A presentation by Ed Fenimore, Laboratory Fellow and reknowned gamma-ray-burst researcher, will summarize advances from the recently launched Swift satellite, including an event so huge that it affected the Earth's atmosphere.
Gamma-ray bursts were discovered at Los Alamos more than 30 years ago as a result of the Laboratory's early satellite-based nuclear nonproliferation efforts. Thanks to data from the Vela satellites, progenitors of today's constellations of treaty-monitoring hardware on duty in orbit, the bursts were recognized as a new type of transient event in the universe. New to humans, otherwise blind to the tremendous events unfolding at a distance, but as ancient as the universe itself. Recently, robotic telescopes on the ground and satellites that autonomously steer themselves have started to unravel the mysteries behind these largest explosions since the Big Bang.
The presentation, "Gamma-Ray Bursts: One Reason Why 'Astronomical' is an Adjective," is part of the Laboratory's "Frontiers in Science" lecture series. There is no admission charge. The talk will be offered three times:
Los Alamos - 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
Duane W. Smith Auditorium
Los Alamos High School, Diamond Drive
Santa Fe - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7
James A. Little Theater, New Mexico School for the Deaf
1060 Cerrillos Road
Albuquerque - 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
1801 Mountain Road NW
For more information, call 667-3807 or check online at http://www.lanl.gov/science/fellows/lectures.shtml.
The Frontiers in Science Public Lectures are presented by Laboratory scientists and are intended to inform Northern New Mexico communities about the broad range of scientific and engineering research being done at the Laboratory.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.