use of celestial objects to guide navigation) and in the making of calendars.
Careful measurement of the positions of the planets has led to a solid understanding of gravitational perturbations, and an ability to determine past and future positions of the planets with great accuracy, a field known as celestial mechanics. More recently the tracking of near-Earth objects will allow for predictions of close encounters or potential collisions of the Earth with those objects.[57]
The measurement of stellar parallax of nearby stars provides a fundamental baseline in the cosmic distance ladder that is used to measure the scale of the Universe. Parallax measurements of nearby stars provide an absolute baseline for the properties of more distant stars, as their properties can be compared. Measurements of the radial velocity and proper motion motion of stars allows astronomers to plot the movement of these systems through the Milky Way galaxy. Astrometric results are the basis used to calculate the distribution of speculated dark matter in the galaxy.[58]
During the 1990s, the measurement of the stellar wobble of nearby stars was used to detect large extrasolar planets orbiting those stars.[59]
Theoretical astronomers use several tools including analytical models and computational numerical simulations; each has its particular advantages. Analytical models of a process are generally better for giving broader insight into the heart of what is going on. Numerical models reveal the existence of phenomena and effects otherwise unobserved.[60][61]
Theorists in astronomy endeavor to create theoretical models and from the results predict observational consequences of those models. The observation of a phenomenon predicted by a model allows astronomers to select between several alternate or conflicting models as the one best able to describe the phenomena.
Theorists also try to generate or modify models to take into account new data. In the case of an inconsistency between the data and model's results, the general tendency is to try to make minimal modifications to the model so that it produces results that fit the data. In some cases, a large amount of inconsistent data over time may lead to total abandonment of a model.
Phenomena modeled by theoretical astronomers include: stellar dynamics and evolution; galaxy formation; large-scale distribution of matter in the Universe; origin of cosmic rays; general relativity and physical cosmology, including string cosmology and astroparticle physics. Astrophysical relativity serves as a tool to gauge the properties of large scale structures for which gravitation plays a significant role in physical phenomena investigated and as the basis for black hole (astro)physics and the study of gravitational waves.
Some widely accepted and studied theories and models in astronomy, now included in the Lambda-CDM model are the Big Bang, Cosmic inflation, dark matter, and fundamental theories of physics.
A few examples of this process:
Dark matter and dark energy are the current leading topics in astronomy,[62] as their discovery and controversy originated during the study of the galaxies.
At a distance of about eight light-minutes, the most frequently studied star is the Sun, a typical main-sequence dwarf star of stellar class G2 V, and about 4.6 billion years (Gyr) old. The Sun is not considered a variable star, but it does undergo periodic changes in activity known as the sunspot cycle. This is an 11-year oscillation in sunspot number. Sunspots are regions of lower-than- average temperatures that are associated with intense magnetic activity.[63]
The Sun has steadily increased in luminosity by 40% since it first became a main-sequence star. The Sun has also undergone periodic changes in luminosity that can have a significant impact on the Earth.[64] The Maunder minimum, for example, is believed to have caused the Little Ice Age phenomenon during the Middle Ages.[65]
The visible outer surface of the Sun is called the photosphere. Above this layer is a thin region known as the chromosphere. This is surrounded by a transition region of rapidly increasing temperatures, and finally by the super-heated corona.
At the center of the Sun is the core region, a volume of sufficient temperature and pressure for nuclear fusion to occur. Above the core is the radiation zone, where the plasma conveys the energy flux by means of radiation. Above that is the convection zone where the gas material transports energy primarily through physical displacement of the gas known as convection. It is believed that the movement of mass within the convection zone creates the magnetic activity that generates sunspots.[63]
A solar wind of plasma particles constantly streams outward from the Sun until, at the outermost limit of the Solar System, it reaches the heliopause. As the solar wind passes the Earth, it interacts with the Earth's magnetic field (magnetosphere) and deflects the solar wind, but traps some creating the Van Allen radiation belts that envelop the Earth . The aurora are created when solar wind particles are guided by the magnetic flux lines into the Earth's polar regions where the lines the descend into the atmosphere.[66]
Planetary science is the study of the assemblage of planets, moons, dwarf planets, comets, asteroids, and other bodies orbiting the Sun, as well as extrasolar planets. The Solar System has been relatively well-studied, initially through telescopes and then later by spacecraft. This has provided a good overall understanding of the formation and evolution of this planetary system, although many new discoveries are still being made.[67]
The Solar System is subdivided into the inner planets, the asteroid belt, and the outer planets. The inner terrestrial planets consist of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer gas giant planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.[68] Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, and finally the Oort Cloud, which may extend as far as a light-year.
The planets were formed 4.6 billion years ago in the protoplanetary disk that surrounded the early Sun. Through a process that included gravitational attraction, collision, and accretion, the disk formed clumps of matter that, with time, became protoplanets. The radiation pressure of the solar wind then expelled most of the unaccreted matter, and only those planets with sufficient mass retained their gaseous atmosphere. The planets continued to sweep up, or eject, the remaining matter during a period of intense bombardment, evidenced by the many impact craters on the Moon. During this period, some of the protoplanets may have collided and one such collision may have formed the Moon.[69]
Once a planet reaches sufficient mass, the materials of different densities segregate within, during planetary differentiation. This process can form a stony or metallic core, surrounded by a mantle and an outer crust. The core may include solid and liquid regions, and some planetary cores generate their own magnetic field, which can protect their atmospheres from solar wind stripping.[70]
A planet or moon's interior heat is produced from the collisions that created the body, by the decay of radioactive materials (e.g. uranium, thorium, and 26Al), or tidal heating caused by interactions with other bodies. Some planets and moons accumulate enough heat to drive geologic processes such as volcanism and tectonics. Those that accumulate or retain an atmosphere can also undergo surface erosion from wind or water. Smaller bodies, without tidal heating, cool more quickly; and their geological activity ceases with the exception of impact cratering.[71]
The study of stars and stellar evolution is fundamental to our understanding of the Universe. The astrophysics of stars has been determined through observation and theoretical understanding; and from computer simulations of the interior.[72]Star formation occurs in dense regions of dust and gas, known as giant molecular clouds. When destabilized, cloud fragments can collapse under the influence of gravity, to form a protostar. A sufficiently dense, and hot, core region will trigger nuclear fusion, thus creating a main-sequence star.[73]
Almost all elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were created inside the cores of stars.[72]
The characteristics of the resulting star depend primarily upon its starting mass. The more massive the star, the greater its luminosity, and the more rapidly it fuses its hydrogen fuel into helium in its core. Over time, this hydrogen fuel is completely converted into helium, and the star begins to evolve. The fusion of helium requires a higher core temperature. A star with a high enough core temperature will push its outer layers outward while increasing its core density. The resulting red giant formed by the expanding outer layers enjoys a brief life span, before the helium fuel in the core is in turn consumed. Very massive stars can also undergo a series of evolutionary phases, as they fuse increasingly heavier elements.[74]
The final fate of the star depends on its mass, with stars of mass greater than about eight times the Sun becoming core collapse supernovae;[75] while smaller stars blow off their outer layers and leave behind the inert core in the form of a white dwarf. The ejection of the outer layers forms a planetary nebulae.[76] The remnant of a supernova is a dense neutron star, or, if the stellar mass was at least three times that of the Sun, a black hole.[77] Closely orbiting binary stars can follow more complex evolutionary paths, such as mass transfer onto a white dwarf companion that can potentially cause a supernova.[78] Planetary nebulae and supernovae distribute the "metals" produced in the star by fusion to the interstellar medium; without them, all new stars (and their planetary systems) would be formed from hydrogen and helium alone.[79]
Our solar system orbits within the Milky Way, a barred spiral galaxy that is a prominent member of the Local Group of galaxies. It is a rotating mass of gas, dust, stars and other objects, held together by mutual gravitational attraction. As the Earth is located within the dusty outer arms, there are large portions of the Milky Way that are obscured from view.
In the center of the Milky Way is the core, a bar-shaped bulge with what is believed to be a supermassive black hole at its center. This is surrounded by four primary arms that spiral from the core. This is a region of active star formation that contains many younger, population I stars. The disk is surrounded by a spheroid halo of older, population II stars, as well as relatively dense concentrations of stars known as globular clusters.[80]
Between the stars lies the interstellar medium, a region of sparse matter. In the densest regions, molecular clouds of molecular hydrogen and other elements create star-forming regions. These begin as a compact pre-stellar core or dark nebulae, which concentrate and collapse (in volumes determined by the Jeans length) to form compact protostars.[73]
As the more massive stars appear, they transform the cloud into an H II region (ionized atomic hydrogen) of glowing gas and plasma. The stellar wind and supernova explosions from these stars eventually cause the cloud to disperse, often leaving behind one or more young open clusters of stars. These clusters gradually disperse, and the stars join the population of the Milky Way.[81]
Kinematic studies of matter in the Milky Way and other galaxies have demonstrated that there is more mass than can be accounted for by visible matter. A dark matter halo appears to dominate the mass, although the nature of this dark matter remains undetermined.[82]
The study of objects outside our galaxy is a branch of astronomy concerned with the formation and evolution of Galaxies, their morphology (description) and classification, the observation of active galaxies, and at a larger scale, the groups and clusters of galaxies. Finally, the latter is important for the understanding of the large-scale structure of the cosmos.
Most galaxies are organized into distinct shapes that allow for classification schemes. They are commonly divided into spiral, elliptical and Irregular galaxies.[83]
As the name suggests, an elliptical galaxy has the cross-sectional shape of an ellipse. The stars move along random orbits with no preferred direction. These galaxies contain little or no interstellar dust, few star-forming regions, and generally older stars. Elliptical galaxies are more commonly found at the core of galactic clusters, and may have been formed through mergers of large galaxies.
A spiral galaxy is organized into a flat, rotating disk, usually with a prominent bulge or bar at the center, and trailing bright arms that spiral outward. The arms are dusty regions of star formation within which massive young stars produce a blue tint. Spiral galaxies are typically surrounded by a halo of older stars. Both the Milky Way and one of our nearest galaxy neighbors, the Andromeda Galaxy, are spiral galaxies.
Irregular galaxies are chaotic in appearance, and are neither spiral nor elliptical. About a quarter of all galaxies are irregular, and the peculiar shapes of such galaxies may be the result of gravitational interaction.
An active galaxy is a formation that emits a significant amount of its energy from a source other than its stars, dust and gas. It is powered by a compact region at the core, thought to be a super-massive black hole that is emitting radiation from in-falling material.
A radio galaxy is an active galaxy that is very luminous in the radio portion of the spectrum, and is emitting immense plumes or lobes of gas. Active galaxies that emit shorter frequency, high-energy radiation include Seyfert galaxies, Quasars, and Blazars. Quasars are believed to be the most consistently luminous objects in the known universe.[84]
The large-scale structure of the cosmos is represented by groups and clusters of galaxies. This structure is organized into a hierarchy of groupings, with the largest being the superclusters. The collective matter is formed into filaments and walls, leaving large voids between.[85]
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Cosmology (from the Greek (kosmos) "world, universe" and (logos) "word, study" or literally "logic") could be considered the study of the Universe as a whole.
Observations of the large-scale structure of the Universe, a branch known as physical cosmology, have provided a deep understanding of the formation and evolution of the cosmos. Fundamental to modern cosmology is the well-accepted theory of the big bang, wherein our Universe began at a single point in time, and thereafter expanded over the course of 13.8 billion years[86] to its present condition.[87] The concept of the big bang can be traced back to the discovery of the microwave background radiation in 1965.[87]
In the course of this expansion, the Universe underwent several evolutionary stages. In the very early moments, it is theorized that the Universe experienced a very rapid cosmic inflation, which homogenized the starting conditions. Thereafter, nucleosynthesis produced the elemental abundance of the early Universe.[87] (See also nucleocosmochronology.)
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Harold F. Weaver, pioneer of radio astronomy at UC Berkeley, dies – SFGate
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Photo: Courtesy Of UC Berkeley, Handout Photo
Harold Weavers discov ery led to a new science.
Harold Weavers discov ery led to a new science.
Harold F. Weaver, pioneer of radio astronomy at UC Berkeley, dies
Harold F. Weaver, a pioneering UC Berkeley astronomer whose discovery of radio emissions from molecules in outer space marked the new science of radio astronomy, has died at his East Bay home in Kensington. He was 99.
Nearly 60 years ago, Professor Weaver created the universitys first radio astronomy observatory at Hat Creek, a remote valley in Plumas County 290 miles from the Berkeley campus. The surrounding mountains shielded the observatory from interference by aircraft signals and the radio noises of civilization.
Its big receiver, a dish-shaped antenna, 85 feet in diameter, would lead to major discoveries and become the mainstay of the UC Radio Astronomy Laboratory, which Professor Weaver had founded on the Berkeley campus in 1958. He would direct it for the next 15 years.
At their Hat Creek observatory, Professor Weaver and his colleagues discovered the existence of astrophysical masers the equivalent in outer space of the lasers that had been created eight years earlier by UC Berkeleys Nobel laureate physicist Charles Townes. The masers were the first evidence that objects in the gas clouds of the galaxy were emitting coherent radiation.
Professor Weaver would later discover the first interstellar molecules known as hydroxyl radicals at a time when their mysterious radio emissions were often attributed to an unknown form of space matter named mysterium. Since his discovery, many other interstellar molecules have been detected in the atmosphere of comets.
His curiosity about the universe was wide: Even as a young astronomer on the Berkeley faculty in 1953 he was using galactic star clusters and Cepheid variable stars to calculate the outer limits of the Milky Way galaxy and to estimate that the universe was at least 3.6 billion years old close to todays estimates of 4 billion years.
Ten years later, he and the late Martin Schwartzchild of Princeton University launched a giant balloon from Palestine, Texas, in a project called Stratoscope. A 2-ton telescope carried by the balloon to an altitude of 15 miles peered at Mars and discovered the worlds first evidence of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere before it crashed in a mud-filled Louisiana cow pasture.
Harold Francis Weaver was born in San Jose in 1917, and by high school he was already building his own telescopes.
Still, he debated whether he would study classics or astronomy in college. The poet Robinson Jeffers had a telescope in his Carmel home, and encouraged the young man in his telescope-building interests.
As a UC Berkeley undergraduate in the astronomy department, he met his future wife, Cecile Trumpler, the daughter of astronomer Robert Julius Trumpler, and the two were married in 1939. It was Professor Trumpler who supervised his doctoral dissertation, and the two later collaborated on a book called Statistical Astronomy, which was published in 1953 and is still in use.
During World War II, he was conscripted to work on optics research for the National Defense Research Committee and later worked on isotope separation at what was then known as the Berkeley Radiation Lab.
After the war, he served as a staff scientist at Lick Observatory and joined the astronomy faculty at UC Berkeley in 1951. He retired as a professor in 1988 after publishing more than 70 professional papers and helping to guide development of the expanding Berkeley campus as a member and chairman of the Campus Facilities Committee in the 1950s and 1960s. He helped design the astronomy departments Campbell Hall, which was recently demolished and rebuilt on the same site.
Harold was truly a giant in our department of astronomy, UC astronomy Professor Alex Filippenko said after Professor Weavers April 26 death. I will always remember his warm smile, his generosity, and how he kept going with his research and other activities well into old age.
Professor Weaver had long served as treasurer both of the American Astronomical Society and Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and was a member of the group that founded the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, where he served on the board of directors for many years.
He was also interested in contemporary writing, and for many years served as treasurer and a director of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, a summer creative writing project located near Lake Tahoe.
The Weavers have donated their longtime Kensington home to UC to be used after their deaths to fund the Trumpler-Weaver Endowed Professorship in Astronomy at UC Berkeley.
Professor Weaver is survived by his wife and three children, Margot of Tucson, Paul of Kensington and Kirk of Houston.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Cal Alumni Leadership Award in care of the California Alumni Association, 1 Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720.
A memorial service is being arranged.
David Perlman is The San Francisco Chronicles science editor. Email: dperlman@sfchronicle.com
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Final MTSU Star Party of the semester hosted by physics, astronomy departments – Sidelines Online (subscription)
Posted: at 12:30 am
Photo by Eric Goodwin / Assistant News Editor
Astronomy and Physics Professor Eric Klumpe provided a lecture on eclipses Friday night in the Wiser-Patten Science Hall as a part of MTSUs First Friday Star Party series.
The lecture, titled Funky Fiziks in Film, addressedmovies involving eclipses and the upcoming solar eclipse that will occur on Aug. 21.
Klumpe explained how a solar eclipse occurs when the Earths moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow across the face of the Earth. While these eclipses take place about twice a year, this one is special.
The place where (the moons shadow) touches the Earth is the continental United States. And the path, which is very narrow, includes Tennessee, he said.
Murfreesboro lies along the path of totality, meaning the sun will be obscured almost completely in Murfreesboro for a few moments.
Klumpe said the moons shadow is just a little pinpoint of darkness, and we happen to be on that path.
The eclipse, whose path of totality hasnt crossedthe Middle Tennessee regionsince 1478, will occur at roughly noon. The moon will block part of the sun for about three hours, culminating in totality for about one and a half minutes at around 1:30 p.m.
The next eclipse like this wont occur until the year 2566.
Klumpe also talked about movies in pop culture that feature solar eclipses and their hard-to-catch inaccuracies.
For example, in the 1985 film, Ladyhawke, the solar eclipse moves from left to right across the sun. Klumpe explained how the movies setting in the Northern Hemisphere means the moon should pass from the right side of the sun to the left when observed from the Earth.
Klumpe also talked about the eclipse scenes in the 1949 movie, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court, and the 2002 movie, The Wild Thornberrys Movie.
Monty Hershberger, 43, came to the star party for the first time on Friday.
It was all very enjoyable, Hershberger said. I enjoyed (Klumpes) humor and the clips that he used to talk about it. So, it was fun.
Hershberger said he and his family will prepare for the August eclipse by hanging outside and enjoying a picnic.
Klumpe, who used to host all of the star parties when the series began, recommended attendees to take an astronomy course at MTSU regardless of their major.
Youre going to learn a lot of things youve never thought about before, he said.
To contact News Editor Andrew Wigdor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
For more news, follow us at http://www.mtsusidelines.com, on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.
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3 things to know about the cloud v. data center decision – ZDNet
Posted: at 12:30 am
Cloud computing has made a dramatic surge over the past five years, but issues such as compliance and data residency are also driving tech leaders to carefully consider their IT architecture. In the video above, we break down the three most important things you need to know about the cloud versus data center decision. For those who prefer reading to watching, you'll find the entire summary below.
And to explore more about this topic, check out the full ZDNet/TechRepublic special feature The Cloud v. Data Center Decision. You can also download the full report as a PDF ebook (free registration required).
Up until a few years ago, companies had to make a strong case for why they wanted to use the cloud, and they often had to overcome fears about security and lack of control. Today, the script has flipped. Many IT leaders now have to justify why they want to run something on-premise, if there are comparable options in the public cloud. Plenty of companies ARE still choosing their own data center, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, but the context has completely changed.
When it comes to new applications for standard business functions, most enterprises are choosing go cloud-first. There's a very high bar to justify running something like email, CRM, or ERP on-premise. Launching custom applications or migrating legacy applications is a different story though.
The initial perception of cloud was that companies were doing it to cut costs. However, today's cloud isn't as much about saving money. It's more about shifting to a modern architecture so you can take advantage of the latest technologies like containers and microservices. And, being in the cloud insures that your business will always have access to the next big leap in tech without a big infrastructure upgrade. In other words, it's about agility.
Again, to learn more about this topic, read our full special report "The Cloud v. Data Center Decision" and you can download them in one PDF on TechRepublic, available for free to registered users.
The Monday Morning Opener is our opening salvo for the week in tech. Since we run a global site, this editorial publishes on Monday at 8:00am AEST in Sydney, Australia, which is 6:00pm Eastern Time on Sunday in the US. It is written by a member of ZDNet's global editorial board, which is comprised of our lead editors across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the US.
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Five Ways Quantum Computing Will Change the Way We Think … – PR Newswire (press release)
Posted: at 12:29 am
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y., May 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --While technologies that currently run on classical computers, such as Watson, can help find patterns and insights buried in vast amounts of existing data, quantum computers will deliver solutions to important problems where patterns cannot be seen because the data doesn't exist and the possibilities that you need to explore to get to the answer are too enormous to ever be processed by classical computers.
In March 2017, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced the industry's first initiative to build commercially available universal quantum computing systems. "IBM Q"quantum systems and services will be delivered via the IBM Cloud platform.
IBM Q systems will be designed to tackle problems that are currently seen as too complex and exponential in nature for classical computing systems to handle. One of the first and most promising applications for quantum computing will be in the area of chemistry. Even for simple molecules like caffeine, the number of quantum states in the molecule can be astoundingly large so large that all the conventional computing memory and processing power scientists could ever build could not handle the problem.
The IBM Q systems promise to solve problems that today's computers cannot tackle, for example:
As part of the IBM Q System, IBM has released a new API (Application Program Interface) for the IBM Quantum Experience that enables developers and programmers to begin building interfaces between its existing five quantum bit (qubit) cloud-based quantum computer and classical computers, without needing a deep background in quantum physics. IBM has also released an upgraded simulator on the IBM Quantum Experience that can model circuits with up to 20 qubits. In the first half of 2017, IBM plans to release a full SDK (Software Development Kit) on the IBM Quantum Experience for users to build simple quantum applications and software programs.
The IBM Quantum Experience enables anyone to connect to IBM's quantum processor via the IBM Cloud, to run algorithms and experiments, work with the individual quantum bits, and explore tutorials and simulations around what might be possible with quantum computing.
For more information on IBM's universal quantum computing efforts, visit http://www.ibm.com/ibmq.
For more information on IBM Systems, visit http://www.ibm.com/systems.
IBM is making the specs for its new Quantum API available on GitHub (https://github.com/IBM/qiskit-api-py) and providing simple scripts (https://github.com/IBM/qiskit-sdk-py) to demonstrate how the API functions.
About IBM Research For more than seven decades, IBM Research has defined the future of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 12 labs located across six continents. Scientists from IBM Research have produced six
Nobel Laureates, 10 U.S. National Medals of Technology, five U.S. National Medals of Science, six Turing Awards, 19 inductees in the National Academy of Sciences and 20 inductees into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame.
For more information about IBM Research, visit http://www.ibm.com/research.
CONTACT: Chris Andrews 914-945-1630 candrews@us.bm.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/five-ways-quantum-computing-will-change-the-way-we-think-about-computing-300452712.html
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China builds five qubit quantum computer sampling and will scale to 20 qubits by end of this year and could any beat … – Next Big Future
Posted: at 12:29 am
Chinese researchers have built a 10 qubit quantum computer.
China builds ten qubit quantum computer, They will scale to 20 qubits by end of this year and could beat the performance of any regular computer next year with a 30 qubit system.
A chinese research team led by Pan Jianwei is exploring three technical routes to quantum computers: 1. systems based on single photons, 2. ultra-cold atoms and 3. superconducting circuits.
Experimental set-up for multiphoton boson-sampling. The set-up includes four key parts: the single-photon device, demultiplexers, ultra-low-loss photonic circuit and detectors. The single-photon device is a single InAs/GaAs quantum dot coupled to a 2-m-diameter micropillar cavity
Pan Jianwei and his colleagues Lu Chaoyang and Zhu Xiaobo, of the University of Science and Technology of China, and Wang Haohua, of Zhejiang University set two international records in quantum control of the maximal numbers of entangled photonic quantum bits And entangled superconducting quantum bits.
Pan doubling that manipulation of multi-particle entanglement is the core of quantum computing technology and has been the focus of international competition in quantum computing research.
In the photonic system, his team has made the first 5, 6, 8 and 10 entangled photons in the world and is at the forefront of global developments.
Last year, Pan and Lu Chaoyang developed the worlds best single photon source based on semiconductor quantum dots. Now, they are using the high-performance single photon source and electronically programmable photonic circuit to build a multi-photon quantum computing prototype to run the Boson Sampling task.
The Chinese photonic computer is 10 to 100 times faster than the first electronic computer, ENIAC, and the first transistor computer, TRADIC, in running the classical algorithm.
The Hefei reporter quantum device, called a boson sampling machine, can now carry out calculations for five photons, but at a speed 24,000 times than previous experiments.
ENIAC contained 17,468 vacuum tubes, 7200 crystal diodes, 1500 relays, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors and approximately 5,000,000 hand-soldered joints. It could perform 5000 simple addition or subtraction operations per second. ENIAC could perform 500 floating point operations per second.
The Chinese team led by Pan, Zhu Xiaobo and Wang Haohua have broken that record. They dependent developed a superconducting quantum circuit containing 10 superconducting quantum bits and successfully entangled the 10 quantum bits through a global quantum operation.
Nature Photonics High-efficiency multiphoton boson sampling
They will try to design and manipulate 20 superconducting quantum bits by the end of the year. They also plan to launch a quantum cloud computing platform by the end of this year.
Our architecture is feasible to be scaled up to a larger number of photons and with a higher rate to race against increasingly advanced computers, they said in the research paper.
Professor Scott Aaronson, who is based at the University of Texas at Austin and proposed the idea of the boson sampling machine, questioned whether it was useful to compare the latest results with technology developed over 60 years ago, but he said the research had shown Exciting experimental progress .
Its a step towards boson sampling with say 30 photons or some number thats large enough that no one will have to squint or argue about whether a quantum advantage has been attained, he said.
Araronson said one of the main purposes of making boson sampling machines was to prove that quantum devices could be shown to have an advantage in one area of complex calculations over existing types of computer.
Doing so would answer the quantum computing sceptics and help pave the way towards universal quantum computation, he said.
Abstract
Boson sampling is considered as a strong candidate to demonstrate quantum computational supremacy over classical computers. However, previous proof-of-principle experiments suffered from small photon number and low sampling rates owing to the inefficiencies of the single-photon sources and multiport optical interferometers. Here, we develop two central components for high-performance boson sampling: robust multiphoton interferometers with 99% transmission rate and actively demultiplexed single-photon sources based on a quantum dotmicropillar with simultaneously high efficiency, purity and indistinguishability. We implement and validate three-, four- and five-photon boson sampling, and achieve sampling rates of 4.96kHz, 151Hz and 4Hz, respectively, which are over 24,000 times faster than previous experiments. Our architecture can be scaled up for a larger number of photons and with higher sampling rates to compete with classical computers, and might provide experimental evidence against the extended ChurchTuring thesis.
18 pages of supplemental material
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China hits milestone in developing quantum computer – South China Morning Post
Posted: at 12:29 am
A team of scientists from eastern China has built the first form of quantum computer that they say is faster than one of the early generation of conventional computers developed in the 1940s.
The researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China at Hefei in Anhui province built the machine as part of efforts to develop and highlight the future use of quantum computers.
The devices make use of the way particles interact at a subatomic level to make calculations rather than conventional computers which use electronic gates, switches and binary code.
China in race to build first code-breaking quantum supercomputer
The Hefei machine predicts the highly complex movement and behaviour of subatomic particles called photons, which make up light.
Normal supercomputers struggle to predict the behaviour of photons because of their huge level of unpredictability and the difficulties in modelling.
Pan Jianwei, the lead scientist on the project, told a press briefing in Shanghai on Wednesday that their device was already 10 to 11 times faster at carrying out the calculations than the first electronic digital computer, ENIAC, would have been capable of. ENIAC was developed in the 1940s.
In a few years time, he said, their machine would eclipse all of the worlds supercomputers in carrying out the calculations.
Quantum teleportation breakthrough earns Pan Jianweis team Chinas top science award
The Chinese team admit that their machine is of no practical use as it only carries out this one highly complex form of calculation, but it highlights the future potential of quantum computing. The teams research was formally published in the scientific journal Nature Photonics on Tuesday.
Scientists estimate that the current faster supercomputers would struggle to estimate the behaviour of 20 photons.
The Hefei researchers quantum device, called a boson sampling machine, can now carry out calculations for five photons, but at a speed 24,000 times faster than previous experiments, they say.
Our architecture is feasible to be scaled up to a larger number of photons and with a higher rate to race against increasingly advanced classical computers, they said in the research paper.
Teleportation, the next generation: Chinese and Canadian scientists closer to a quantum internet
Professor Scott Aaronson, who is based at the University of Texas at Austin and proposed the idea of the boson sampling machine, questioned whether it was useful to compare the latest results with technology developed over 60 years ago, but he said the research had shown exciting experimental progress.
Its a step towards boson sampling with say 30 photons or some number thats large enough that no one will have to squint or argue about whether a quantum advantage has been attained, he said.
'Unhackable' quantum broadband step closer after breakthrough by Chinese scientists
Araronson said one of the main purposes of making boson sampling machines was to prove that quantum devices could be shown to have an advantage in one area of complex calculations over existing types of computer.
Doing so would answer the quantum computing sceptics and help pave the way towards universal quantum computation, he said.
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Donald Trump Urges Senate Republicans to ‘Not Let the American People Down’ on Health Care – TIME
Posted: at 12:29 am
President Donald Trump walks to the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on May 4, 2017. Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post/Getty Images
(BRANCHBURG, N.J.) President Donald Trump urged Senate Republicans on Sunday to "not let the American people down," as the contentious debate over overhauling the U.S. health care systems shifts to Congress' upper chamber, where a vote is potentially weeks, if not months, away.
Some senators have already voiced displeasure with the health care bill that cleared the House last week, with Republicans providing all the "yes" votes in the 217-213 count. They cited concerns about potential higher costs for older people and those with pre-existing conditions, along with cuts to Medicaid.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate Republican whose vote will be critical to getting a bill to Trump's desk and who voiced similar concerns, said the Senate would not take up the House bill.
"The Senate is starting from scratch. We're going to draft our bill, and I'm convinced we will take the time to do it right," she said.
Mick Mulvaney, Trump's budget director, also said the version that gets to the president will likely differ from the House measure. Such a scenario would then force the House and Senate to work together to forge a compromise bill that both houses can support.
Collins also complained that the House rushed a vote before the Congressional Budget Office could complete its cost-benefit analysis.
Eager to check off a top campaign promise, Trump sought Sunday to pressure Senate Republicans on the issue.
"Republican senators will not let the American people down!" Trump tweeted from his private golf course in central New Jersey, where he has stayed since late Thursday. "ObamaCare premiums and deductibles are way up it was a lie and it is dead!"
Trump has said the current system is failing as insurers pull out of markets, forcing costs and deductibles to rise.
The White House on Sunday scoffed at Democratic claims that voters will punish the GOP in the 2018 elections for upending former President Barack Obama's law. "I think that the Republican Party will be rewarded," said Reince Priebus, Trump's chief of staff. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California has threatened that GOP lawmakers will "glow in the dark" over their vote.
The House bill would end the health care law's fines on people who don't buy policies and erase its taxes on health industry businesses and higher earners. It would dilute consumer-friendly insurance coverage requirements, like prohibiting higher premiums for customers with pre-existing medical conditions and watering down the subsidies that help consumers afford health insurance.
Major medical and other groups, including the American Medical Association, opposed the House bill. Democrats are also refusing to participate in any effort to dismantle Obama's law, while some Republican senators Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska object to cutting Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor and disabled.
The ACA expanded Medicaid with extra payments to 31 states to cover more people. The House bill halts the expansion, in addition to cutting federal spending on the program, which Trump's health chief argued is flawed and dictates too much from Washington.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price argued that states will get more freedom to experiment with the program and make sure that people who rely on Medicaid get the care and coverage they need.
"There are no cuts to the Medicaid program," Price insisted Sunday, adding that resources are being doled out to allow states greater flexibility.
Gov. John Kasich of Ohio questioned what would happen to the mentally ill, drug addicts and people with chronic illnesses under the changes proposed for Medicaid.
"They are going to be living in the emergency rooms again," potentially driving up health care costs, Kasich predicted.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., plans to move forward under special procedures that allow legislation to pass with a simple majority vote, instead of the 60 usually required for major bills in the Senate. That means McConnell can afford to lose just two senators; Vice President Mike Pence would vote to break a 50-50 tie in his constitutional role as vice president of the Senate.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., appeared resigned to the legislative reality that the bill he unveiled with great fanfare, after years of Republican pledges to replace what's become known as "Obamacare," will be altered as part of a "multistage process."
"We think we need to do even more support for people who are older and also more support for people with pre-existing conditions," Ryan acknowledged. "The Senate will complete the job."
Some House lawmakers have been challenged by the public over the House vote.
Conservative Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, drew boos Friday at a public meeting for his response to a constituent who said the House bill tells people on Medicaid to "accept dying.
Labrador responded: "That line is so indefensible. Nobody dies because they don't have access to health care." The comment traveled quickly on social media.
Collins and Ryan appeared on ABC's "This Week," Price was on NBC's "Meet the Press" and on CNN's "State of the Union" with Kasich, while Mulvaney was interviewed on CBS' "Face the Nation." Priebus was on "Fox News Sunday."
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Associated Press writer Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report.
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Donald Trump Urges Senate Republicans to 'Not Let the American People Down' on Health Care - TIME
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