Comments on: Fermi sees the gamma-ray sky for the first time http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:17:18 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: StevoR http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/comment-page-1/#comment-114889 StevoR Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:18:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/#comment-114889 If you listen closely to the radio emissions pouring from the cores of Blazers like BL Lacerate you can hear them going ... ... NNNN-IIIIIIII! ;-) Congrats to all the folks at GLA .. Fermi ! I'll be raising my Gla -- Fermi-ented beverage to them! ;-) _____________ Babylon-1 for the new name of the ISS? I like the sound of that. 8) If you listen closely to the radio emissions pouring from the cores of Blazers like BL Lacerate you can hear them going …

… NNNN-IIIIIIII! ;-)

Congrats to all the folks at GLA .. Fermi !
I’ll be raising my Gla — Fermi-ented beverage to them! ;-)

_____________

Babylon-1 for the new name of the ISS? I like the sound of that. 8)

]]> By: StevoR http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/comment-page-1/#comment-114888 StevoR Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:55:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/#comment-114888 Hubble used to be called something else??? Whaaa .... ! I sure don't recall that. Hubble used to be called something else???

Whaaa …. !

I sure don’t recall that.

]]> By: Seeing the Sky with Different Eyes | Cosmic Variance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/comment-page-1/#comment-114709 Seeing the Sky with Different Eyes | Cosmic Variance Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:42:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/#comment-114709 [...] years, from down-and-dirty astrophysics to searches for annihilating dark matter. See Andrew Jaffe, Phil Plait, and symmetry [...] [...] years, from down-and-dirty astrophysics to searches for annihilating dark matter. See Andrew Jaffe, Phil Plait, and symmetry [...]

]]> By: Torbjörn Larsson, OM http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/comment-page-1/#comment-114635 Torbjörn Larsson, OM Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:38:58 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/#comment-114635 <blockquote> Fermi also has the Fermi Surface (and associated Fermi Energy) in solid state physics </blockquote> And while we are at it, such fermi surfaces explains most or all electron phenomena in normal metals as the electrons forms what I understand to be a fermi liquid. (You don't always have to understand and distinguish between different fermi systems for working their basic properties, so it is a bit ephemeral knowledge for me.) I had to check up on a vague memory that there are a highly useful set of heuristic problems called "fermi problems" (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi" rel="nofollow">there are</a>) so I was reminded about the element <i>fermium</i> and that the physical realization of Fermi-Dirac statistics (underlying the exclusion principle) is called a "fermi hole". But I had no idea he had a calculation method ("golden rule") named after him as well. Busy man.

Fermi also has the Fermi Surface (and associated Fermi Energy) in solid state physics

And while we are at it, such fermi surfaces explains most or all electron phenomena in normal metals as the electrons forms what I understand to be a fermi liquid. (You don’t always have to understand and distinguish between different fermi systems for working their basic properties, so it is a bit ephemeral knowledge for me.)

I had to check up on a vague memory that there are a highly useful set of heuristic problems called “fermi problems” (there are) so I was reminded about the element fermium and that the physical realization of Fermi-Dirac statistics (underlying the exclusion principle) is called a “fermi hole”. But I had no idea he had a calculation method (”golden rule”) named after him as well.

Busy man.

]]> By: csrster http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/comment-page-1/#comment-114584 csrster Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:30:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/#comment-114584 Fermi also has the Fermi Surface (and associated Fermi Energy) in solid state physics, fermions/fermi-dirac statistics, the Fermi Mechanism for the acceleration of cosmic rays, and the Fermi Paradox. That's before you get to boundary cases like "The Fermi Theory of Beta Decay". Fermi also has the Fermi Surface (and associated Fermi Energy) in solid state physics, fermions/fermi-dirac statistics, the Fermi Mechanism for the acceleration of cosmic rays, and the Fermi Paradox. That’s before you get to boundary cases like “The Fermi Theory of Beta Decay”.

]]> By: Phil Plait http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/comment-page-1/#comment-114544 Phil Plait Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:10:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/#comment-114544 OMFSM. For some reason I typed "Burst Detector" (I remember thinking I was going to describe it as a detector, then changed my mind) instead of Monitor. i fixed that. Pretty funny; note that I got the acronym right! Wow. For those not in the know, lynnc is my old boss when I was at Sonoma State University, and she is the team leader for the E/PO for Fermi. So she knows her stuff! :) OMFSM. For some reason I typed “Burst Detector” (I remember thinking I was going to describe it as a detector, then changed my mind) instead of Monitor. i fixed that. Pretty funny; note that I got the acronym right! Wow.

For those not in the know, lynnc is my old boss when I was at Sonoma State University, and she is the team leader for the E/PO for Fermi. So she knows her stuff! :)

]]> By: lynnc http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/comment-page-1/#comment-114525 lynnc Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:04:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/08/26/fermi-sees-the-gamma-ray-sky-for-the-first-time/#comment-114525 Responses to some of the questions in the comments: 1) Blazars are a subclass of active galaxy, in which the jets are pointed towards the Earth. Originally named after BL Lacertae, the term is now jargon for this subclass of active galaxies which are the most prolific gamma-ray emitters. The jets pointing at us emit LOTS of high-energy gamma rays, which are very variable and make blazar-watching very exciting. 2) The correct name is the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM.) There are no plans to change the name at the present time. Although, if they did, they would probably just redefine the "G" to be "gamma-ray." 3) NASA renames satellites after launch in general (big exception - James Webb Space Telescope) because it wants to be sure that they work well before naming them. This was true for Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer and WMAP as well. And yes, Fermilab is also named after Enrico Fermi. The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope had major contributions from the US Department of Energy (which managed Fermilab) and from space and particle physics funding agencies in Italy. Both of these groups (as well as Fermi's surviving grandchildren) were happy with the choice of the name. I gave a lecture today at the SETI Institute entitled "Exploring the Extreme Universe with GLAST (crossed out to say Fermi)" which will soon be available for viewing online through links at: http://www.seti-inst.edu/csc/lectures.php if you would like to learn more. Or please visit our Education and Public Outreach website at: http://glast.sonoma.edu Responses to some of the questions in the comments:

1) Blazars are a subclass of active galaxy, in which the jets are pointed towards the Earth. Originally named after BL Lacertae, the term is now jargon for this subclass of active galaxies which are the most prolific gamma-ray emitters. The jets pointing at us emit LOTS of high-energy gamma rays, which are very variable and make blazar-watching very exciting.

2) The correct name is the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM.) There are no plans to change the name at the present time. Although, if they did, they would probably just redefine the “G” to be “gamma-ray.”

3) NASA renames satellites after launch in general (big exception – James Webb Space Telescope) because it wants to be sure that they work well before naming them. This was true for Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer and WMAP as well. And yes, Fermilab is also named after Enrico Fermi. The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope had major contributions from the US Department of Energy (which managed Fermilab) and from space and particle physics funding agencies in Italy. Both of these groups (as well as Fermi’s surviving grandchildren) were happy with the choice of the name.

I gave a lecture today at the SETI Institute entitled “Exploring the Extreme Universe with GLAST (crossed out to say Fermi)” which will soon be available for viewing online through links at:
http://www.seti-inst.edu/csc/lectures.php
if you would like to learn more. Or please visit our Education and Public Outreach website at: http://glast.sonoma.edu

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