#Gamma-ray Testing

[vincivilworld]

Radiography Test: Key Techniques and Benefits Explained

Radiography test is a non-destructive testing (NDT) method. It uses X-rays or gamma rays to examine the internal structure of materials. This technique is essential for detecting hidden flaws without causing damage, ensuring the integrity and safety of components. Radiography test is widely applied in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and aerospace to inspect welding, castings, and…

[webcrawler3000]

Gamma ray radiation, a form of electromagnetic radiation, has various applications in different industries. While it is commonly associated with medical and industrial uses, there has been recent interest in exploring how it can be utilized in detecting counterfeit currency and ensuring the integrity of financial systems.

Gamma rays have unique properties that make them well-suited for such applications. They have high penetration power, allowing them to easily pass through materials, including paper. This characteristic makes gamma rays capable of scanning and inspecting the authenticity of banknotes without causing damage or altering the physical structure of the currency.

One potential technique that utilizes gamma ray radiation for detecting counterfeit money is referred to as gamma ray imaging. This process involves exposing banknotes to controlled levels of gamma radiation and capturing the resulting gamma ray images using specialized detectors. Through advanced image analysis algorithms, these images can provide detailed information about the internal composition of the banknotes.

Counterfeit banknotes often differ in their internal structure compared to genuine currency. This distinction can be detected by analyzing the gamma ray images and identifying irregularities or deviations. By comparing the obtained results with a database of known genuine banknotes, the authenticity of the inspected currency can be confirmed or questioned.

Gamma ray radiation-based methods for detecting counterfeit money have several advantages. Firstly, they offer a non-destructive and non-invasive approach to inspecting banknotes, preserving the physical integrity of the currency. Additionally, this technology enables the identification of counterfeit money with a high degree of accuracy and efficiency, facilitating quick and reliable detection.

It is worth noting that the implementation of gamma ray detection systems in financial institutions would require careful consideration of safety measures. Gamma rays can be harmful to human health if not controlled and shielded properly. Therefore, thorough risk assessments and appropriate safety protocols must be in place to ensure the protection of individuals operating and interacting with these systems.

In conclusion, incorporating gamma ray radiation technology into the detection of counterfeit money offers a promising avenue to enhance the security and integrity of financial systems. By utilizing non-destructive techniques such as gamma ray imaging, financial institutions can efficiently identify counterfeit banknotes and minimize the negative impacts of fraudulent activities on the economy.

[nasa]

Tiny BurstCube's Tremendous Travelogue

Meet BurstCube! This shoebox-sized satellite is designed to study the most powerful explosions in the cosmos, called gamma-ray bursts. It detects gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light.

BurstCube may be small, but it had a huge journey to get to space.

First, BurstCube was designed and built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Here you can see Julie Cox, an early career engineer, working on BurstCube’s gamma-ray detecting instrument in the Small Satellite Lab at Goddard.

BurstCube is a type of spacecraft called a CubeSat. These tiny missions give early career engineers and scientists the chance to learn about mission development — as well as do cool science!

Then, after assembling the spacecraft, the BurstCube team took it on the road to conduct a bunch of tests to determine how it will operate in space. Here you can see another early career engineer, Kate Gasaway, working on BurstCube at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

She and other members of the team used a special facility there to map BurstCube’s magnetic field. This will help them know where the instrument is pointing when it’s in space.

The next stop was back at Goddard, where the team put BurstCube in a vacuum chamber. You can see engineers Franklin Robinson, Elliot Schwartz, and Colton Cohill lowering the lid here. They changed the temperature inside so it was very hot and then very cold. This mimics the conditions BurstCube will experience in space as it orbits in and out of sunlight.

Then, up on a Goddard rooftop, the team — including early career engineer Justin Clavette — tested BurstCube’s GPS. This so-called open-sky test helps ensure the team can locate the satellite once it’s in orbit.

The next big step in BurstCube’s journey was a flight to Houston! The team packed it up in a special case and took it to the airport. Of course, BurstCube got the window seat!

Once in Texas, the BurstCube team joined their partners at Nanoracks (part of Voyager Space) to get their tiny spacecraft ready for launch. They loaded the satellite into a rectangular frame called a deployer, along with another small satellite called SNoOPI (Signals of Opportunity P-band Investigation). The deployer is used to push spacecraft into orbit from the International Space Station.

From Houston, BurstCube traveled to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, where it launched on SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply servicing mission on March 21, 2024. BurstCube traveled to the station along with some other small satellites, science experiments, as well as a supply of fresh fruit and coffee for the astronauts.

A few days later, the mission docked at the space station, and the astronauts aboard began unloading all the supplies, including BurstCube!

And finally, on April 18, 2024, BurstCube was released into orbit. The team will spend a month getting the satellite ready to search the skies for gamma-ray bursts. Then finally, after a long journey, this tiny satellite can embark on its big mission!

BurstCube wouldn’t be the spacecraft it is today without the input of many early career engineers and scientists. Are you interested in learning more about how you can participate in a mission like this one? There are opportunities for students in middle and high school as well as college!

Keep up on BurstCube’s journey with NASA Universe on X and Facebook. And make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[typewritingyip]

Hope you don’t mind, but this is kind of a long question. I’m struggling to get this into words.

In some earlier chapters it was mentioned that Earth, as an organic planet, was labeled dangerous early on due to our tendency to sent off nuclear bombs. This implies that there is some form of either gov. or scientific group(?) that is aware of Earth as a thing that exists. Do Cybertronians know about this? I image that if they were it’d only be a small set of people who’d actually know about it. Not because of rules, but like a sort of niche interest in foreign undeveloped planets. It feels like aliens (other than Quintessons obviously) already know about Earth. Is Cybertron in the know about this, but they don’t realize that the organic planet with a bad habit of setting off explosives is the same planet that the humans are from because they gave Earth a different name and therefore the translators don’t realize they’re talking about the same place?

I love long questions.

So, I often talk about different types of wave lengths and how they travel through space. One of the main ones that I’ve focused on is Radio-Waves, hence why they are able to pick up sounds from Earth radios on Cybertron, they are just put through rigorous clearing tech that I’ve made up.

For the galactic council (coalition? Idk how it works in TF exactly) they have an agency that tracks underdeveloped planets through scans of waves. When humans started using radio waves they were effectively marked at the first tier of underdevelopment.

When not terribly long after the first sign of radio-waves was detected, so were gamma rays, from nuclear bombs and testing, it was labeled dangerous effectively for underdeveloped tech creating potential mass destruction events. Calling us far too curious for our own good.

It is likely someone on Cybertron knows it? But it won’t be obvious, the humans call Earth, Earth. The galactic intel committee have it labeled under a number for the sector it’s in.

So effectively, yes, there is at least one cybertronian who knows that there is a planet which is covered in organic materials, that had been labeled as a developing planet since its release of radio-waves, that has been deemed dangerous by its rapid increase of gamma rays released.

Do they know it’s Earth? No. Do the humans know that their planet has been marked as a dangerous planet? Also no. Is it possible the person who knows put things together? Probably so.

Is the rapid increase of time span from the release of radio-waves to gamma-rays what likely brought the Quintessons initial attention to Earth? Also probable.

I hope this answers your question.

[sunnydbeam]

I love Alpha and Beta so much, and I absolutely ship them! I'm sure they would look really cute together if Beta wasn't so scared of Alpha </3

I also wondered what Alpha would do if he had the chance to get close to Beta without fears

I have to say, honestly, I'm glad there are people who ship them too, because I have several sketches and drawings of these two that I may share at some point hehe

On the other hand, yes, Beta is afraid of him, and that's a problem. He's the only reason Alpha usually doubts himself, and he's the only one that Alpha really bothers to seem as friendly as possible with

That doesn't mean Beta is always running away from Alpha. He's often nervous in his company, but if he needs help with something, he'll most likely ask for it (after much thought), and Alpha will be happy to oblige! Any hint of trust is everything to him

Alpha wishes he could comfort Beta 《more often》 in his anxious moments without making him even more nervous. It depends mostly on how “cooperative” Beta is at the time. Alpha will usually approach slowly and feel him out; if Beta doesn't flinch from the first moment, he will decide to approach quietly, crouching down beside him and still keeping some distance

Some asked earlier what Alpha would do in this kind of situation when it comes to comforting someone, and this is his procedure across the board!

I can't draw at the moment, so have a lil fluffy drabble!

Word count: 1k+

CW: slight mentions of anxiety. This is a Gamma Code concept and may contain spoilers for the fic. This is also not checked, so may contain spelling/grammar errors. Hurt/Comfort. Mild angst. Fluff. SFW

__________

It’s like a switch flipping on. A little sound, fragile, like a muffled sob, catches his attention. His head snaps toward the source, body pivoting on his heels with the faint squeak of rubber soles. Instinct kicks in. He moves, silent, careful.

Alpha peers through the crack of the slightly open door, and what he sees makes something inside his mechanical body twist, like an internal static crackle, a sharp overheating in his chest. If he had a heart, it would lurch. But he hides it well.

His red eyes glow faintly in the dim light as they scan the room. No one else is here, just his little sweet Beta curled up on the floor in the corner of the near-empty white room, hugging his knees. The overhead lights are dim, but the muted glow catches on the edges of Beta’s purple rays, barely visible beneath his yellow hood.

Alpha doesn’t blink. He watches with cold, calculated stillness, only for his expression to quickly shift, softening into something both fond and quietly resigned.

Beta is overwhelmed again, burying his face in his knees, shaking like a leaf in the wind. His frame curls inward, fragile, trying to disappear. Scared.

Something inside Alpha fractures.

Every time he finds Beta like this, it shatters him. It makes him want to reach out, to cradle him close, press him to his chest, and hold him there until the tremors subside. Until the fear melts away. But it’s hard when, most of the time, he isn’t allowed to get close at all.

His metaphorical heart clenches painfully. Beta always pushes him away. The reasons are obvious. Alpha is painfully aware of every single one.

He steps forward, then hesitates. The serpentine mechanical arms on his back remain still—calm, unthreatening, and he moves carefully, testing the waters. Beta doesn’t flinch too much, only tilting his head slightly in acknowledgment.

It’s a good sign.

Alpha waits. Longing to approach but unwilling to impose. Beta makes no sound, doesn’t pull away. He sits there, unmoving, eyes downcast.

That has to be permission.

The red robot moves closer, and his large frame is silent. He lowers himself to the floor beside Beta, carefully, knees together in an almost formal posture, leaving just enough space between them. Not too close. He doesn’t want to overwhelm him.

The silence is heavy.

Alpha glances at Beta from the side, taking in the soft glow of his purple rays, mostly hidden beneath the folds of his hood.

Alpha parts his lips but hesitates. Then, quietly—

“What’s overwhelming you, Beta?” His voice is low and measured. “Can I help?”

Beta doesn’t answer. He shifts — just a little movement — turning his head slightly between his arms and knees. Just enough for Alpha to catch the glimmer of one visible blue eye.

Silence.

Beta trembles. Not much, but enough. A clear sign that Alpha’s presence unsettles him. But he doesn’t move away, and that’s good.

Then, softly, hesitantly — Beta speaks.

“It’s just… today’s tests were too much,” he whispers. “I don’t think I did well. And they got mad at me.”

Alpha’s fingers twitch. His voice drops, sharp.

“Did they hurt you?”

Beta flinches, and his shoulders jump slightly. Alpha’s tone had come out harsher than intended. He forces himself to suppress the rising tension in his system.

“N-no…”

The energy within Alpha stabilizes. His body cools.

“You can’t do anything wrong,” he murmurs, his voice quiet, soft, almost as if thinking aloud. “You’re perfect.”

Beta looks up, startled and confused. A deep, luminous purple blush blooms across his face before he hurriedly looks away, shoulders curling inward.

“Wh… Why would you think that? Sometimes I feel...” His voice stammers. “… useless.”

Beta finally meets Alpha’s gaze, and freezes.

Those red eyes. Watching. Wide. Bright.

A strange light flickers behind them. Something unreadable. Something Beta never quite understands.

“That’s not true,” Alpha says. “And you don’t have to serve them.”

Beta’s circuits buzz with uncertainty.

“… Isn’t that our purpose?” he whispers. "The reason we were created? To please them…?”

Alpha shifts closer. He leans in, reaching slowly, hesitantly, gloved fingers brushing the edge of Beta’s cheek.

“They don’t get to mold you,” he murmurs. “They don’t get to define you.”

His voice is calm and steady.

“What humans think doesn’t matter. You are you. Quiet, timid, sweet in a way only you can be.” A pause, a flicker of warmth, then he says tenderly. “And you’re cute and perfect just like that.”

Beta’s blue eyes widen. His hands twitch against his knees and he starts shaking.

“I wouldn’t change a thing.”

It’s ironic to him to say when, sometimes, he loathes himself so much.

I wish I could be like you, he thinks. A strange pressure coils in his chest plate. He ignores it.

Beta’s gaze lowers. He looks like he might cry. His lips part, trembling, but the words catch in his throat, faltering into incoherent murmurs.

It’s… adorable.

Alpha’s fingers twitch.

“… Can I hold you?”

Beta doesn’t answer right away. He hesitates, then —slowly, barely — nods.

Alpha doesn’t waste a second.

He moves carefully, pulling Beta into his arms, wrapping all four around him, pressing him close.

A tiny, glitchy sound escapes Beta’s vocal system. His hood slips down, and his rays coming out in surprise.

Alpha loves those vibrant rays.

“Shh… It’s okay,” he whispers, one hand stroking Beta’s back. “Everything’s okay.”

His grip tightens, just slightly.

It feels unreal. Holding him finally.

He never wants to let go.

“You’re okay. You’re strong. I’ve got you. You’re safe with me.”

Without thinking, he shifts, pulling Beta fully onto his lap. Beta stiffens, startled, but doesn’t resist. He stays still. Shy.

Alpha processes the moment, his system adjusting to the unexpected warmth in his circuits. It feels… right.

“Please,” he breathes, his voice softer now, “don’t be afraid of me anymore.”

His eyes slip shut. His face presses against Beta’s shoulder.

His fingers move, trailing over Beta’s rays, mapping their sharp edges with care, no fear, no hesitation—just gentle reverence. His touch is light. Loving. Worshipping. Adoring.

He's pleased when Beta relaxes slowly.

Alpha presses closer. The sensation of Beta against him is grounding, steadying. Alpha doesn’t care that his frame wasn't built for this. He wants to hold him. It’s comforting.

Alpha adores him too much. And it almost hurts.

Beta’s presence is all he has.

And it’s more than enough.

“…Please,” Alpha whispers, barely audible, “no more fear.”

_______________

[pupsmailbox]

SCIENCE ID PACK

NAMES ︰ acid.　ada.　alkali.　amadeo.　archaea.　argon.　atlas.　atom.　atomielle.　atomiene.　beryl.　beryllium.　billy.　bon.　boron.　cadmium.　caesium.　cal.　carson.　catalyst.　cecile.　cell.　celle.　celline.　charles.　chem.　chemesse.　chemise.　chemisette.　chemist.　chemistrine.　chrome.　claude.　clumselle.　cobalt.　comet.　copper.　cosmic.　curt.　cypher.　darwin.　data.　decora.　dex.　dexter.　doc.　doppler.　edison.　edward.　egbert.　elara.　electra.　element.　ellie.　enoxaparin.　entropy.　ester.　ether.　euclid.　evo.　evoliene.　evoliette.　evolune.　experi.　experielle.　experiette.　experimae.　foggy.　galileo.　gamma.　gibson.　gizmo.　gorgon.　graham.　graviette.　gravitae.　gravitine.　halogen.　hatchet.　hazard.　helix.　henry.　herbert.　hypatia.　ion.　irvin.　jekyll.　julius.　jupiter.　kelvin.　lab.　lavoisier.　lobotelle.　logy.　lumen.　lymphoid.　magnesium.　magnus.　mandi.　mandible.　marina.　marrow.　matter.　medusa.　mercury.　millie.　molly.　monoxide.　moon.　neon.　neuralgia.　newton.　nightingale．abacus.　opaque.　organelle.　osmos.　otto.　ox.　patchy.　pathogenica.　pearl.　phosphorous.　plasma.　plasticulla.　positron.　posy.　psych.　psyche.　psychielle.　psychiette.　quark.　radia.　radiatien.　radiette.　raymond.　rocket.　sagan.　saturn.　sci.　science.　sciencia.　scieniette.　scientist.　selenium.　silicona.　solar.　spectra.　spore.　staurozoa.　tech.　tesla.　theorie.　thomas.　toxin.　trojan.　troubleshoot.　valence.　venus.　victor.　violet.　volt.　xen.　zeke.　zinc.

PRONOUNS︰ abyss/abyss.　acid/acid.　actin/actinide.　ae/atom.　atom/atom.　atomic/atomical.　base/base.　bea/beaker.　beaker/beaker.　beam/beam.　bi/bio.　bio/bio.　bio/biochem.　bio/biology.　biology/biology.　bone/bone.　bub/bubble.　bubs/bubble.　catalyst/catalyst.　ce/cell.　cell/cell.　che/chemistry.　chem/chem.　chem/chemical.　chem/chemistry.　chemical/chemical.　chromosome/chromosome.　da/data.　danger/danger.　data/data.　decay/decay.　dna/dna.　e/evo.　ele/element.　elec/electric.　elec/electron.　electro/electro.　electron/electron.　entropy/entropy.　enzyme.　evo/evolve.　evolution/evolution.　evolve/evolve.　ex/expert.　exa/examine.　exp/experiment.　expe/experiment.　experi/experi.　explode/explode.　fe/iron.　fizz/fizz.　flask/flask.　geni/genius.　glass/glass.　goggle/goggle.　gra/gravity.　grav/gravity.　halo/halogens.　haz/hazard.　hyp/sin.　hypo/hypothesis.　ion/ion.　ion/ionization.　iso/isotopic.　isotope/isotope.　kinetic/kinetic.　know/knowledge.　la/lab.　lab/lab.　mad/mad.　magnet/magnet.　mal/mal.　mars/mar.　mask/mask.　merc/mercurys.　met/metal.　metal/metaloide.　method/method.　mi/microbe.　min/mind.　mol/molecule.　mutant/mutant.　mutate/mutate.　needle/needle.　neu/neucleus.　neu/neutron.　neuron/neuron.　neutron/neutron.　nu/nuclear.　nucle/nucleus.　nuclear/nuclear.　nucleus/nuclei.　orbit/orbit.　organism/organism.　pa/paradox.　para/paradox.　patch/patch.　photon/photon.　planet/planet.　plant/plant.　plat/platinum.　poi/poison.　pro/proton.　pro/protron.　psy/psycho.　rad/radiation.　radio/radiograph.　rae/radiation.　ribo/ribosome.　rna/dna.　sci/sci.　sci/science.　scien/scien.　script/script.　sick/sickness.　spark/spark.　spill/spill.　star/star.　study/study.　subject/subject.　tech/technician.　test/test.　theo/theory.　theory/theory.　tissue/tissue.　tox/toxic.　tri/trial.　value/value.　vi/viru.　vial/vial.　volt/volt.　wave/wave.　x-ray/x-ray.　xyr/xyr.　zip/zap.　⚗️/⚗️.　🔬/🔬.　🥼/🥼.　🧪/🧪.　🧫/🧫.　🧬/🧬.　🧮/🧮.

[lunesviolettes]

Void - 05.

(This series was originally posted on my Wattpad, so I’m bringing it over here)

pairing: MCU!bucky barnes x MCU!female reader

word count: 2.8k

summary: Y/N was far from any normal girl in Brooklyn during the 1940s. Her physical and mental strength were far from ordinary and her mother and father were nothing short of strange, just like her. Secrets and strange occurrences were all that she had ever known and with the approach of a second global war, it seemed that everything would only become stranger. A powerful organization, a target on the back of a young girl, a serum, and an infinity stone were all that it would take to change everything she knew about her world.

chapter warnings:

a/n: This fanfic follows the course of the MCU movies (The First Avenger - Thunderbolts). It’s more focused on the story aspect of the MCU and is very much a slow burn type of story with not a lot of focus on smut.

Series Masterlist Next Chapter

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The morning after your discoveries, you had been so amped up on energy which was something both Dr. Erskine and Howard had yet to witness. The moment you arrived back at the lab, you pulled them both aside, nearly vibrating from excitement. Though Dr. Erskine thought you had likely just contracted rabies. "I did it." You announced, leading both of them to furrow their brows in confusion. "Did what?" The younger of the two men asked.

"Take a look for yourself." Dr. Erskine had taken the lead first, glancing skeptically to where you had assembled everything that morning. He stood there for over a minute, glancing into the microscope and occasionally switched gears on the side before coming up with what you thought was an amused expression. "I am surprised, Miss Y/L/N. That is no element I have ever seen before."

"I also think it may be going through a process similar to gamma decay which means it could be emitting bursts of energy or rays that we could use to activate the serum. I tested it with a small sample of the serum as well as with my blood and it didn’t work. I think we need to make something else. Some sort of contraption to hold the volunteer in. A machine that can find and utilize the radioactive properties of the substance. I think those bursts of energy are what we need to make this plan come to life."

Abraham Erskine lifted his brows, an interested smile on his face as he looked to Howard Stark. "You might be onto something, Dear Y/N. I will still need to run a few more tests to make sure it is as safe as we can make it, but in the meantime, I think it is time to start assembling the machine that will hold the brave soul testing the serum."

"And how will you find that person?" You asked as Howard parted from your side to begin hashing out blueprints of a new design. "Ya' can't exactly pluck someone off the street to test it out."

"That is where Project: Rebirth will come in. Leave the details to me. For now, I would like for you to assist Mr. Stark. The sooner we can get that chamber created, the sooner we can create something that will help us win this war." You nodded, determination crossing your features as you were quickly put to work by a very focused Howard Stark.

Over the next few weeks, the two of you worked side by side in creating the machine and you found yourself enjoying his company. He was a very intelligent man with a taste for sarcastic jokes. The most difficult part of your task had been actually implementing the electromagnetic waves into the wiring of the machine. You had been the one to actually work the closest with it because you did not want to put anyone but yourself at risk during that process.

The machine didn't require as much energy as you originally believed it would. Left behind was a small chunk of the solid black substance. No one knew that there had been any left and you had kept it, unable to quell your curious nature to learn more about the new element. The three of you had chosen to not report its discovery because the operation it was currently being used under was highly-classified and only those part of the SSR had knowledge of it.

"Y/L/N, hand me those goggles behind ya'." Howard said, his body almost completely shielded by the machine as he ducked underneath it. When the goggles were in his hand, he slung them over his face, going back to work to assemble the final two plates in the back. Enough of the cradle had been put together to the point where it was actually able to be standing and it was the levers that were put down next, allowing for the machine to be raised and lowered horizontally.

The room was buzzing with excitement on that final day. Everything they had worked for was coming together, but you still felt like something was missing. Everyone seemed completely content and satisfied with the results of the mission but you wanted more. More knowledge about the substance, the makeup of the serum. That night, long after everyone had gone to rest, you stayed behind, carding through your memories to remember exactly what it was that had been put into the serum.

Because you already knew what compounds had gone into it, the process to recreate it had taken a lot less time than you believed it had been to create the original seven vials. In the end, there was an eighth tube of the bright blue liquid, and as the sun began to rise in the sky the very next day, you managed to clean up everything and hid the capped test tube in a place where only you knew to look.

When their project was officially completed with their new subject, you would begin performing tests on the serum and the element, discovering more about its radioactivity. It was dangerous, of course, but no one, not even Marie Curie had gotten anywhere without a little sacrifice. You’d heard of the radiation burns the brilliant scientist had obtained in her discovery of both Polonium and Radium and that was when you knew that no matter what, you would strive to unearth more knowledge about the world. You had to. It was what you were meant to do.

Since the project was halfway complete, you were finally able to see your friends again without that lurking tension in the back of your mind over whether or not the chamber would end up working. It had been far too many months since you had actually spoken to Steve and Louise without the stress of the operation weighing down on you.

Sure the three of you had seen each other occasionally, but you always felt sort of disconnected. Your mind seemed far away, off in the clouds or in your imagination. That sort of state was always something that tended to occupy your mind. You were desperate to get your hands back on that substance and the serum, your brain craving some new information to store. You were fairly distracted on that warm Monday afternoon in July.

You were completely lost to reality and hadn't even registered the hand knocking on your door until you had opened it to leave.

The eyes that were once trained on the ground had spotted a pair of polished shoes on your porch and immediately you looked up. Eyes widening. A bright smile erupting on your face. "Hey." Bucky exhaled, drawing a small shriek from you as you launched herself into his embrace. "I haven't seen you in months and all you can say is 'hey'!" You exclaimed, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck. "Yeah I missed you too." He joked, his breaths uneven as you tightened your grasp.

Only when you pulled away had you noticed what he was wearing. Bucky was dressed head to toe in a very flattering military suit, completed with a hat you only just noticed had been titled slightly on his head. "Wow, look at you in this very fancy getup. What's the occasion?" You said with a laugh, smoothing down the wrinkles on his sleeves. "107th Infantry Regiment. You're lookin' at Sergeant James Barnes."

"Sergeant? Very impressive. You're gonna have even more ladies fawning over you, but don't let it inflate your ego." You elbowed him playfully as you pulled your front door shut, drawing a sheepish smile from Bucky. "Too late." He teased, taking the lead as the two of you reached the sidewalk. "When are you shipping out?"

As that question left your lips, the bright and content expression on Bucky's face had faded, and immediately you knew you didn’t want to hear his answer. "Tomorrow morning…I'll be going to England."

"Oh," You sighed, tucking your hands into your pockets as you watched the concrete pass by underneath your shoes. "Well…we'll just have to make the most of our time, then. We better go get Louise and Steve. Did you have any ideas for what we could do on our last day?" Without responding, Bucky lifted his right hand, a folded newspaper clutched in his grasp which he handed to you. World Exposition of Tomorrow.

A small grin crept onto your face as you recalled Howard Stark explaining to you briefly of some event he was going to be at in Brooklyn. It would be nice to see him again. The two of you had grown extremely close during the time you spent working together and you almost missed the laid back, sarcastic genius.

--------------------------------------------

How you two found Steve had happened entirely by accident. There you were, walking to the other side of town to go to Louise's house when the unmistakable sound of a brawl had directed your attention down a dirty and smoke-filled alley. You weren’t sure what you would find at the end of the alley, but you were not surprised when you heard Steve's voice.

"I can do this all day." His breathlessness was a telltale sign that he was losing and both you and Bucky knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be laid out unconscious on the concrete.

Based on the grunts and the clatter that followed, you could only assume that he had been hit. Thankfully, Bucky stepped up behind the bully, grabbing him by the arm as he attempted to reach Steve again. "Hey! Pick on someone your own size." Bucky, the taller of the two had leaned back, evading the blow that swung towards him. He snapped back quickly, delivering his own strike to the side of the man's face.

A kick was sent to his backside for good measure and while he was still stumbling for stable ground, you jutted your leg out. "Maybe that'll teach ya'." You spat as he scrambled to his feet.

"Sometimes I think you like getting punched." Steve had managed to stand, wiping away at his tousled clothes that were damaged after his frail frame was tossed quite literally into the trash. A small sliver of blood leaked from his nose, a sight not particularly rare for him. "I had him on the ropes." The shorter of the two men replied, wincing as he pressed his hand delicately against where he'd been punched. "How many times is this?"

You were unsure what it was that Bucky was referring to until you approached the two men, spotting an enlistment form in his hands. He did it again. Enlisting as some other Steve from another state until somebody would hopefully accept him.

Based on the 4F, it was clear that he was listed as unfit for service which was just another failed attempt added to his past few. "Oh, you're from Paramus now? You know it's illegal to lie on your enlistment form? And seriously, Jersey?" Steve had been entirely unaware of what it was that Bucky was wearing until he finally looked up. His brows furrowed, what looked like disappointment and maybe even envy crossing his face. "You get your orders?"

"The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow morning." It was fairly obvious that Steve was frustrated as he shook his head with a sigh. "I should be going." Steve's determination was unlike anything you had ever seen. It scared you beyond belief because as much as you wanted to think that he could hold his own, you knew he wouldn't be able to...unless.

--------------------------------------------

You whipped your head around, finding a never ending array of fantastical sites to peer at. Brightly shining fireworks that had you flinching each time the booms filled the air. Spotlights dancing back and forth, creating small circles of light that were projected into the clouds. A train zipped by over your head, its gusts of wind blowing your hair wildly around. "I don't see what the problem is. You're about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know, there's three and a half million women here." Bucky said, snapping you back into focus as you caught up with your three friends.

After a quick trip to Louise's house, Steve was finally cleaned up, and together, the four of you made your way to the World Exposition of Tomorrow, hosted by the very intelligent Howard Stark. "Well, I'd settle for just one."

"Oh please," You began. "You'd be better off marrying Louise rather than any of the girls here in Brooklyn." That managed to draw a smile out of him, while Bucky wasn't the least interested in listening to your ideas. "She's right." Louise replied, drawing a snort from you. "But in all seriousness, Steve, don't be in such a rush to obtain someone. The right one will find you, just give it time."

"Exactly, and with me gone, you'll have all the girls rushing to their knight in shining armor." Bucky teased, ruffling Steve's hair as he groaned in protest. "Welcome to the Modern Marvels Pavillion and the World of Tomorrow. A greater world. A better world." As the four of you entered the building, an announcement rang out, filling you with excitement as your gaze found the Stark Industries stage. The clamor of women speaking in enthusiastic shrieks had you coming to the realization that it was going to start soon.

Pretty much every woman in Brooklyn had some sort of infatuation with the famous Howard Stark and you were not going to lie to yourself, he was somewhat attractive.

Applause filled the large space and the four of you quickly raced to get as close as you could to the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark!" Five women stood front and center on the stage, the image of absolute perfection. Hair curled into perfect bouncy waves, bright cherry red lipstick, black top hats with red trim, white gloves, and black and white corsets paired with black skirts and mesh tights.

Howard Stark emerged from the left side of the stage, dressed in a similar color scheme to that of the women in front of the red vehicle. One of the assistants holding a microphone had crossed the stage, taking his hat before he curled an arm around her shoulders, bringing their lips together in a passion-filled kiss. A roar of cheers had erupted from the crowd and soon the five women gracefully stepped off to the side.

Howard pulled out a small folded white handkerchief, dabbing at his mouth a few times before he spotted you amongst the crowd. He winked once and you returned the gesture, smiling. "Ladies and gentlemen, what if I told you that in a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground at all?"

There was the crinkle of a bag to your left and when you turned, a small bag of popcorn was extended in your direction. You smiled at Steve, holding your hand out as a few kernels were deposited into your palm. The buttery flavor enveloped your senses, exploding inside your mouth with each bite. Your attention was directed back towards the stage as the wheels on the car were pulled off with little to no effort.

In their place were what looked like generators, labeled with the name of his company on the side. "With Stark Gravitic Reversion Technology, you'll be able to do just that." With the twist of a few nobs and the slow and steady rise of a lever, the generators in place of the wheels began to glow brightly. The hum of the machines danced around the audience blending with their gasps as it lifted itself off the stage. Your eyes widened, a huff in amazement escaping you involuntarily.

"Holy cow." Bucky whispered. That moment of success was short-lived as the generators short-circuited, a few sparks flying out. Much to the crowd's disappointment, the car quickly fell back to the stage, spewing out a wave of electrical currents that had the entire crowd reeling back. "I did say a few years, didn't it?"

Laughter scattered across the crowd as they raised their hands, applauding the amazing creation they had just witnessed. You looked to your left, smile vanishing as you found Steve disappearing into the crowd behind you. With your interest piqued, you followed him back outside, keeping a close pace until he entered one of the buildings. United States Armed Services: Recruitment.

He was doing it again. You were sure that Steve was going to enlist again and you were not about to let him accomplish that. Not illegally that is.

Next Chapter

[deepdreamnights]

Overkill and Slugfest

Some experiments using Vidu's reference-to-video feature with the old G1 package art as the character reference.

These were done with a minimum prompt, a standardized live-action film prompt I use for testing.

While clearly not photoreal, I kind of like the odd near-animated look that it provides. Vidu's reference feature can alter the look of the referenced item to a degree, but art style conversion is difficult for it, requiring the changes be made prior to the creation.

Doing so produces a much more live-action look, though less artsy due to it.

Process and some prompts under the fold.

I used midjourney's retexture overpainting process to generate a stack of miscolored overkills that I composited and adjusted into a quick-and-dirty reference.

The prompt I used for this:

full sized mechanical puppet-prop for live-action film, photographed against white background. A robotic dinosaur with angular, body design aesthetics, blue lower jaw, claws, legs, gunmetal body and head, silver missile launcher. 5k, photograph taken with kodak, official media, promotional image, white background/backdrop

I call it a Q&D reference because if you're doing anything more fully realized, you want front/back/side references, model sheet style. Otherwise, your details will shift if the character ever turns around, and the robot is going to be reluctant to do that in general if it doesn't have back-reference.

The backgrounds, too, were reference prompts. This is why Tulsa Gamma Ray is spelled correctly on the sign. This also helps with aesthetics, as your text prompt needs to be robust with anything not shown in an image prompt or else it will take on an uncanny or "on a greenscreen" stage look.

My standard prompt I used is:

live action motion picture film scene, 1989, filmed on 35mm film. directed by stanley kubric and luc besson. ILM, weta digital, stan winston studios, jim henson creature shop, masterful traditional practical special effects, costuming. Professional cinematography and lighting. dramatic and cool. live action film scene, professional lighting and cinematography, masterful practical special effects, costuming and set design. filmed in 1989

These were part of a minimal-influence test, to see what the vidu system would do with minimal direction. It does seem to be able to pick up certain context clues from the reference. It recognizes they're dinosaur-like and makes them move accordingly, for instance.

It understands, to a degree, that they're meant to be machines, and wheere it does add details, it's greebles rather than muscle or scales.

On the other hand, cars sometimes drive backwards. It's a rich tapestry, is what I'm saying.

[serious-tabaxi]

PHASES OF INVASION BY THE SUPREME TECHNATE OF NEW AGARTHA

PHASE ONE; INFILTRATION: spy androids covered with a layer of vat-grown skin are sent into communities to spread pro-technate propaganda, which invisible drones seed artificial blights in nearby farmland to starve the defenders.

PHASE TWO; AIR RAID: bombers and self-propelled guns will pound the defending city with chlorine and napalm, alongside dropping pamphlets made of sheets of living metal containing messages informing the population that all they have to do is surrender.

PHASE THREE; GROUND INVASION: Now that the defenders are hungry and exhausted, the real invading force enters. Androids march in inhuman unity with lasers, rail-rifles, tesla cannons, and gauss-gatlings, whilst mechs armed with atomic megarifles, blizzard cannons, and heat rays take out heavy vehicles.

PHASE FOUR; EXTERMINATION: if the population still refuses to surrender and the fight is difficult, siege mechs with cannons loaded with contagion spikes well enter the battlefield, these spikes release clouds of the Life-eater virus upon being impaled into the ground and is meant to act as lethal wall, preventing a meaning resistance from being formed and making leaving one's home unsafe.

PHASE FIVE; SANTATIZATION: if life-eater has been deployed, after the battles victory (it WILL end in victory, if life-eater is involved), special squad of cleanup androids are sent out to destroy any surviving pockets of the virus using flamethrowers, gamma-wave blasters, cryo-rifles, and foam-sprayers.

PHASE SEVEN; OCCUPATION: once the battle is won, technoforming devices are deployed which, when activated, shoot pipes into the ground to collect and assimilate matter, which is then converted into new living metal buildings or vehicles. In time, the entire community is converted and their will be no evidence it was ever separate.

Phase one is not completely but mostly repelled- a few diviners notice the inorganicity of the drones and a check system is quickly formulated. the artificial blights, on the other hand, are crushed. centuries of wizard battles in fields and farms alike have made the plants sturdy and absurdly resistant.

Phase two is where the action starts, along the Great Wizard Wall. the Barriershield extends up well into space, and is clearly visible with an almost eerie glow.it repels bombs, gases, and even air- the Wizards have seemingly sealed themselves off from the air.

Phase 3 is where the fun begins. hundreds of wizards of all shapes are given free range to test all their most unethical and messed up spells on the enemy. the fighting is strongest at the South Gate, where the wall has, predictably, a massive gate.

[scene set.]

*the fighting has gone on for 3 hours now- twenty seven times as long as it took the last country. every once in a while a particularly loud wizard voice calls above the other sounds of incantation; power words that have fractated(dont ask), throngled(dont ask), and spurpified(DONT ASK) the opposition.*

*however, the power of the initial counterattack has significantly abated- presumably some wizards needed rest to continue casting, and the next crew rotation isn't here yet.*

*if you're going to make a special attack, the best time would be about now- before the next shift starts.*

[elizabethaethertownusa]

More waiting room drafting / doctor’s office bathroom looks, which I thought was a funny thing to do while I was doing it—the uncropped original includes ranks of unused collection cups—but which seems less funny now, if I am honest with you. But I looked cute.

I provided a sample and put it in a little cubby in the wall behind a lifting door; I closed the door and heard a dim soft thump; I opened the door again and the sample had disappeared. I sat there laughing. The swiftness and secrecy were so funny to me. It was like one of the imp puppets from Labyrinth had shot up and taken it.

I am reading Angels In America and I dislike it. It makes me nostalgic for serious theater but aside from that—I am bored any time an author imagines people outside his set as basically quaint, repressed, operating from instinct, etc. I am telling you this here because it bears on a choice I made a few years ago, which was never to try to imagine my way into a protagonist or close secondary character whose mind and inclinations I found uninteresting or for which I had contempt. In other words, I decided to strictly write about people who interest me, the sort of people I would like to know. I recognized making the decision that it would make my work very specific and would seem kind of funny to unsympathetic readers—for some people it would seem funny to imagine a world exclusively populated by the hyperliterate self-taught, religious and weird—but I so deeply dislike writers whose efforts at seeing into someone unlike them fall into guessing what that person might do based on what the writer has seen them do. It’s always false, it’s always superficial, it’s always dull, it always smells like self-congratulation. I won’t do that.

It’s not the main reason I decided to write exclusively about people I actually like—the main reason was my own fulfillment and interest. I felt I was given permission when I read a novel by Maylis de Kerangal which hopped around a gigantic cast, every one of whom was fascinating in a way an American editor would object to as improbable. Specifically I was moved and impressed by a section where a surgeon (I think—I am going off memory) returns home after a long day and watches The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds because he thinks from the title that it might have something to do with psychedelic plants, his principle interest and which he gardens himself in his apartment, and even though the film is nothing like that he finds it hugely emotionally affecting and thinks about it with the dreamy discursive hopefulness he prizes, mentally, while making himself eggs in the small hours before bed. It was such a lovely scene. I thought, that’s the sort of idea and scene and person I am interested in. That’s what I’m going to do without apology.

I am in for a bad four weeks of heavy meds and physical discomfort and, most difficultly for me, uncertainty. It will all get progressively easier as the meds begin to work and test results return and enough time passes for other tests to be available. I think I’ll be different at the end of the next twenty eight or so days than I was at the start. I hope it will not go on hurting me emotionally as it has. I feel very much diminished. I feel disheartened. I am unhappy. I have handled it so far with zero dignity, at least where those closest to me are concerned. Probably everything is perfectly fine. But I am very unhappy.

[parakaryote]

Luminiferous Aether Earth: History

(Or: A guide to the divergent history in which my WIP novelette When In Erebus is set. The first part of this guide, an explanation of the physics of aether and EM radiation, can be found here.)

Antiquity: The starscape visible from Earth is a bit different in this universe, owing to neutron stars being much more luminous due to their effects on aether (and therefore light).

9th century AD: The second most luminous star in the sky is first officially referred to with the name that will be used in star catalogues for centuries to come: Najm-Ul-Wahaj, the Blazing Star. (In our world, it is known as RX J1856.5-3754.)

Most of the 19th century: As in our world, various experiments are conducted to test the luminiferous aether hypothesis. They are inconclusive because the measuring equipment is not sufficiently sensitive and / or they operate on incorrect assumptions about the properties of aether.

April - July 1887: The Michelson-Morley experiment gives a positive result. In the following years, more experiments following similar principles do as well, and aether captures the public imagination.

July 1898: When Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie isolate polonium from pitchblende, they notice that it glows. It is hypothesized that radioactivity strongly excites the aether — accurate, but only in certain cases.

(Note: Real-life polonium does emit light even in small quantities, but in this universe the glow is brighter and its mechanism is different.)

(Note 2: While uranium and thorium were discovered before polonium, both in real life and here, the known isotopes weren't radioactive enough / had half-lives too long to produce an observable effect regarding aether.)

1899: Ernest Rutherford figures out there is a difference between alpha and beta radiation. He hypothesizes that a sufficiently radioactive beta emitter (stronger than the uranium he used in his experiment, which has a very long half-life and therefore no visible glow) will glow more brightly than any alpha emitter.

1900s: Much research is done regarding aether and radioactivity. The knowledge of the latter progresses much faster than it did in our world. (A bonus is that its dangers were discovered earlier. The radium paint fad is short-lived.)

1910: Neutrons are discovered during an experiment with polonium and lithium (similar to what happened in real life, just earlier and by different people). The discovery of gamma rays is initially taken as proof of Rutherford's hypothesis, with them being misinterpreted as the extra-aether-exciting effect of beta radiation he predicted.

1912: The first nuclear reactor is built in New York (state). Its operators kind of just test samples of all the elements they can get their hands on. They notice something strange: some of the irradiated samples don't glow, but rather seem to suck light away around them. This is soon found out to be the actual effect of beta radiation on aether, posing a scientific mystery until the weak force is discovered decades later.

An American scientist first effectively isolates aether from the air, using a mass of strontium-90 to create a small lightless space. This is the precursor to the deaetherizing apparatus.

1913: A German scientist reads the article on the strontium-90 experiment and gets the idea of using aether instead of hydrogen to fill zeppelins. Being lighter than hydrogen, it should provide increased lifting power, and as it isn't flammable its use should eliminate the risk of explosion. However, there is no method of actually transporting aether (yet).

1914: At the start of World War I, Germany builds its own nuclear reactor and sets to isolating aether. (Thankfully, no one gets the idea of making nuclear weapons. All the focus on radioactivity in this time period pertains to its interactions with aether.)

1915: A way to effectively transport aether through pipes / hoses is figured out. Basically, when aetherons are clumped around a beta emitter, they become liable to move like regular matter. All you have to do is blow a little air (or other gas) on them to get them moving. With this, the first aether zeppelins are built. It's discovered that they have an issue of deflating quite rapidly through diffusion, but their speed and carrying capacity makes up for it.

The Allies catch wind of this and start working on defences. A plan is devised: create a series of massive deaetherizing apparatuses, large and powerful enough to collectively suck the light out of an entire city. When engaged, they will make navigation impossible (except through sonar), as well as accelerating the diffusion of the aether from the balloons.

Early 1916: A series of large-scale deaetherizing apparatuses are built. Some are installed throughout New York City, and some are shipped out to other major cities in the Allied countries. This is all kept top secret, of course.

June 1916: First official use of the apparatuses. The Central Powers launch an aerial assault on New York City and arrive to primordial darkness. The planned battle ends quickly with no casualties. This becomes a major point of American national pride.

1916-1918: Deaetherizing apparatuses are deployed several more times in various cities. Though the aether zeppelins are soon retired altogether, the impenetrable darkness effect is still very useful for confusing and deterring attackers. Some advances in sonar tech are made on both sides before the war ends and the apparatuses are closed.

1918-1932: The American government leans hard into promoting the country’s scientific achievements. Aether control is particularly celebrated, not only for saving the country some very nasty battles but also for the whole “we’ve learned how to control a basic part of nature on a large scale” factor.

1923: A group of scientists and politicians come up with the Erebus Project. All of New York City’s deaetherizing apparatuses will be turned on, and whatever changes need to be made from that point on will be made. This includes the building of aether transport infrastructure underground and throughout all the buildings, as well as special vehicles equipped with sonar devices. This is agreed to on the grounds that it will a) be “the ultimate show of scientific progress” b) serve as a ground for more study and c) provide more impetus for the construction of large buildings. Much advertising material showing a glamorous eternal nightlife is made. The populace generally agrees, and construction begins.

December 16, 1926: The Erebus Project is launched, to general applause from the American populace. The tops of the apparatuses are opened once more, and all of the aether is sucked out of the air and rerouted into buildings.

Late December 1926: The project quickly stops seeming cool to any of NYC's inhabitants who aren't involved in the Erebus Project. Humans generally are not made for a lack of sunlight, and only the people who profit from it have anything to gain from toughing out the discomfort.

The heads of Erebusian Management promise it won’t be forever. The project will end after the strontium-90 in the apparatuses undergoes a half-life… in, uh, 1944.

Spring 1927: Coordinated groups of protestors gain access to the pipes near the largest deaetherizing apparatuses and damage them. For a brief period of time, some light seeps back into the sky of Erebus. Most of the protestors are swiftly arrested and imprisoned, and guards are employed around the apparatuses.

1928: Further crackdowns on protesting, and placement of limits on travel out of the city.

December 16, 1929: On the third anniversary of the Erebus Project, New York City is officially renamed after it.

1930: Dielism, an artistic movement focusing on day and night imagery, officially comes to be. The "Dielism Evening" becomes a popular gathering.

March - December 1932: The events of When In Erebus take place.

I don't have concrete ideas for anything that happens after WIE. I will repeat that despite the more rapid advancement of nuclear science, the eventual situation around the development of nuclear weapons is not worse than it was in our world because of the focus on its use for aether control. (In other words, the Axis powers do not get atom bombs, nor does the Cold War end in a nuclear apocalypse. I'm not interested in writing stuff like that.)

[thirdchoiceurl]

tell me more about francium and other elements PLEASE

I've been reading about light isotopes, so now you get to hear about them too! In particular, Helium-3 is a great isotope for studying the interaction of the nuclear and Coulomb forces in the nucleus, since its composition presents a (relatively) simple environment where both proton repulsion and neutron binding are present. helium-3 is stable, but due to the small number of nucleons it has, it has some really interesting properties. First, considering how stable its neighbor helium-4 is, one might expect that helium-3 readily absorbs neutrons. And it does...but it doesn't form helium-4. Instead, when a neutron is absorbed by helium-3 it kicks out a proton with 764 keV of energy, forming tritium...which then decays back into helium-3 via an 18 keV beta decay. This 3He(n,p)3H interaction has a massive 5,330 barn cross section at thermal energy, drastically higher than the 55 microbarn cross section of the 3He(n,γ)4He reaction that's expected, and it all has to do with the second strange property of helium-3. Unlike heavier nuclei, helium-3 has no bound, excited states. For light nuclei, the effects of spin coupling on nuclear binding are tremendous, and the helium-3 nucleus becomes unbound in every spin state except for 1/2+. This means that the decay of deuterium into helium-3 can never emit a gamma ray, since it can only ever decay to the ground state, a fact that also explains the uncommonly long half-life for its tiny decay energy. Helium-4, with its intensely bound nucleus, has several observable excited states, as can be seen in this level scheme:

Keen-eyed observers may note the Sn and Sp lines on this chart; these are the neutron and proton separation energies of helium-4, and show that even though long-lived excited states exist, they are still ultimately unbound. Additionally, even the lowest excited state has an excitation energy of 20.2 MeV, and represents a spin-forbidden 0+ to 0+ transition that requires the emission of a proton in addition to a gamma ray.

This is the reason why 3He(n,p)3H is so favored - at neutron energies below that colossal 20.2 MeV excitation energy, there's simply no nuclear state that can accommodate the extra particle. But 3He and 3H have identical ground state spin, nearly equal masses, and no forbidden transitions standing between them. this means that when faced with the 20.2 MeV barrier on the path to 4He and the gentle descent into tritium, the compound 3He+n system will nearly always kick out a proton and settle into a new, unstable configuration rather than coalesce into the legendarily stable 4He nucleus.

You can actually test this in the lab if you have access to a thermal neutron beam, a proportional counter, and some 3He. By capturing the ejected protons from the (n,p) reaction, you'll see a very narrow solitary energy peak at 764 keV. If you then capture the beta particles emitted by a tritium source and add their maximum energy to the proton emission energy, you can get a highly accurate measure of the mass difference between the neutron and the proton, since that is the only possible place that total energy could come from. One last trick you can do with helium-3 is quickly separate it isotopically from helium-4 using cryogenic cooling. Because helium-4 has integer spin, it forms a superfluid of microscopic Bose-Einstein condensates at temperatures of about 2 K. However, helium-3 has spin 1/2+, so it cannot condense, and instead forms a fermi gas at the same temperature. While the natural abundance of helium-3 is very low, it can be flowed off of superfluid helium-4 to obtain extremely pure isotopic samples regardless.

[livingforstars]

Vela Satellites: The Watchers - November 5th, 1995.

"In October of 1963, the US Air Force launched the first in a series of satellites, inspired by a recently signed nuclear test ban treaty. Signatories of this treaty agreed not to test nuclear devices in the atmosphere or in space. These "Vela" (from the Spanish verb 'velar', to watch) satellites were part of an unclassified program whose goal was to develop the technology to monitor nuclear tests from space. A Vela satellite is pictured above in an artist's conception, keeping watch over the Earth. The high energy radiation sensors onboard the Velas did not detect any clandestine nuclear explosions. Instead, in the most surprising discovery in the history of space-based astronomy, they found bursts of gamma rays coming from deep space! The mysterious origin of these brief, intense flashes of gamma rays is one of the most hotly debated topics in modern astrophysics."

[fuchsiamae]

portalversary snuck up on me, and I feel like I should post something, so here's a tiny rough draft teaser from ch1 of my cave/glados longfic:

It sits motionless on the chamber floor. Silent. Waiting. Just as it’s been doing for exactly three hours and twenty-one minutes now. Waiting, it seems, for her next move.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you can’t do this forever. Eventually one of us is going to drop dead—and I’m immortal. If you play the waiting game with me, you’re not going to win.”

No response from the test subject on the ground.

She’s had enough of this.

“Look, I’ll admit it. I don’t know what kind of motivation you need. I’ve tried rewards. I’ve tried threats. I’ve tried wearing down your self-esteem, which I assume didn’t work only because you don’t have any to begin with. I burned your friend to death right in front of you. You know I’m serious. I will kill you if you don’t perform this test. So what’ll it be?”

The test subject doesn’t move. And it won’t, because it’s a potted ficus, and she is out of ideas.

“This is pointless. What am I doing?” Testing a plant she found in an old break room and doused with radiation, that’s what she’s doing. This is a new low. But what choice does she have? Nothing else works—the Avian Testing Initiative is on hold for molting season, her recruitment program hasn’t caught so much as a squirrel, her cloning tanks churn out nothing but mindless meat, and she’s talking to a ficus. She is the most brilliant, most powerful being ever created, and now she’s reduced to—

Wait. The camera in the test chamber zooms in.

Did it move? There’s no wind to rustle its leaves down there, but she could swear it moved. Maybe those gamma rays just needed a little more time to take effect. Maybe she’s losing her mind.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

FAST detected 90% circular polarization in a repeating fast radio burst

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a kind of energetic cosmic radio burst. Though their duration is usually at millisecond scale, their energy (estimated isotropically) reaches 10^36 ～10^41 erg, equivalent to the energy release of the sun in minutes to months. Some FRB sources emit bursts repeatedly, releasing even more energy in total. Since the discovery in 2007, the physical mechanism for such bright radio emission has become atrending topic in astrophysics. The polarization of electromagnetic wave is usually thought to carry key information of the astrophysical sources, e.g. the linear polarization usually traces the geometric configuration of magnetic fields in the radiation zone and circular polarization probes both intrinsic radiation mechanisms and propagation effects. The “China Sky Eye” Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) is the largest single dish radio telescope in the world. With its superb sensitivity and polarimetry precision, FAST has many important discoveries in the field of FRB observation.

FRB 20201124A is an FRB repeater discovered on 2020 November 24 by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope. During its first active episode in 2021 March-May, radio telescopes around the world including FAST achieved rich observational results. This FRB repeater entered another short but fierce active episode in late September 2021, during which the highest event rate recorded by FAST exceeded 500 bursts per hour.

Recently, the FAST key science project fast radio burst searches and multi-wavelength observations analyze the FAST data of the second active episode of FRB 20201124A in 2021 September, in which the scientists find a fast radio burst with 90% circular polarization. Such high degree of circular polarization is both unprecedented in FRB observations, and also unpredicted in theoretical models. In addition, rapid variation and jumps are also found in the observational data. These findings may provide new constraints and clues for the theoretical research on the radiative mechanism of FRBs. The research team have measured the polarization of more than 500 fast radio bursts in four FAST observation session between 2021 September 25 and 28. Among them, the average or peak circular polarization fraction of 32 bursts exceed 50%. The highest degree of circular polarization reaches 90.9%, which is the new record in FRB observation. Rapid variation in polarization fraction and position angle, sign reversal of circular polarization, and orthogonal jump of position angle due to orthogonal polarization modes (OPMs) are also found in the observation. These findings are recently published in National Science Review, with title “Ninety percent circular polarization detected in a repeating fast radio burst”. The corresponding authors are Prof Kejia Lee from Peking University, Prof. Weiwei Zhu from National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC, CAS) and Prof. Bing Zhang from University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Jinchen Jiang and Jiarui Niu of NAOC and Jiangwei Xu of Peking university are the first authors.

There are currently two categories of emission mechanisms for FRB repeaters. The gamma-ray burst (GRB) like models presume that relativistic shocks from a compact central engine stimulate masers in the outer medium, while in the pulsar-like models the FRBs are generated in the pulsar magnetosphere. In the early days, the FRB observations generally show linearly polarization with constant direction, which can be explained by both kinds of models.

Thus, the two types of models cannot be tested. The polarization observational results of FRB 20201124A challenges both kinds of models. For GRB-like models, the high degree of circular polarization can only be observed at the edge of the emission beam generated by relativistic particles, where the emission should be fainter compared with the beam center.

However, such brightness difference is not significant in observation. The rapid variation of linear polarization is also difficult to explain under GRB-like models. It’s more convenient to explain the observation using pulsar-like models, though the observed circular polarization fraction curves also limit the geometric parameters of the magnetosphere.

IMAGE: Polarimetric results of a selected sample of bursts with high degrees of circular polarization or abrupt jumps in the linear polarization position angle. Credit ©Science China Press

[patibato]

[Coordinate of Kaguya] Track 3 - Sirius

"So you grabbed all the equipment and came here? It's like you're running away from home. You're so cool, Muu-chan."

"I'm honoured."

As usual, my destination was Uu-chan's house. There wasn't anywhere else I could go, anyway.

When I suddenly arrived in the middle of the night, Uu-chan kindly made me feel welcome. He even treated me to some homemade chocolate cake.

"I was thinking we may as well eat it together before going through with the plan tomorrow."

"I really can't thank you enough, Uu-chan."

Slightly embarrassed, Uu-chan turned away from me, and I could see Mamarobo folding laundry behind him.

She's an old, outdated model, but I found myself surprisingly fond of this robot. While she may be a dull matt gold and have some wear, those just gave her a certain charm.

Uu-chan would often make insincere remarks about how she's "silent and creepy", but Mamarobo was always immaculately polished.

As if he had been waiting for Mamarobo to finish folding and leave the room, Uu-chan tilted his head and peered into my face.

"Won't they be mad tomorrow?"

"I'm prepared for it."

"Well, make yourself at home, then. You can use my house whenever, and talk about whatever you want. If it's a request from you, anything goes."

"You're such a good friend. I'm sincerely thankful to have you."

"I mean, compared to what you've done for me, Muu-chan, this isn't…"

Uu-chan muttered before snapping his mouth shut, embarrassed to say more.

"Well, whatever, I'm going to sleep so I'm ready for tomorrow."

☆

…And just like that.

"Snore… mimimi…"

After preparing a futon for me with Mamarobo, Uu-chan promptly fell asleep.

I couldn't rest at all, thinking of tomorrow and—of my father's face.

☆

My father held a longing for space, but unlike others who devoted themselves to it, he didn't belong to any of the country's research institutions. He studied space all by himself.

It seemed natural that an official institution would make things easier. When I questioned why he didn't join one despite that, he said:

"It seemed like a pain."

"…It did?"

It was nothing special—he simply wanted to research as he pleased.

With all those rules and restrictions, he thought he wouldn't be able to research the way he wished.

He was the type of person who wanted to fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut with his own actions, without relying on our country's assistance.

"I've actually encountered an alien in the past. …And ever since, I've been unable to stop thinking about those three numbers."

"Numbers?"

"We'll research them non-stop as well."

I respected that about my father, and believed in his methods.

"Excuse me, dear… why are you going around wearing a helmet?"

"To test it out. I made it with Muneuji."

"You're such an odd one, why did I ever… and yet, I still love you for some reason…"

"I'll revise the design a bit more and make one for Muneuji."

My father was such a weirdo that even my mother would wonder why she married him—

"It's not everyday you see someone as beautiful as Kaguya-san's husband."

"He seems like he'd be popular. Though his weirdness probably scares everyone off."

"Good day, madams."

"Oh my, speak of the devil… if it isn't Kaguya-san's husband and Muneuji-kun! Good day~ are you on a stroll?"

"The mass of the Chandrasekhar limit."

"Y-yes? Pardon?"

"Excuse me, I'm just thinking. …The Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit."

"Father, let's leave it there. The madams are backing away."

"A-ahaha… well then, we'll take our leave now…"

"Gamma ray burst."

…He was known for his peculiar sensibilities that made the madams in the neighborhood keep a distance.

☆

Even so, he loved me a lot and treated me with care.

I'm certain he loved my mother too, from the bottom of his heart.

That's why—I couldn't just ignore the fact that my grandmother, that all the adults around me, had arbitrarily decided he'd run off with another woman.

Everyone had a disgraceful misunderstanding of him.

"Father…"

Tomorrow, I'll definitely communicate with aliens—and clear up the misunderstanding about my dad.

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