Cafe KITP: The Secret Songs of Stars

A public talk given at SOhO, Santa Barbara on April 2 2014

Transcript

1. Music of the Spheres: The Secret Songs of Stars Matteo Cantiello - Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UCSB
2. • Music • Stars • Planets
4. Solar Dynamics Observatory (NASA)
5. Credits: R.Russel, SOHO/ESA/NASA/JPL
6. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion The nuclear energy available per atom is roughly one million times bigger than the chemical energy per atom of typical fuels.This can provide enough energy for the Sun to shine about 10 billion years. Nuclear fusion of H requires very high temperatures (T >10 million degrees)
7. after the big bang Periodic Table of the Elements
8. Periodic Table of the Elements
9. Periodic Table of the Elements
10. DNA made of C,O,H,N,P The ingredients of life
11. Stars live... (for million/billions of years) and die (Some explode as Supernovae) They release some of their content in space Stars: Life and Death
12. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
13. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
14. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
15. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
16. How can we look into the deep stellar interiors?
17. Credit: LMU - Geophysics Dept.
18. Solar Dynamics Observatory (NASA)
19. Kitchen Dynamics Observatory (Santa Barbara)
20. Kitchen Dynamics Observatory (Santa Barbara)
23. Timescale of oscillation: minutes to days
25. KEPLER kepler.nasa.gov
26. kepler.nasa.gov
27. kepler.nasa.gov
35. A sound of a pulsating Ap Star (HR3831) (Sound waves) asteroseismology.org
36. A sound of a pulsating Ap Star (HR3831) (Sound waves) asteroseismology.org
37. A sound of a pulsating Ap Star (HR1217) (Sound waves) asteroseismology.org
38. A sound of a pulsating Ap Star (HR1217) (Sound waves) asteroseismology.org
39. Gravity Waves
40. Looking deep down the star Sound Waves (envelope) Gravity Waves (core) Certain waves in stars have a mixed nature (both sound and gravity waves). They bring to surface informations about conditions (e.g. rotation rate) in different regions of the star!
41. Looking deep down the star
42. Looking deep down the star The core of red giant stars rotates 10 times faster than the envelope
43. Looking deep down the star The core of red giant stars rotates 10 times faster than the envelope It is also possible to determine what elements are being burned in the stellar core
44. The core of red giant stars rotates 10 times faster than the envelope It is also possible to determine what elements are being burned in the stellar core Listening to the songs of stars we can look in their interiors and understand their deep secrets ASTEROSEISMOLOGY
45. A sound of a White Dwarf (GD 358) (Gravity waves) asteroseismology.org
46. A sound of a White Dwarf (GD 358) (Gravity waves) asteroseismology.org
47. Stars live... (for million/billions of years) and die (Some explode as Supernovae) They release some of their content in space Stars: Life and Death
48. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
49. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
50. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
51. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
52. Looking for other worlds
53. NASA / SDO
54. NASA / SDO
55. VOYAGER 1 Traveling at 40 000 miles/h since 1977
56. VOYAGER 1 12 billion miles away from Earth
57. VOYAGER 1 At its current speed, 74 000 years away from the closest star (4.2 l.y) Sun Proxima Cen 1/2000 of the trip
58. KEPLER NASA
60. The Kepler Satellite
65. 1 Exoplanet per Star!
67. Distance: 620 light years
68. ! !
69. Planets everywhere! How rare are Earth-like planets?
70. Planets everywhere! How rare are Earth-like planets? 1 in 5 Sun-like stars have a Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone (Petigura et al. 2013)
71. Planets everywhere! How rare are Earth-like planets? 1 in 5 Sun-like stars have a Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone (Petigura et al. 2013) Potentially habitable planets seem to be common
72. Some numbers...
74. 2 500 000 l.y. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech 700 000 000 000 Stars
75. Credits: NASA
76. Credit: NASA Credits: NASA/ESA
77. Credit: NASA
78. Credit: NASA
79. Credit: NASA, Hubble Ultra Deep Field
81. 5000 galaxies
82. 5000 galaxies 20 000 000 across the sky
83. 5000 galaxies 20 000 000 across the sky 100 000 000 000 galaxies
84. 700 000 000 000 stars 100 000 000 000 galxs
85. 70 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 stars
86. 70 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 planets
87. 14 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 potentially habitable planets
89. • Stars shine because are powered by nuclear fusion
90. • Stars shine because are powered by nuclear fusion • Life as we know it exists because of stars. Almost all the elements of which we are made of have been produced inside a star
91. • Stars shine because are powered by nuclear fusion • Life as we know it exists because of stars. Almost all the elements of which we are made of have been produced inside a star •The music of stars can be used to probe their deep secrets
92. • Stars shine because are powered by nuclear fusion • Life as we know it exists because of stars. Almost all the elements of which we are made of have been produced inside a star •The music of stars can be used to probe their deep secrets •There are several hundred billion stars JUST in our Galaxy, and at least one planet orbiting each of those stars. There are about 100 billion galaxies in the Universe. Potentially habitable planets seem common.
93. Starlight, installation from E. Remash, J. Berglund, D. Peterson and C. Ingle - BM 2012 Thanks! matteo@kitp.ucsb.edu
94. Backup
95. Chance of detecting E.T. comm.
96. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
97. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
98. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
99. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
100. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
101. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
102. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
103. The Drake Equation Estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake (1961) N = R fp ne fl fi fc L
104. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
105. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
106. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
107. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
108. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
109. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
110. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
111. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L Longevity of communicative civilization Fraction of intelligent life that develops communication technology Fraction of life-bearing planets that develop intelligence Fraction of planets where life actually begins # of habitable planets per planetary system Fractions of stars with planets Rate of star formation Number of communicative civilizations in the Galaxy
112. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L 0.2 ~ 0.13? 1? 1? ? 1 7 ~1?
113. The Drake Equation N = R fp ne fl fi fc L 0.2 ~ 0.13? 1? 1? ? 1 7 ~ L ~1?
114. Credit: Rich Townsend
116. 100 000 Light Years
117. 100 000 Light Years
118. 100 000 Light Years ★ 100 billions of stars
119. 100 000 Light Years ★ 100 billions of stars • Likely billions of planets...