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Astrophysicists report new discoveries
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-05-12-astrophysicists-report-new-discoveries-
Published: Saturday May 12, 2012
Prof. Ashot Chilingarian (back row, second from right) with colleagues
at the United Nations meeting in Vienna.
Yerevan - In April 2012 the head of Armenia's Cosmic Ray Division
(CRD) and director of the Yerevan Physics Institute, Prof. Ashot
Chilingarian, was invited to the European Space Agency center in
Italy. A conference there was devoted to the Italian "AGILE" space
satellite mission which discovered many unexpected astrophysical
phenomena during its five years of scientific exploration.
Discoveries included unexpected flares from the Crab Nebula - the
debris resulting from the explosion or "supernova" of a massive star
which occurred about 1000 years ago. The Crab Nebula had always, and
apparently wrongly, been assumed to be a constant, unvarying source of
radiation which astronomers relied upon to calibrate their
measurements. Also discussed at this conference was the recently
discovered phenomenon of Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs) in which
thunderclouds emit high energy radiation previously assumed to
originate only from space. Through mechanisms not completely
understood, electrons are accelerated from thunderstorms into outer
space.
Particle fluxes (radiation of subatomic particles) from thunderclouds
are a very important and yet poorly understood phenomenon which is
intensively researched both from space and from high altitude mountain
research stations. CRD's Aragats research station atop Mt. Aragats has
assumed a leading position in this branch of research. Prof.
Chilingarian presented CRD's latest research results on fluxes of
electrons, gamma rays, and neutrons measured on Mt. Aragats. Discussed
were energy spectra and physical models of Thunderstorm Ground
Enhancements (TGEs) in which high energy electrons are accelerated
both downward towards the earth, and upward towards space, from within
thundercloud formations. Much of the research on this phenomenon is
conducted by young CRD scientists. Recent PhD recipient Bagrat
Mailyan's doctoral dissertation characterizing this phenomenon shed a
great deal of light on this subject within the international science
community.
Numerous particle detectors and electric field meters located on the
slopes of mountain Aragats and in Yerevan continuously monitor
changing geophysical conditions. A new planned geophysical station
near Lake Sevan, with three existing stations on the slopes of Mt.
Aragats, will monitor particle fluxes from the sun, thunderclouds, and
our galaxy as well as magnetic and electrical fields and lightning
occurrences. CRD will issue alerts and forewarnings on upcoming
dangerous consequences of space weather events and thunder-storms.
In series of three papers published by the journal of American
Physical society, "Physical Review", Armenian physicists reported new
phenomena manifested by a number of physical effects. These included
large fluxes of electron and gamma radiation, neutron radiation, short
microsecond bursts of electron radiation coinciding with negatively
charged electric fields near the earth's surface, and reduced
lightning between clouds and the ground along with increased lightning
within clouds. The most recent paper was published on April 16, 2012.
Armenia invited to join international scientific team
The President of the Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics
(SCOSTEP), Dr. Nat Gopalswany, on February 13, 2012 invited Armenia to
joint SCOSTEP as an adherent member of this important international
scientific team. This invitation is a direct result of the monumental
achievements of the Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) of the Yerevan Physics
Institute in the global scientific arena. In his invitation Dr.
Gopalswamy noted the valuable contribution of Armenia's scientists and
of Prof. Ashot Chilingaryan to understanding the physics of Sun-Earth
interactions. In his letter to Professor Samvel Harutunyan, Chairman
of Armenia's State Committee on Science, Dr. Gopalswamy cited the
enormous Armenian scientific contributions from both the data
collected at observatories on Armenia's Mt. Aragats and the data
analysis tools developed by Prof. Chilingarian and his scientists.
Stated Gopalswamy, "Armenia has been very active in the Solar
Terrestrial Physics research area with lots of young researchers
active and making their presence known with excellent publications.
Armenian scientists have also been contributing enormously to the
physics of the Sun-Earth system by creating observing facilities and
data analysis tools, and are recognized internationally. For this
reason, I invite Armenia to become an official member of the
Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP)."
Dr. Gopalswamy is a noted research scientist at the U.S. National
Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Professor Ashot Chilingarian is
the director of Armenia's Yerevan Physics Institute, the head of its
Cosmic Ray Division (CRD), a noted scientist researching cosmic ray
physics and space weather - the effects of solar disturbances on the
earth's environment, and a professor of cosmic ray physics at Yerevan
State University with several PhD students under his wings.
In mid-February the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs held
its International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) steering committee
meeting in Vienna. As a member of this elite group of scientists from
around the world, Prof. Ashot Chilingarian reported on CRD's Space
Environmental Viewing and Analysis Network (SEVAN), which is a network
of cosmic ray monitors which are designed and made in Armenia and are
being deployed in a number of countries. The ISWI currently has 15
instrument projects either under development or in deployment in 101
countries. These instrument deployments are coordinated by scientists
from Armenia, France, Japan, Switzerland and the United States. The
conclusions from the steering committee meetings were reported to the
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
forty-ninth session held in Vienna, Austria on February 6 - 17, 2012
On a further note, in February Prof. Chilingarian visited a number of
National Scientific Laboratories in Germany and Austria, meeting and
solidifying relationships with their directors. In his visits to these
research institutions, Prof. Chilingarian noted the large number of
scientists from Armenia who, after the collapse of the Soviet Union
and Armenia's difficult economic situation, moved to scientific
institutions in Europe. During discussions, Chilingarian worked to
establish collaborative relations between these expatriate Armenian
scientists and their colleagues in Armenia.
Prof. Chilingarian announced that starting in mid-March, the
"Vaporciyan Multivariate Analysis Project" will begin at the Cosmic
Ray Division. This is an important new project which enhances the
ability to analyze massive amounts of complex cosmic ray data gathered
around the world. Armenian scientists from the Cosmic Ray Division of
the Yerevan Physics Institute and the Cosmic Ray Division of the
Forschumzentrum in Karlsruhe, Germany will lead the project. New
students at the CRD will have the opportunity to work on it as part of
their PhD thesis work. This project is named in honor of late Kirakos
Vaporciyan and his surviving brother Harutyun and their family. The
Vaporciyan family has been a steadfast supporter of the CRD for the
past 10 years and thanks to them and other supporters like them, CRD
has been able to put Armenia on the map for outstanding scientific
achievements such as enumerated above. Equally importantly, it is this
support that has helped to retain bright young scientists in Armenia,
a trend that will hopefully expand with time.
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-05-12-astrophysicists-report-new-discoveries-
Published: Saturday May 12, 2012
Prof. Ashot Chilingarian (back row, second from right) with colleagues
at the United Nations meeting in Vienna.
Yerevan - In April 2012 the head of Armenia's Cosmic Ray Division
(CRD) and director of the Yerevan Physics Institute, Prof. Ashot
Chilingarian, was invited to the European Space Agency center in
Italy. A conference there was devoted to the Italian "AGILE" space
satellite mission which discovered many unexpected astrophysical
phenomena during its five years of scientific exploration.
Discoveries included unexpected flares from the Crab Nebula - the
debris resulting from the explosion or "supernova" of a massive star
which occurred about 1000 years ago. The Crab Nebula had always, and
apparently wrongly, been assumed to be a constant, unvarying source of
radiation which astronomers relied upon to calibrate their
measurements. Also discussed at this conference was the recently
discovered phenomenon of Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs) in which
thunderclouds emit high energy radiation previously assumed to
originate only from space. Through mechanisms not completely
understood, electrons are accelerated from thunderstorms into outer
space.
Particle fluxes (radiation of subatomic particles) from thunderclouds
are a very important and yet poorly understood phenomenon which is
intensively researched both from space and from high altitude mountain
research stations. CRD's Aragats research station atop Mt. Aragats has
assumed a leading position in this branch of research. Prof.
Chilingarian presented CRD's latest research results on fluxes of
electrons, gamma rays, and neutrons measured on Mt. Aragats. Discussed
were energy spectra and physical models of Thunderstorm Ground
Enhancements (TGEs) in which high energy electrons are accelerated
both downward towards the earth, and upward towards space, from within
thundercloud formations. Much of the research on this phenomenon is
conducted by young CRD scientists. Recent PhD recipient Bagrat
Mailyan's doctoral dissertation characterizing this phenomenon shed a
great deal of light on this subject within the international science
community.
Numerous particle detectors and electric field meters located on the
slopes of mountain Aragats and in Yerevan continuously monitor
changing geophysical conditions. A new planned geophysical station
near Lake Sevan, with three existing stations on the slopes of Mt.
Aragats, will monitor particle fluxes from the sun, thunderclouds, and
our galaxy as well as magnetic and electrical fields and lightning
occurrences. CRD will issue alerts and forewarnings on upcoming
dangerous consequences of space weather events and thunder-storms.
In series of three papers published by the journal of American
Physical society, "Physical Review", Armenian physicists reported new
phenomena manifested by a number of physical effects. These included
large fluxes of electron and gamma radiation, neutron radiation, short
microsecond bursts of electron radiation coinciding with negatively
charged electric fields near the earth's surface, and reduced
lightning between clouds and the ground along with increased lightning
within clouds. The most recent paper was published on April 16, 2012.
Armenia invited to join international scientific team
The President of the Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics
(SCOSTEP), Dr. Nat Gopalswany, on February 13, 2012 invited Armenia to
joint SCOSTEP as an adherent member of this important international
scientific team. This invitation is a direct result of the monumental
achievements of the Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) of the Yerevan Physics
Institute in the global scientific arena. In his invitation Dr.
Gopalswamy noted the valuable contribution of Armenia's scientists and
of Prof. Ashot Chilingaryan to understanding the physics of Sun-Earth
interactions. In his letter to Professor Samvel Harutunyan, Chairman
of Armenia's State Committee on Science, Dr. Gopalswamy cited the
enormous Armenian scientific contributions from both the data
collected at observatories on Armenia's Mt. Aragats and the data
analysis tools developed by Prof. Chilingarian and his scientists.
Stated Gopalswamy, "Armenia has been very active in the Solar
Terrestrial Physics research area with lots of young researchers
active and making their presence known with excellent publications.
Armenian scientists have also been contributing enormously to the
physics of the Sun-Earth system by creating observing facilities and
data analysis tools, and are recognized internationally. For this
reason, I invite Armenia to become an official member of the
Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP)."
Dr. Gopalswamy is a noted research scientist at the U.S. National
Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Professor Ashot Chilingarian is
the director of Armenia's Yerevan Physics Institute, the head of its
Cosmic Ray Division (CRD), a noted scientist researching cosmic ray
physics and space weather - the effects of solar disturbances on the
earth's environment, and a professor of cosmic ray physics at Yerevan
State University with several PhD students under his wings.
In mid-February the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs held
its International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) steering committee
meeting in Vienna. As a member of this elite group of scientists from
around the world, Prof. Ashot Chilingarian reported on CRD's Space
Environmental Viewing and Analysis Network (SEVAN), which is a network
of cosmic ray monitors which are designed and made in Armenia and are
being deployed in a number of countries. The ISWI currently has 15
instrument projects either under development or in deployment in 101
countries. These instrument deployments are coordinated by scientists
from Armenia, France, Japan, Switzerland and the United States. The
conclusions from the steering committee meetings were reported to the
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
forty-ninth session held in Vienna, Austria on February 6 - 17, 2012
On a further note, in February Prof. Chilingarian visited a number of
National Scientific Laboratories in Germany and Austria, meeting and
solidifying relationships with their directors. In his visits to these
research institutions, Prof. Chilingarian noted the large number of
scientists from Armenia who, after the collapse of the Soviet Union
and Armenia's difficult economic situation, moved to scientific
institutions in Europe. During discussions, Chilingarian worked to
establish collaborative relations between these expatriate Armenian
scientists and their colleagues in Armenia.
Prof. Chilingarian announced that starting in mid-March, the
"Vaporciyan Multivariate Analysis Project" will begin at the Cosmic
Ray Division. This is an important new project which enhances the
ability to analyze massive amounts of complex cosmic ray data gathered
around the world. Armenian scientists from the Cosmic Ray Division of
the Yerevan Physics Institute and the Cosmic Ray Division of the
Forschumzentrum in Karlsruhe, Germany will lead the project. New
students at the CRD will have the opportunity to work on it as part of
their PhD thesis work. This project is named in honor of late Kirakos
Vaporciyan and his surviving brother Harutyun and their family. The
Vaporciyan family has been a steadfast supporter of the CRD for the
past 10 years and thanks to them and other supporters like them, CRD
has been able to put Armenia on the map for outstanding scientific
achievements such as enumerated above. Equally importantly, it is this
support that has helped to retain bright young scientists in Armenia,
a trend that will hopefully expand with time.