An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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In → general relativity, the → action that yields → Einstein's field equations. It is expressed by:
S_{EH = (1/2κ)∫d⁴x (-g)^1/2R + S^m,
where κ ≡ 8πG and S^m is the matter part of the action.}

→ Einstein; → Hilbert space; → action.

→ EPR paradox.

A. Einstein, B. Podolsky, N. Rosen: "Can quantum-mechanical description of physical reality be considered complete?" Phys. Rev. 41, 777 (15 May 1935); → paradox.

A hypothetical structure that can join two distant regions of → space-time through a tunnel-like shortcut, as predicted by → general relativity. The Einstein-Rosen bridge is based on the → Schwarzschild solution of → Einstein's field equations. It is the simplest type of → wormholes.

Albert Einstein & Nathan Rosen (1935, Phys.Rev. 48, 73); → bridge.

The laws of physics are the same in all → inertial reference frames and are invariant under the → Lorentz transformation. The → speed of light is a → physical constant, i.e. it is the same for all observers in uniform motion. Einsteinian relativity is prompted by the → Newton-Maxwell incompatibility. See also: → Galilean relativity, → Newtonian relativity.

→ Einstein; → relativity.

A radioactive metallic → transuranium element belonging to the → actinides; symbol Es. → Atomic number 99, → mass number of most stable → isotope 254 (→ half-life 270 days). Eleven isotopes are known. The element was first identified by A. Ghiorso and collaborators in the debris of first hydrogen bomb explosion in 1952.

Named after Albert Einstein, → einstein + → -ium.

To throw out material, for example by a massive star through stellar wind, or by a volcano in eruption.

From L. ejectus, p.p. of eicere "to throw out," from → ex- "out" + -icere, comb. form of jacere "to throw."

Ešândan, from Hamadâni ešândan "to throw out;" Pashto aestal, wištal "to throw, project;" Laki owštan "to throw, to shoot (with bow and arrow);" Lori šane "throwing," šane kerde "to throw;" Av. ah- "to throw," pres. ahya- "throws," asta- "thrown, shot," astar- "thrower, shooter;" cf. Khotanese ah- "to throw, shoot," Skt. as- "to throw, shoot," ásyati "throws," ásana- "throw, shot."

Material, in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, thrown out by a body, especially as a result of → volcanic eruption, → meteoritic impact, or → supernova explosion. See also: → ejecta blanket, → supernova ejecta.

Plural of L. ejectus, → eject.

Ešânâk "that which is ejected," from šân present stem of šândan→ eject + suffix -âk.

Of an → impact crater, the ejecta that after the → impact event settles back to the Earth's surface. The ejecta blanket is thick near the → crater rim and thin outward from the crater.

→ ejecta; → blanket.

Act or instance of ejecting; the state of being ejected.

Verbal noun of → eject.

A kind of viscous → boundary layer in a rotating fluid system. Such a layer forms over a flat bottom that exerts a frictional → stress against the flow, bringing the velocity gradually to zero within the layer above the bottom. An Ekman layer occurs also on the fluid surface whenever there is a horizontal frictional stress, for example along ocean surface, when waters are subject to wind stress.

Named for Vagn Walfrid Ekman (1874-1954), Swedish oceanographer, who studied the phenomenon originally in his doctoral thesis (1902) and later developed it (1905, 1906); → layer.

A → dimensionless quantity that measures the strength of → viscous forces relative to the → Coriolis force in a rotating fluid. It is given by E_k = ν/(ΩH²), where ν is the → kinematic viscosity of the fluid, Ω is the → angular velocity, and H is the depth scale of the motion. The Ekman number is usually used in describing geophysical phenomena in the oceans and atmosphere. Typical geophysical flows, as well as laboratory experiments, yield very small Ekman numbers. For example, in the ocean at mid-latitudes, motions with a viscosity of 10^-2 m²/s are characterized by an Ekman number of about 10^-4.

→ Ekman layer; → number.

A cosmological model in which the → Big Bang is not the beginning of the → Universe, but a transitory phase in a more global scenario. The ekpyrotic Universe model is fundamentally different from the → standard cosmology and offers radically different explanations for the cosmological problems (→ homogeneity, → isotropy, → flatness, → magnetic monopoles, etc.). In this highly speculative model → space-time has five dimensions, four spatial and one temporal. Two three-dimensional → branes, one visible and one hidden, collide following the contraction of the extra dimension. The contraction produces a blue shift effect that converts gravitational energy into brane kinetic energy. Some fraction of this kinetic energy is converted into matter and radiation that can fuel the Big Bang. The resulting temperature is finite, so the hot Big Bang phase begins without a → singularity. Apart from being speculative, this model suffers from several fine tunings (J. Khoury et al. 2001, Phys. Rev. D64, 123522 (hep-th/0103239); P. J. Steinhardt & N. Turok, 2002, Phys. Rev. D65, 126003 (hep-th/0111098), and references therein).

Ekpyrotic is inspired by the ancient Stoic doctrine according to which the world ends in a supreme conflagration, called ekpyrosis, and then reborns from the fire (palingenesis), only to be destroyed again at the end of the new cycle; ekpyrosis, from Gk. ek- "out of," → ex-, + → pyro- combining form of pyr, → fire, + -sis a suffix used to form nouns of action, process, state, condition, such as thesis, analysis, catharsis; → Universe.

Giti, → Universe; âtašzâd, literally "born out of fire," from âtaš, → fire, + zâd "born," from zâdan "to bring forth," → generate.

El Niño. A significant warming of the ocean surface over the eastern and central equatorial Pacific that occurs at irregular intervals, generally ranging between two and seven years. El Niño conditions, which are often characterized by "warm events," most often develop after late December during the early months of the year and decay during the following year. → La Nina.

From Sp. El Niño "the child," i.e. "the Christ Child," alluding to the appearance of the current near Christmas. The term was originally applied by fishermen of northern Peru.

The thirteenth known moon of Jupiter, discovered in 1905 by Charles Perrine.

In Gk. mythology, Elara was the mother by Zeus of the giant Tityus.

Of, pertaining to, or noting a body having the property of → elasticity. See also → elastic collision, → elastic deformation, → elastic limit, → elastic scattering.

From Fr., from Gk. elastos "ductile, flexible," related to elaunein "to strike, beat out."

Kešâyand, from keš stem of kešidan/kašidan "to pull, drag, draw" (Av. karš- "to draw, to plough," karša- "furrow;" cf. Skt. kars-, kársati "to pull, drag, plough," Gk. pelo, pelomai "to be busy, to bustle") + âyand agent form of âmadan "to come; to become," from Mid.Pers. âmatan (O.Pers. gam- "to come; to go," Av. gam- "to come; to go," jamaiti "goes;" O.Iranian *āgmatani; Skt. gamati "goes;" Gk. bainein "to go, walk, step;" L. venire "to come;" Tocharian A käm- "to come;" O.H.G. queman "to come;" E. come; PIE root *gwem- "to go, come").

A collision between two particles which conserves the total kinetic energy and momentum of the system.

→ elastic; → collision.

A deformation of a → solid body in which the change (→ strain) in the relative position of points in the body disappears when the deforming stress is removed. See also → elastic limit.

→ elastic; → deformation.

The smallest → stress beyond which a → solid body can no longer return to its original shape. The material ceases to obey → Hooke's law. Also called → yield point.

→ elastic; → limit.

In a → collision between two → particles, the reaction in which the total → kinetic energy of the system, projectile plus target, is the same before the collision as after.
In the interaction of → electromagnetic waves with particles, the scattering when the → wavelength (→ frequency) of the → scattered light is the same as the → incident light (→ Rayleigh scattering, → Mie scattering).

→ elastic; → scattering.

A wave that propagates by → elastic deformation of the medium. The → propagation takes place by a change in shape that disappears when the forces are removed. In other words, the displaced particles transfer momentum to adjoining particles, and are themselves restored to their original position. A → seismic wave is a type of elastic wave.

→ elastic; → wave.