An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

A set of nebular → emission line diagrams used to distinguish the ionization mechanism of → nebular gas. The most famous version consists of [N II]λ6584/Hα versus [OIII] λ5007/Hβ. The next two more commonly used BPT diagnostics are [S II] λλ6717,6731/Hα versus [O III] λ5007/Hβ and [O I] λ6300/Hα versus [O III]λ5007/Hβ. These diagrams use strong, optical lines of close proximity in the ratios to limit → reddening and → spectrophotometric effects. They are able to clearly distinguish different classes of → ionization, for example → LINERs from normal → H II regions and → active galactic nuclei.

Baldwin, J. A., Phillips, M. M., Terlevich, R., 1981 PASP 93, 5; → diagram.

A compact infrared source in the Orion molecular cloud (OMC-1). It is thought to be a very dusty compact H II region surrounding a young B0 or B1 star.

After Eric Becklin (1940-), and Gerry Neugebauer (1932-) who discovered the object in 1967; → object.

Same as → geodetic precession.

→ Einstein-de Sitter Universe; → effect.

The → Friedmann-Lemaitre model of → expanding Universe that only contains matter and in which space is → Euclidean (Ω_M > 0, Ω_R = 0, Ω_Λ = 0, k = 0). The Universe will expand at a decreasing rate for ever.

→ Einstein; de Sitter, after the Dutch mathematician and physicist Willem de Sitter (1872-1934) who worked out the model in 1917; → Universe.

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.

A theoretical limit of approximately 6 × 10¹⁹  → electron-volts for the energy of → cosmic rays above which they would lose energy in their interaction with the → cosmic microwave radiation background photons. Cosmic ray protons with these energies produce → pions on blackbody photons via the Δ resonance according to: γ_CMB + p → p + π⁰, or γ_CMB + p → n + π⁺, thereby losing a large fraction of their energy. These interactions would reduce the energy of the cosmic rays to below the GZK limit. Due to this phenomenon, → Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays are absorbed within about 50 Mpc.

Named after Kenneth Greisen (1966), Physical Review Letters 16, 748 and Georgiy Zatsepin & Vadim Kuzmin (1966), Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters 4, 78; → limit.

1) Prefix meaning "into, in, on, upon, toward, at;" variants im-; il-; ir- by assimilation of -n- with the following consonant. It occurs also sometimes as en, in loans from O.Fr.
2) Prefix meaning "not, opposite of, without."

1) From L. in; cf. Gk. en; P.Gmc. *in (cf. O.Fris, Du., Ger., Goth. in); O.E. in, inne "within."
2) From L. in- "not," cognate with Gk. an-; O.Pers./Av. an-, a- "not, without;" Skt. an-, a- "not;" P.Gmc. *un-; O.E. un-.

1) Dar- "in," from Mid.Pers. andar, → intra-.
2) nâ-, na "not," ma- "not" (prohibitive); Mid.Pers. nê, ma "no, not;" O.Pers. naiy, nai "not;" Av. nôit, naē "not;" cf. Skt. ná "not;" L. ne-, in-, un-; Gk. ni; Lith. nè; O.C.S. ne "not;" PIE *ne-.
bi- privative prefix, from Mid.Pers. abi-, O.Pers. *apaiy-, Av. apa-.
a-, an-, from O.Pers./Av. negation prefix appearing before consonants and vowels respectively. A couple of examples in Mod.Pers.: amordâd "immortality, name of the fifth month in the Iranian calendar," anušé; "fortunate, happy," anirani "non Iranian," âhu "vice, defect," âsoqdé "unburnt, half-burnt wood."

A group to which the speaker, the person spoken of, etc. belongs.

→ in-; → group.

Xodi "insider, familiar, friend," from xod "own," → self-.

The contraction of a volume of gas under its → gravity, accompanied by the → radiation of the lost → potential energy as → heat.

After the Scottish physicist William Thomson, also known as Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) and the German physicist and physician Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (1821-1894), who made important contributions to the thermodynamics of gaseous systems; → contraction.

An → instability raised when there is sufficient velocity difference across the interface between two uniformly moving → incompressible fluid layers, or when velocity → shear is present within a continuous fluid.

→ Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction; → instability.

The heating of a body that contracts under its own gravity. For a large body like a planet or star, gravity tries to compress the body. This compression heats the core of the body, which results in internal energy which in turn is radiated as → thermal energy. In this way a star could be heated by its own weight.

William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) and Hermann von Helmholtz proposed that the sun derived its energy from the conversion of gravitational potential energy; → mechanism.

The characteristic time that would be required for a contracting spherical cloud of gas to transform all its → gravitational energy into → thermal energy. It is given by the relation: t_KH ≅ GM²/RL, where G is the → gravitational constant, M is the mass of the cloud, R the initial radius, and L the → luminosity. The Kelvin-Helmholtz time scale determines how quickly a pre-main sequence star contracts before → nuclear fusion starts. For the Sun it is 3 x 10⁷ years, which also represents the time scale on which the Sun would contract if its nuclear source were turned off. Moreover, this time scale indicates that the gravitational energy cannot account for the solar luminosity. For a → massive star of M = 30 Msun, the Kelvin-Helmholtz time is only about 3 x 10⁴ years.

→ Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction; → time.

The method of determining the distance to a star cluster by overlaying its main sequence on the theoretical zero-age main sequence and noting the difference between the cluster's apparent magnitude and the zero-age main sequence's absolute magnitude.

→ main sequence; → fitting.

The point on the → Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of a star cluster at which stars begin to leave the → main sequence and move toward the → red giant branch. The main-sequence turnoff is a measure of age. In general, the older a star cluster, the fainter the main-sequence turnoff. Same as → turnoff point.

→ main sequence; → turnoff.

A phenomenon in which the rotation period of a pulsar steadily decreases with the pulsar age. The cause of the spin-down is magnetic torque due to the strong fields threading out from the pulsar. The magnetic energy is being converted to high-energy particles and radiation from the nebula. Observed spin-down rates range from about 10^-5 seconds/year for the youngest pulsars to about 10^-12 seconds/year for recycled pulsars. The Crab pulsar is slowing down at a rate of about 10^-5 seconds/year. Knowing the rotation period and the lengthening rate of a pulsar leads to its age.

→ spin; down, M.E.; O.E. ofdune "downward," from dune "from the hill."

Kond-carxi, from kond "slow; dull" + carx→ rotate + -i noun suffix.

Quantum mechanics: The scattering of a particle that reverses the spin direction.

→ spin; flip, from flip-flap; → scattering.

Parâkaneš, → scattering; bâ "with;" vâruni, noun from vârun, → inverse; espin, → spin.

1) Astro.: A relationship between the orbital period of one body around another and its rotational period on its axis. The relationship results from tidal forces between the two bodies. For example, the rotation period of the Moon equals its revolution period around the Earth.
2) Quantum mechanics: The interaction between a particle's → spin angular momentum and its → orbital angular momentum.

→ spin; → orbit; → coupling.