(±0.2 Billion Years.)

Hello and welcome to my blog about my life (science) and whatever else takes my fancy (hint: it's more science). You may call me Dougal and I'm 19 Earth years old, currently double majoring in physics and chemistry in New Zealand. In reality I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm going to do though so you'll find a little bit of everything.

Cherenkov RadiationCherenkov radiation is seen in this image as an eerie glow surrounding the core of a nuclear reactor. It is created when electrons are released through beta decay of radioactive materials which then radiate outwards from the source. When these move into a dielectric medium, which is an insulator that polarizes in an electric field, the electrons interact with the atoms and molecules that make up the medium. This has the effect of polarizing some of the molecules involved when the electron moves faster than the phase velocity of light in that substance due to the electron’s electromagnetic field interfering with that of the medium. The polarized state of the molecules is a higher energy state than the nonpolar form and as the molecule spontaneously flips from polarized to nonpolarized form it releases energy in the form of a photon. The color of the radiation is dependent on the amount of energy difference between the polar and nonpolar forms (along with the type of medium) with bigger energy differences emitting shorter wavelength photons.Special thanks to methicillin for mentioning this to me! — Cherenkov Radiation

Cherenkov radiation is seen in this image as an eerie glow surrounding the core of a nuclear reactor. It is created when electrons are released through beta decay of radioactive materials which then radiate outwards from the source. When these move into a dielectric medium, which is an insulator that polarizes in an electric field, the electrons interact with the atoms and molecules that make up the medium. This has the effect of polarizing some of the molecules involved when the electron moves faster than the phase velocity of light in that substance due to the electron’s electromagnetic field interfering with that of the medium. The polarized state of the molecules is a higher energy state than the nonpolar form and as the molecule spontaneously flips from polarized to nonpolarized form it releases energy in the form of a photon. The color of the radiation is dependent on the amount of energy difference between the polar and nonpolar forms (along with the type of medium) with bigger energy differences emitting shorter wavelength photons.

Special thanks to methicillin for mentioning this to me!

The above is an elaborate detector in Japan. Looking for the most invisible of particles: The neutrino. Neutrinos are produced via beta decay, which some of you may know is the process of a neutron in a nucleus decaying into a proton, electron and also the elusive neutrino. A neutrino is essentially a particle that is made of the energy deficit between the products and the neutron of beta decay. In nature they’re typically found radiating out from the center of stars. They’re virtually mass-less, travel near the speed of light, are just about impossible to detect and yet at over the course of any second 65 billion of them are traveling through any 1 cm square area without experiencing any loss of speed or momentum. — The above is an elaborate detector in Japan. Looking for the most invisible of particles: The neutrino. Neutrinos are produced via beta decay, which some of you may know is the process of a neutron in a nucleus decaying into a proton, electron and also the elusive neutrino. A neutrino is essentially a particle that is made of the energy deficit between the products and the neutron of beta decay. In nature they’re typically found radiating out from the center of stars. They’re virtually mass-less, travel near the speed of light, are just about impossible to detect and yet at over the course of any second 65 billion of them are traveling through any 1 cm square area without experiencing any loss of speed or momentum.

Say hello to Mr. Tardigrade (or more commonly known as the water bear). Tardigrades are a type of microorganism known for their ability to survive more stuff than Bruce Willis and they live everywhere. I’d be willing to bet that you’re probably covered in them right now. Anyways, what makes them so special is that they can survive temperatures between −273 °C (−459.400 °F) and 151 °C (304 °F). Oh yeah and a decade without water and enough radiation to kill pretty much everything else (suck on that you cockroach bastards). Also, they can survive in the vacuum of space. — Say hello to Mr. Tardigrade (or more commonly known as the water bear). Tardigrades are a type of microorganism known for their ability to survive more stuff than Bruce Willis and they live everywhere. I’d be willing to bet that you’re probably covered in them right now. Anyways, what makes them so special is that they can survive temperatures between −273 °C (−459.400 °F) and 151 °C (304 °F). Oh yeah and a decade without water and enough radiation to kill pretty much everything else (suck on that you cockroach bastards). Also, they can survive in the vacuum of space.