Monthly Archives: May 2018

Las Vegas Weather Forecasting Not Full Of Hot Air, But Helium

Here’s an uplifting story about where our weather forecasts come from. Every day at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m., a staff member steps outside the National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office on Dean Martin Drive and launches a weather balloon. … Continue reading

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The Effect of Photoemission On Nanosecond Helium Microdischarges At Atmospheric Pressure

Atmospheric-pressure microdischarges excited by nanosecond high-voltage pulses are investigated in helium-nitrogen mixtures by first-principles particle-based simulations that include VUV resonance radiation transport via tracing photon trajectories. The VUV photons, of which the frequency redistribution in emission processes is included in … Continue reading

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Helium Abundance and Speed Difference Between Helium Ions and Protons in The Solar Wind From Coronal Holes, Active Regions, and Quiet Sun

Two main models have been developed to explain the mechanisms of release, heating and acceleration of the nascent solar wind, the wave-turbulence-driven (WTD) models and reconnection-loop-opening (RLO) models, in which the plasma release processes are fundamentally different. Given that the … Continue reading

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This Inflatable Skyscraper Could Save Lives In Disaster Zones

The origami-inspired building would inflate with help from a giant helium balloon. From telescopes to heart stents and artificial muscles, origami has inspired all sorts of curiously innovative objects. Now a trio of Polish designers has won a major design competition for their … Continue reading

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Tracking Down Helium-4’s Quarks and Gluons

Scientists obtain the first exclusive measurement of deeply virtual Compton scattering of electrons off helium-4, vital to obtaining an unambiguous 3-D view of quarks and gluons within nuclei. Scientists used a radial time projection chamber built at Argonne National Laboratory … Continue reading

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