Emerging Minds Journal for Student Research

Predicting Super Massive Black Hole Collisions Using LISA

Chris Warden — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0300

LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is due for launch in the 2030s. Its goal is to observe gravitational waves in the 10^-4 to 10^-1 Hz band. This frequency band contains signals from colliding Super Massive Black Holes, objects with masses in the range of millions, even billions, that of our own suns mass. These SMBHs are thought to lie at the heart of most, if not all galaxies. By understanding the physics of the underlying processes, and what LISA 'sees', we can predict when these mergers will occur. This would allow us to observe the merger directly in the EM spectrum, observing the light emitted from the merging accretion discs. This could yield a potentially vast amount of information about the composition and formation of these huge objects. In this project we explore some of the potential variations of the signals detected, and show that we can detect the merger several days prior to it occurring.

Multi-Colour Photometric Observations of Transiting Exoplanets to Verify Binary Star Systems

Thomas Franklin — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Within this paper, we report the observation of transiting exoplanets, K2-29b, TrES-3b, WASP-36b, and HAT-P54b, with a focused comparison of the well defined binary system K2-29b to the proposed binary WASP-36b. Performing multicolour photometry, debayering images to three distinct colour channels, a comparison of the detrended light curves of each target is used to define parameters to identify the presence of any discrepancy between the observation, defined system models or past observations. The exoplanet system K2-29b, observed in separate red and blue filters, produced minimal deviation from expected R_P /R_∗ values with R_P /R_∗ = 0.1404 +0.0040/-0.0042 and R_P /R_∗ = 0.1468 +0.0082/-0.0088 respectively. In contrast to this, we observe a significant deviation in the blue debayered value of R_P /R_∗ for WASP-36b, with the expected radius ratio defined to be ±R_P /R_∗ = 0.1368±0.0006. Initial airmass detrending model fitting for the blue debayered channel produced a value of R_P /R_∗ = 0.1162+0.0098/ -0.0102, with R_P /R_∗ Drift = 3.01σ, this later being reduced through a quadratic detrending scheme to R_P /R_∗ Drift = 2.11σ. Despite this model being an improved representation, this measure of R_P /R_∗ drift is significantly beyond the tolerance of ±1σ and as such motivates further study as this effect has been denoted in concordant research to suggest presence of a secondary star in this system.

Domestic Applicability of Solid-State Cooling

Michael Bailey — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0300

The global surge in energy consumption and the consequential environmental challenges have spurred an escalating demand for innovative, eco-friendly alternatives to current modern technology, and refrigeration systems are no different. With most households today owning a refrigerator amongst other appliances, there is a constant need for energy that is only growing by the year, in 2013 it was found that there was roughly 1.4 billion cold appliances in use within household globally, causing 450 million tons of CO2, using approximately 650 TWh, which is 1.2 times the total electricity consumption of Germany that same year, with a 27% increase to the number of cold appliances, [1]. Even with the efficiency of technology being improved over the years, there is still the ever-increasing demand for energy. Due to their complex crystal structures and the delicate balance required between their attributes, challenges do occur when attempting to identify suitable multiferroic materials, ongoing research aims to optimize their properties. Though harnessing the potential of these multiferroic materials and their intrinsic characteristics, may offer a sustainable solution for both industrial and residential refrigeration.

Effect of Gene Knockout of CEP290 using CRISPR-Cas 9 Technology on Xenopus tropicalis

Nourin Shamnad — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Modelling human diseases using the Xenopus species is an increasingly popular method to study vertebrate embryology and development, basic cell and molecular biology, genomics, neurobiology, and toxicology. This allows for the elucidation of the regulation mechanisms and interactive networks that affect the direct development of embryos, the adaptation process, and disease and malformation-causing dysregulations. Here we aim to analyze the possible kidney defects during the gene-knockout of CEP290 in X. tropicalis species. Our objectives are to produce sgRNA via de-novo synthesis from the constructed DNA template, to microinject synthesized sgRNA into embryos of Xenopus tropicalis, and to determin the success of the genome editing via T7-Endonuclease I assay and observation of genetically modified tadpoles for identifying any physical symptoms produced due to gene knockout. The data obtained from the embryos of X. tropicalis suggests that complete knock-out of the gene cep290 results in severe mutation that causes death.