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Issues in Physics & Astronomy

Board on Physics and Astronomy· e National Academies · Washington, D.C. · 202-334-3520 · nationalacademies.org/bpa · Winter 2010

Unveiling the Black Hole and its Environs at the Center of the Milky Way

A. Ghez, UCLA

he proximity of our galaxy’s center presents us with a unique opportunity to study a galactic nucleus presence of a million solar masses (Mo) of dark matter and confined it to within a radius of 0.1 pc—to a probability—when proper motion velocity dispersion measurements increased the inferred dark

•

How do stars interact with supermassive black holes?

T

•

What is the nature of the matter with orders of magnitude higher spatial resolution than can be brought to bear on any other galaxy. Aſter more than a decade mass density by 3 orders of magnitude of diffraction-limited imaging with the rudimentary technique of speckle imaging at Keck and NTT/VLT, the case for a supermassive black hole at the galactic flows induced by the black hole in its neighborhood?
It has been known for some time that there is a population of young stars around the center of the Milky Way. e presence of these young stars was used initially to argue that there could not be a black hole; this argument went as follows. Premise: the tidal forces around a black hole must be overcome for stars to form. Premise: the observed gas densities at the galatic center are simply not high enough for the self-gravity of the gas to overcome the tidal forces and coalesce into stars. Conclusion: if there are young stars present, there cannot be a black hole.
As previously stated, however, the case for the supermassive black hole is much stronger today than at the time of the first discovery of young stars. Furthermore, adaptive optics observations have revealed additional young stars much closer where the tidal forces demand 1,000 times higher gas densities to form stars, greatly enhancing “the paradox of youth” at the center of our galaxy. With observations that span a greater time-baseline and are more precise, it has been possible to estimate the orbits of young stars at larger radii than those used to reveal the black hole. At these to 1012 Mo/pc3 and eliminated a cluster of dark objects as a possible explanation of the galaxy’s central dark mass concentration—and finally to a certainty— center has improved dramatically. e case when individual stellar orbits confined has moved from a possibility—when the earlier, low angular resolution, dynamical measurements of the gas and stars at the center of the Milky Way suggested the the central dark mass to within 0.0004 pc (90 AU) and thereby increased the dark mass density by another four orders of magnitude. is dark mass density has eliminated the fermion ball hypothesis as an alternative and now the center of the Milky Way presents not only the closest example of a supermassive black hole, but the strongest case for their existence. Our galaxy has therefore become an exquisite laboratory for learning by example about supermassive black holes and their environs at the centers of other galaxies.
e recent advent of adaptive optics
(AO) has expanded significantly the scientific reach of high-spatial-resolution infrared studies of the center of our galaxy through the addition of diffraction-limited spectroscopy and significantly improved imaging capabilities. is has made it possible to address a number of questions, including:

In this issue:

• Black Hole. Page 1 • Astro2010 Update. Page 2 • Spectrum Release. Page 2 • RIPLS Release. Page 4 • DUSEL. Page 6 • Science & Entertainment. Page 9 • NP2010. Page 10 • BPA Fall Meeting. Page 11 • Standing Committees. Page 13 • Science & Congress. Page 15 • Staff News. Page 15

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How do young stars come to reside in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole?

See “Black Hole” on page 2

  • ꢀ
  • BPA News · Winter ꢀ010

Spectrum Management for Science in the ꢀ1st Century

D. Lang, BPA Staff
Black Hole
(continued from page 1)

larger distances, a disk of young stars has been revealed suggesting that they formed from a pre-existing dense gas disk. In this case, it is quite likely that when these stars were forming our black hole was much more active than it is today.
Adaptive optics observations of stars in the vicinity of the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole have revealed a second surprise. eoretical work suggests that old stars should be highly concentrated in a cusp around the black hole, providing both an alternative method (searches for cusps) for identifying supermassive black holes in cases where dynamical studies are not possible and predictions of how stars are accreted onto the black hole. However, recent observations show a dearth of old stars compared to what is expected at our ecognizing the growing importance of radio observations to their respective missions and the in-person meetings, four town hall meetings, and numerous teleconferences in the development of its report. e committee’s work was aided by presentations from a number of outside experts who provided

R

increasing potential for interference from new wireless technologies, NASA, the Department of Commerce, and NSF commis- detailed information at in-person meetsioned the NRC to identify the spectrum needs of today’s scientific activities and to assist spectrum managers in balancing the requirements of scientific uses of the spectrum with those of other interests. e ings. e below text is taken from the summary of the committee’s final report,

Spectrum Management for Science in the 21st Century.

Natural radio emissions from objects as committee discussed the original charge to diverse as hurricanes and distant galaxies the committee at length, and chose to con- yield vital information about Earth and its sider only the passive (“receive-only”) scientific applications of the radio spectrum, and specifically how the requirements of spectrum could be expected to evolve place in the universe. Radio observations of Earth are central to weather forecast-

galactic nuclei. ese observations are pro- over the next two decades. is decision viding unique insight into how black holes stemmed from the committee’s recognition

Committee on Scientific Use of the
Radio Spectrum Membership

Marshall H. Cohen, Co-chair, California

Institute of Technology

interact with their environment and hence how black holes grow over time, and they are modifying our views of the possible populations of supermassive black holes.
Adaptive optics observations of the that passive scientific uses involve unique issues.
To address its task, the NRC’s Committee on Scientific Use of the Radio Spectrum—comprising representatives

Albin J. Gasiewski, Co-chair, University of

Colorado at Boulder

Donald Backer, University of California,

Berkeley

Roberta Balstad, Columbia University Steven W. Ellingson, Virginia Polytechnic

Institute and State

galactic center have also resulted in the first of universities, private industry, and detection of infrared emission associated with the central supermassive black hole. Along with providing the best constraints on theoretical models for low accretion rate flows—important for galactic nuclei and also for x-ray binaries—those observations also provide detection of the galatic center’s dramatic short-timescale infrared variations showing red noise behavior and a power-law break consistent with the x-ray variability seen in active galactic nuclei.
With high spatial resolution capabilities on large-ground based telescope, data analysis techniques continuing to improve, and larger telescopes on the horizon, the next decade promises new discoveries in galactic center research. Specifically, future measurements are expected to reveal deviations from Keplerian orbits, enabling both tests of general relativity and measurements of the extended dark-matter distribution. n nonprofit organizations—employed four

Darrel Emerson, National Radio Astronomy

Observatory

Astroꢀ010 Update

Aaron S. Evans, Stony Brook University Joel Johnson, e Ohio State University Paul Kolodzy, Kolodzy Consulting, LLC David Kunkee, e Aerospace Corporation Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the

Future, Inc.

he Astro2010 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics

T

continues to move forward. e nine panel reports recently entered the NRC’s peer-review process and the survey committee held their last two (closed) meetings at the end of January and February. e survey committee’s report is scheduled to enter NRC review in the spring. e prepublication versions of the survey committee report and the panel reports are expected to be released later this summer. Check the survey’s webpage at www.nationalacademies.org/astro2010 for further updates on the release of the report over the summer months. n

James M. Moran, Harvard-Smithsonian

Center for Astrophysics

Lee G. Mundy, University of Maryland at

College Park

Timothy J. Pearson, California Institute of

Technology

Christopher Ruf, University of Michigan Frederick S. Solheim, Radiometrics

Corporation

David H. Staelin, Massachusetts Institute of

Technology

Alan B. Tanner, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

  • BPA News · Winter ꢀ010
  • ꢁ

ing and climate studies, and observations of the cosmos are similarly critical for increasing our understanding of the universe and answering grand questions such as that on the origin of planets. Such information is gathered by geoscientists using complex Earth-orbiting satellites and ground-based equipment and by radio astronomers using large, ground-based radio telescopes. Signals from natural radio emissions are extremely weak, and the equipment used to measure them is becoming more sophisticated and more sensitive.
e radio spectrum is also being used by radiating, or “active,” services, ranging from aircraſt radars to rapidly expanding consumer services such as cellular telephones and wireless Internet. ese valuable active services transmit radio waves and thereby potentially interfere with the receive-only, or “passive,” scientific services (Earth Exploration-Satellite Service [EESS] and Radio Astronomy Service [RAS]), which do not radiate. Transmitters needs of the various communities of users. for the active services create an artificial As the active and the passive services are “electronic fog,” which can cause confusion increasing their use of the spectrum, the and, in severe cases, totally blind the EESS and RAS receivers.
Complex rules govern the occupancy and use of the electromagnetic spectrum, both nationally and globally, but these rules have not adequately evolved with technology. Rapid technological improvements, such as those that exploit the diversity of the radio spectrum in space, frequency, polarization, and time, have exponentially increased the capabilities of scientific, commercial, and government users. Still, inefficiencies in spectrum use exist while demand increases, and most regulations are not aligned with or even cognizant of the special needs of passive scientific users.
e current regulatory regime is straining to enable the capabilities and meet the

potential for interference, already strong, is also increasing. A new plan is needed to preserve the radio spectrum, in which important scientific discoveries are made and civilian and government remote sensing operations are conducted, while allowing for growth that serves an increasingly mobile society.
e next generation of spectrummanagement policies must enable better sharing of the RF spectrum as well as diminishing the impact users have on the spectrum. is can be done by exploiting currently available technologies and hastening the development of nascent tech-

See “Spectrum Management” on page 4

Hurricane Katrina, 20050829, 1214 UTC
+32°

knots
50

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5

+30° +28° +26° +24°

0

  • − 92°
  • − 90°
  • − 88°
  • − 86°

(Leſt) Image of the wind speed of Hurricane Katrina (in knots), observed by passive microwave radiometers on WindSat, a Naval Research Laboratory satellite, as Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans on August 28, 2005. (Right) Output from a model that combines data from WindSat and other remote sensing instruments. e model provides information on the hurricane’s wind speed. e values over land are extrapolations. Courtesy of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

  • ꢂ
  • BPA News · Winter ꢀ010

Spectrum Management (continued from page ꢁ)

nologies. New policies should encourage the development of the means for direct interaction between active and passive spectrum users, the development and implementation of technology to address radio frequency interference (RFI), and a regulatory environment that enables sharing the spectrum in both space and time. is is a “win-win” scenario that will enable additional scientific uses without impacting commercial development. But these new initiatives are not easy to implement, nor will they ensure success. It will take a national effort to understand clearly the needs of both communities, scientific and commercial, and to motivate each to make the choices necessary to enable greater access for each to the radio spectrum. societal function and requires proactive management to remain available—in this case for scientific purposes. Although the impacts of the passive services are difficult to quantify, they are valuable to society for providing vital information for climate and weather studies and in allowing astronomical studies of the heavens. Like public parkland, the quiet radio bands deserve protection too.
It would be in the interest of the nation to ensure that access to spectrum for scientific purposes is maintained during the coming decades. e committee’s recommendations provide a pathway for putting in place the regulatory mechanisms and associated supporting research activities necessary to accomplish this important task. e committee believes that such a pathway will also lead to greater efficiency in the active use of the spectrum, which should benefit all direct and indirect

SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT
FOR SCIENCE
IN THE
21ST CENTURY

In one sense, spectrum for passive purposes (including Earth remote sensing and radio astronomy) can be likened to parkland preserved for public use. e true societal value of small parcels of land defies monetization, for which reason these parcels require proactive measures for their preservation and shared use. e passive services both offer a critical return to society through operations in support of consumers of wireless telecommunications environmental prediction and provide scientific intellectual value. A small fraction and data services.
e full report can be accessed at of the radio spectrum allocated for passive http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_

  • purposes performs a similarly valuable
  • id=12800. n

Research at the Intersection of the Physical and Life Sciences

J. Lancaster, BPA Staff

lmost since their inception, the natural sciences, those fields that use the scientific method to study at San Diego) and Erin O’Shea (Harvard University) was charged with providing a conceptual framework for assessing work problems, oſten in ways far removed from when they were first conceived. Most of the problems being addressed at this intersection are of a biological nature, largely because of the incredible richness of this field. e new ways of looking at these problems oſten come from the physical sciences. ose ways might be concep-

A

nature, have been divided into two branch- in this area, to then use that framework to es: the biological sciences and the physical sciences. Today, while most research in these sciences remains principally biological or physical, more and more scientists are now deliberately and consciously describe some of the current work and the more promising opportunities for future efforts, and finally, to set out strategies for enabling this type of research so that the United States can take full advantage of the tual—approaches for looking at and solvaddressing problems lying at the intersection of these traditional areas. e Committee on Research at the Intersection of the Physical and Life Sciences, co-chaired by Peter Wolynes (University of California

  • opportunities at this intersection.
  • ing problems—or analytical—methods for

extracting understanding from data—or technical—tools for collecting information needed to address the problem at hand. But it is this intermingling of problems in
A good way to think of research at this intersection is that it takes various ways of looking at things—both figuratively and literally—and uses them to tackle new

  • BPA News · Winter ꢀ010
  • 5

one arena and using methods for looking at them from another arena that makes this area so rich. in living systems such as adaptation, feedback, and emergent behavior. Ideas of pattern formation that are at the heart of condensed matter physics now help us to understand biological self-assembly and the development of biological systems.
e committee’s report discusses some of the promising opportunities for future efforts in the form of five Grand Challenges –

Research at the Intersection of the Physical and Life Sciences
Committee Membership

Interestingly, some of the current work being explored at this intersection share common conceptual themes. Interactions appear in both branches, albeit with much different content and contexts. Descriptions of how individual particles interactwhat forces and energy exchanges cause crystalline materials to form and matter in all phases to display characteristic behavior and to undergo

Erin K. O’Shea, Co-chair, Harvard

University

Peter G. Wolynes, Co-chair, University of

California at San Diego

Robert H. Austin, Princeton University Bonnie L. Bassler, Howard Hughes Medical

Institute/Princeton University

Charles R. Cantor, Sequenom, Inc. William F. Carroll, Jr., Occidental Chemical

Corporation

• Grand Challenge 1. Natural sub-

stances display remarkable architecture, demonstrating the immense breadth phase changesare mainstays of the world of what can be achieved in developing of physics. However, these ways of thinking about and discussing how inanimate objects interact have been found useful to scientists attempting to answer questions about the interplay of biological matter at many different levels.
Another area finding fertile ground and producing fruitful cross-disciplines research opportunities centers on the dynamics of systems. Equilibrium, multistability, and stochastic behavior—concepts familiar to physicists and chemists—are now being used to tackle issues involved structures and systems. Can the skills and knowledge-sets of biological and physical scientists be combined to provide greater insight into identifying those structures, capabilities and processes that form the basis for living systems, and then can that insight be used to construct systems with some of the characteristics of life that are capable, for example, of synthesizing materials or carrying out functions as yet unseen in natural biology?

omas R. Cech, Howard Hughes Medical

Institute

Christopher Field, Carnegie Institution of

Washington

Graham R. Fleming, Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory

Robert J. Full, University of California at

Berkeley

Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute

Laura L. Kiessling, University of Wisconsin

at Madison

Charles M. Lovett, Jr., Williams College Dianne K. Newman, Massachusetts Institute

of Technology

• Grand Challenge 2. e human

brain may be nature’s most complex system. Can we understand how it works and build on that understanding to predict brain function? Addressing this challenge will require drawing on the resources of the physical sciences, both existing and to be developed, from imaging techniques to modeling capabilities.

• Grand Challenge 3. Genes and the

environment interact to produce living organisms. Can we deepen our understanding of those interactions to begin to comprehend how organisms change over time—how they age and heal, for example—and from that understanding realize the promise of personalized medicine and access to better health care?

Monica Olvera de la Cruz, Northwestern

University

Jose N. Onuchic, University of California at

San Diego

Gregory A. Petsko, Brandeis University Astrid Prinz, Emory University Charles V. Shank, Janelia Farm, HHMI Boris I. Shraiman, Kavli Institute of

eoretical Physics

H. Eugene Stanley, Boston University George M. Whitesides, Harvard University

ReseaRch at the inteRsection of the physical and life sciences

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    The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University NSF #0937591 September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013 PI: David H. Guston, Arizona State University Co-PIs: Elizabeth Corley, Arizona State University Deirdre Meldrum, Arizona State University Clark Miller, Arizona State University Dietram Scheufele, University of Wisconsin, Madison Jan Youtie, Georgia Institute of Technology Annual Report for the Period September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013 This report includes work conducted at three collaborating universities of NSEC/CNS-ASU: Arizona State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Annual Report for Award #0937591 September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013 2. Table of Contents Project Summary 3 List of Center Participants, Advisory Boards, and Participating Institutions 4 Quantifiable Outputs – Table 1 44 Mission, Significant Advances, and Broader Impacts 45 Highlights 61 Strategic Research Plan 70 Research Program, Accomplishments, and Plans 73 a. RTTA 1 73 b. RTTA 2 78 c. RTTA 3 83 d. RTTA 4 92 e. TRC 1 98 f. TRC 2 101 Center Diversity – Progress and Plans 109 Education 113 Outreach and Knowledge Transfer 128 Shared and Other Experimental Facilities 138 Personnel 141 Publications and Patents 146 Biographical Information 263 Honors and Awards 272 Fiscal Sections 274 Cost-Sharing Section 295 Leverage 307 Current and Pending Support 317 1 Annual Report for Award #0937591 September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013 (2. Table of Contents continued) Tables Table 1 44 Table 2 108 Table 3A 127 Table 3B 127 Table 4A 144 Table 4B 145 Table 5 310 Table 6 311 2 Annual Report for Award #0937591 September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013 3.
  • Enstrom Email to Wessler Re

    Enstrom Email to Wessler Re

    January 22, 2016 You signed the May 7, 2010 Science letter by Peter Gleick Since May 2, 2012 Gleick https://www.heartland.org/sites/default/files/criminal_referral_of_peter_gleick.pdf Lindzen article on NAS UC Mission statement: The University of California System The ten campuses of the University of California system are dedicated to the fundamental missions of teaching, research and public service. Lysenko Interrelationship between Science, AAAS, and NAS Make case that secret committee nominated a self-described activist McNutt to continue recent tradition of activist Cicerone. Reveal demographics of election results, number of votes per sstate who voted to confirm McNutt. If nothing is presented at AAAS meeting ther will be effort to raise serious doubts about objectivity of McNutt,Science, AAAS, and NAS before McNutt becomes NAS Pres on July 1 and before new Science editor is appointed. December 22, 2015 Susan R. Wessler, Ph.D. Home Secretary National Academy of Sciences Distinguished Professor of Genetics Department of Botany and Plant Sciences University of California, Riverside [email protected] Dear Professor Wessler, 1 I helped Dr. Peter Wood prepare his December 9, 2015 National Association of Scholars email letter to California members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) “Concerns about the National Academy of Sciences and Scientific Dissent” (https://www.nas.org/articles/nas_letter), which you have received. I am writing to you about this email letter as both the Home Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences and a UC Riverside Distinguished Professor (http://newsroom.ucr.edu/2547). First, in your role as NAS Home Secretary, I request that you send the email letter to all NAS members, since it deals with serious concerns about suppression of scientific dissent and Dr.
  • Red Hot Lies Al Gore

    Red Hot Lies Al Gore

    U.S. $27.95 Can. $29.95 (continued from front flap) Red Hot Lies Horner Hot Lies Red Chris Horner: “Climate criminal.” —Greenpeace flowing. In the name of “saving the planet,” any- Praise for Red Hot Lies thing goes. LIARS “If I had to choose one global warming skeptic to go mano-a- But why the nasty tactics? Why the cover- Al Gore. ups, lies, and intimidation? Because Al Gore mano against the best of the alarmists in a winner-take-all, rumble-in-the-jungle debate to the death to settle the climate The United Nations. and his ilk want to use big government at the controversy once and for all, my pick would be Chris Horner. Red The New York Times. local, state, federal, and global level to run your Hot Lies shows why. Horner’s astonishing depth and breadth of The global warming lobby, relentless in its life, and they can brook no opposition. But the knowledge is crisply and cleverly articulated and packs amazing push for bigger government, more spending, and actual facts, as Red Hot Lies makes clear, aren’t punch. It’s no wonder the alarmists fear him.” more regulation, will use any means necessary —Steven Milloy, nearly as scary as their fiction. to scare you out of your wits—as well as your tax publisher, JunkScience.com dollars and your liberties—with threats of ris- Red Hot ing oceans, deadly droughts, and unspeakable Praise for Christopher C. Horner future consequences of “climate change.” Christopher C. Horner is and his New York Times bestseller, In pursuing their anti-energy, anti-capi- the author of the New York Times TM bestseller The Politically Incor- The Politically Incorrect Guide to talist, and pro-government agenda, the global rect GuideTM to Global Warming.
  • Climate Change Seminar

    Climate Change Seminar

    I-CARES Distinguished Speaker Series Dr. Ralph Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences Chair of the National Research Council Global Climate Change and Demand for Energy Global climate change poses threats to many areas of human endeavor as well as to the natural environment. Energy, biodiversity, agriculture, economics, national security, the future of coastal regions, and international relations are all affected, presenting one of the greatest challenges to future human well- being. The Tyson Research Center and the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES) are pleased to announce a seminar on the topic of climate change, by Dr. Ralph Cicerone, the President of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Cicerone’s research in atmospheric chemistry, climate change and energy has involved him in shaping science and environmental policy at the highest levels nationally and internationally. Ralph J. Cicerone, U.S. President of the National Academy of Sciences, delivering the PEI 2011 Taplin Environmental Lecture. (Photo: Brian Wilson) Dr. Cicerone received a BS in electrical engineering from MIT and PhD in electrical engineering, with a minor in physics from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. In his early career, he was a research scientist and held faculty positions in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan. From 1980 to 1989, he was a senior scientist and director of the Atmospheric Chemistry Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. In 1989 he joined the University of California, Irvine, where he was founding chair of the Department of Earth System Science. He was Dean of the School of Physical Sciences from 1994 to 1998 and served as Chancellor of UC Irvine from 1998 to 2005.
  • Chapter 10 100 Years of Progress in Gas-Phase Atmospheric Chemistry Research

    Chapter 10 100 Years of Progress in Gas-Phase Atmospheric Chemistry Research

    CHAPTER 10 WALLINGTON ET AL. 10.1 Chapter 10 100 Years of Progress in Gas-Phase Atmospheric Chemistry Research T. J. WALLINGTON Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan J. H. SEINFELD California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California J. R. BARKER Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan ABSTRACT Remarkable progress has occurred over the last 100 years in our understanding of atmospheric chemical composition, stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry, urban air pollution, acid rain, and the formation of airborne particles from gas-phase chemistry. Much of this progress was associated with the developing un- derstanding of the formation and role of ozone and of the oxides of nitrogen, NO and NO2, in the stratosphere and troposphere. The chemistry of the stratosphere, emerging from the pioneering work of Chapman in 1931, was followed by the discovery of catalytic ozone cycles, ozone destruction by chlorofluorocarbons, and the polar ozone holes, work honored by the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Crutzen, Rowland, and Molina. Foundations for the modern understanding of tropospheric chemistry were laid in the 1950s and 1960s, stimulated by the eye-stinging smog in Los Angeles. The importance of the hydroxyl (OH) radical and its relationship to the oxides of nitrogen (NO and NO2) emerged. The chemical processes leading to acid rain were elucidated. The atmosphere contains an immense number of gas-phase organic compounds, a result of emissions from plants and animals, natural and anthropogenic combustion processes, emissions from oceans, and from the atmospheric oxidation of organics emitted into the atmosphere.