10-25-2017, 08:40 PM
I would love to summarize this, but I can't. I'll do my best albeit briefly.
UKIRT and other MK observatories have made some major discoveries about the so-called Unidentified Infrared band emission (UIRs). They can, sometimes, also be seen in absorption (i.e., they absorb light from a background source rather than emit the light on their own). These bands are generally seen in regions around old stars where many chemical processes are going on, aided by high-energy ultraviolet radiation from stars. Eventually you end up with these things called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These are molecules that you create whenever you have a barbeque. All you need is carbon, hydrogen and a lot of energy (heat or UV radiation). Add a few more elements and you get some very interesting looking results which can be hard to interpret.
Now we get this, which, quite frankly, is not the way to excite the public. I'm not sure I understand the article myself. This is what you do to put people off science and astronomy.
"Wave nature of delocalized electrons in defective hydrocarbons at the origin of cosmic infrared emission"
https://phys.org/news/2017-10-nature-del...rbons.html
UKIRT and other MK observatories have made some major discoveries about the so-called Unidentified Infrared band emission (UIRs). They can, sometimes, also be seen in absorption (i.e., they absorb light from a background source rather than emit the light on their own). These bands are generally seen in regions around old stars where many chemical processes are going on, aided by high-energy ultraviolet radiation from stars. Eventually you end up with these things called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These are molecules that you create whenever you have a barbeque. All you need is carbon, hydrogen and a lot of energy (heat or UV radiation). Add a few more elements and you get some very interesting looking results which can be hard to interpret.
Now we get this, which, quite frankly, is not the way to excite the public. I'm not sure I understand the article myself. This is what you do to put people off science and astronomy.
"Wave nature of delocalized electrons in defective hydrocarbons at the origin of cosmic infrared emission"
https://phys.org/news/2017-10-nature-del...rbons.html