Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Spiraling Magnetic Signal Shows Up In the Cosmic Background

Posted by timothy on from the headline-can-only-hold-so-many-words dept.

pln2bz writes "Astronomers looking for confirmation for emissions from early stellar formation in the cosmic microwave background radiation instead found a signal indicating large amounts of unaccounted-for spiraling magnetic fields in space, but without any accompanying infrared emissions. The discovery possibly dredges up the claims of plasma cosmologists like Eric Lerner, who claim that the intergalactic medium is a strong absorber of the CMB with the absorption occurring in a fog of narrow filaments. These filaments are the result of plasma's natural tendency, as observed within the plasma laboratory and in novelty plasma globes, to form braided, ropelike structures which are collimated by coiled magnetic fields."

9 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Err..what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This news is too nerdy to understand. Can someone explain it in more detail?

    1. Re:Err..what? by thePjunisher · · Score: 5, Informative

      Everything that's not hydrogen or helium, is a metal.


      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal#Astronomy

    2. Re:Err..what? by MRe_nl · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Spiraling Magnetic Signal, Cosmic Background emissions in the cosmic microwave background radiation, a signal indicating large amounts of unaccounted-for spiraling magnetic fields in space, but without any accompanying infrared emissions. The intergalactic medium is a strong absorber of a fog of narrow filaments. These filaments are the result of plasma's natural tendency, to form braided, ropelike structures which are collimated by coiled magnetic fields."

      Jeez Dungeon Master, all I did was cast "Detect Magic", no need to go all cosmic on us...

      --
      "Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
    3. Re:Err..what? by mbone · · Score: 5, Informative

      To astronomers, Everything that's not hydrogen or helium, is a metal.

      (Chemists have different viewpoints.)

    4. Re:Err..what? by Salamander_Pete · · Score: 5, Informative

      I am a chemist, and as such I would say a metal is an element which favours losing electrons to form positive ions and electron 'clouds', rather than forming covalent bonds (electron-sharing between only a few atoms - normally 2). It seems that there is a specific definition of 'metal', which is used by the astrophysics guys, meaning any element heavier than helium. This says nothing about the ability/mechanism of the element to join with other elements, just its mass. As this is an astrophysics story, I'd have to go along with the 'heavier than helium' definition...

    5. Re:Err..what? by BradHAWK · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes, to chemists everything that is not hydrogen or helium or a non-metal is a metal. Except hydrogen. Sometimes.

    6. Re:Err..what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      It was originally called "shit up there," but PBS made Carl Sagan clean it up for the children.

  2. Here are the 4 papers by mbone · · Score: 5, Informative

    Interpretation of the extragalactic results (the real source of the OP) :
      http://arxiv.org/abs/0901.0559

    Note that the above paper does not mention the "wildly speculative" spiraling magnetic fields idea.

    Extragalactic results in general :
    http://arxiv.org/abs/0901.0555

    Galactic results
    http://arxiv.org/abs/0901.0562

    A description of the instrument :
    http://arxiv.org/abs/0901.0546

  3. ELECTRIC UNIVERSE!!! by frankie · · Score: 5, Informative

    Please recall that Mr pln2bz is an Electric Universe fanatic, pretending to be an objective outsider who was swayed by the Thunderbolts' persuasive arguments.