Exo-itement! What’s in an exoplanet name?
I’ve now added it to one of my life goals: name an exoplanet! If you could name a planet, what would you call it? Read More …
Category: science
5-qubit quantum computing simulator
Since IBM released access to its 5-qubit quantum computer, with accompanying tutorial and ability to simulate and program it easily (via a graphical language that spits out a simple code for archival along with results), I’ve been kind of obsessed. As I worked my way through the tutorials in IBM’s simulator, for my own benefit Read More …
When Antarctica Just Isn't Cold Enough: South Pole Telescope (SPT) Fridge Cycle
As you might have heard on my website, my newsletter, my Twitter, or, if we’re colleagues at Caltech, at work, I am currently working on the South Pole Telescope (SPT) onsite at the South Pole in Antarctica for January-November 2016 (I am employed by the University of Chicago). I have taken a sabbatical from my NSF Astronomy Read More …
Finding earth like planets from the comfort of our own planet
Gravitational lensing results from the fact that General Relativity describes our universe: mass bends light and can function in effect like a lens, bending light in ways that can be used to infer the mass distribution itself. Gravitational microlensing is due to this same effect, but refers to the detection of objects which are of Read More …
The Game of Life-simple rules, complex behavior
Here’s a video introduction to the Game of Life Historically, one of the pioneers of computer science John von Neumann was interested in finding machines which could reproduce themselves. He developed an abstraction allowing him to mathematically model his work on a computational grid. A mathematician John Conway took up and simplified his work publishing Read More …
Cold dark matter heats up – a review of a review
This is a review of the recent paper, to be published in Nature, by Andrew Potzen and Fabio Governato Cold dark matter heats up. The paper is itself a review, containing information published in previous studies. I gave a presentation about it at our weekly Astrophysics journal club. The figure in the header is M82, Read More …
Staying Focused
I fully admit to being an information and interaction junky. I feed on bits and pats on the backs to the point of bloating, and with my schedule when I’m working I need to be on point. I try to take a media fast once a year for about a month for a personal cleanse, Read More …
Tips for the Tough Traveler
I travel quite a bit, and am away from home from 24hr-30 day stretches. Even longer, but after 30 days I transform my coordinate system, and home is again where I am. My advice would fill pages, but here are a few simple tips to keep on the road. Read More …
NASA Space Apps Challenge 2013
As in 2012, I participated in the NASA Space Apps Challenge Hackathon, this time as a participant rather than an organizer. Read More …
Packing for Mars
I recently read an excellent book, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, a Christmas gift from my brother. Read More …