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Mon Mar 29 08:15:15 SAST 2010

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<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>Idle computers are the astronomers' =
playground: Three=20
citizen scientists--an American couple and a German--have discovered a =
new radio=20
pulsar hidden in data gathered by the Arecibo Observatory. This is the =
first=20
deep-space discovery by <A =
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home">Einstein at Home</A>, which=20
uses donated time from the home and office computers of 250,000 =
volunteers from=20
192 different countries. This is the first genuine astronomical =
discovery by a=20
public volunteer distributed computing project. The details of their =
discovery=20
and the process of getting there are revealed in a paper published in =
the Aug.=20
12 edition of Science Express.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>The new pulsar--called PSR J2007+2722--is a =
neutron=20
star that rotates 41 times per second. It is in the Milky Way, =
approximately=20
17,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Vulpecula. Unlike =
most=20
pulsars that spin as quickly and steadily, PSR J2007+2722 sits alone in =
space,=20
and has no orbiting companion star. Astronomers consider it especially=20
interesting since it is likely a recycled pulsar that lost its =
companion.=20
However they cannot rule out that it may be a young pulsar born with an=20
lower-than-usual magnetic field.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>Chris and Helen Colvin, of Ames, Iowa, and =
Daniel=20
Gebhardt, of Universit=E4t Mainz, Musikinformatik, Germany, are credited =
with this=20
discovery. Their computers, along with half a million others from around =
the=20
world, are harnessed to analyze data for <A=20
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home">Einstein at Home</A> (volunteers contribute =
about two=20
computers each).</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home--based">Einstein at Home--based</A> at the =
Center for=20
Gravitation and Cosmology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and =
at the=20
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Albert Einstein =
Institute (AEI),=20
Hannover, Germany--has been searching for gravitational waves in data =
from the=20
U.S. based LIGO (Large Interferometer Gravitational Observatory) since =
2005.=20
Starting in March of 2009, <A =
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home">Einstein at Home</A> also=20
began searching for signals from radio pulsars in astronomical =
observations from=20
the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Arecibo, a National Science =
Foundation=20
(NSF) facility operated by Cornell University, is the world's largest =
and most=20
sensitive radio telescope. About one-third of <A=20
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home's">Einstein at Home's</A> computing capacity =
is used to=20
search Arecibo data.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>"This is a thrilling moment for <A=20
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home">Einstein at Home</A> and our volunteers. It =
proves that=20
public participation can discover new things in our universe. I hope it =
inspires=20
more people to join us to help find other secrets hidden in the data," =
said=20
Bruce Allen, leader of the <A =
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home">Einstein at Home</A>=20
project, Max Planck Institute director and adjunct professor of physics =
at the=20
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>The paper, "Pulsar Discovery by Global =
Volunteer=20
Computing," is authored by Allen's graduate student, Benjamin Knispel =
from the=20
AEI; Bruce Allen; James M. Cordes, Cornell professor of astronomy and =
chair of=20
the Pulsar ALFA Consortium; and an international team of collaborators. =
It=20
details the pulsar and announces the first genuine astronomical =
discovery by a=20
public volunteer distributed computing project.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>"No matter what else we find out about it, =
this pulsar=20
is bound to be extremely interesting for understanding the basic physics =
of=20
neutron stars and how they form. Its discovery has required a complex =
system=20
that includes the Arecibo Telescope and computing resources at the =
Albert=20
Einstein Institute, at the Cornell Center for Advanced Computing, and at =
the=20
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to be able to send data out worldwide =
to <A=20
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home">Einstein at Home</A> volunteers," Cordes =
said. The=20
Arecibo Observatory is funded by the NSF, which collaborates with the =
Max Planck=20
Gesellschaft to support <A=20
href=3D"mailto:Einstein at Home">Einstein at Home</A>.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>"This is an exciting development that =
highlights the=20
importance of citizen science, as well as the partnerships and =
discoveries that=20
arise when scientific data are shared," said Ed Seidel, assistant =
director for=20
NSF's directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. "Having =
previously led=20
a research group at the AEI myself, I deeply understand the importance =
of=20
international collaborations such as this," he =
added.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2></FONT></STRONG>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>From <A=20
href=3D"http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=3D117500">http://ww=
w.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=3D117500</A></FONT></STRONG></DIV></=
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