Astronomers Discover Earth-Sized Exoplanet
Using the HARPS spectrograph attached to the 3.6-m ESO telescope at La Silla Chile, a team of Swiss, French, and Portuguese astronomers have discovered the most Earth-like exoplanet to date.
Using the HARPS spectrograph attached to the 3.6-m European Southern Observatory telescope at La Silla, Chile, a team of Swiss, French, and Portuguese astronomers have discovered the most Earth-like exoplanet to date.
The planet, known as "e" in the Gliese 581 planetary system, is only about twice the mass of Earth. Planet Gliese 581e orbits its host star in just 3.15 days. Because its mass is equivalent to about 1.9 Earth-masses, it is very likely to be a rocky planet, according to the researchers. However, its proximity to its host star makes it unlikely that the planet is habitable. Thanks to these new observations, the researchers have concluded that another planet in the system, Gliese 581d (discovered in 2007) is in the habitable zone, where liquid water could exist. Gliese 581d is about 7 Earth-masses in size.
The gentle pull of an exoplanet as it orbits its host star introduces a tiny wobble in the star's motion that can be detected on Earth through the use of spectroscopy. HARPS (High Accuracy Radial Velocity for Planetary Searcher) is believed to be the most precise spectrograph in the world, and is one of the most successful instruments for detecting exoplanets.
Getting accurate IR spectra on monolayer of molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.
Achieving Accurate IR Spectra On Monolayer of Molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.
