قيامة أرطغرل الموسم الخامس الحلقة 1
The cosmic rays used to follow and view tropical cyclones offer new perspectives
For the first time, high-energy muon particles created in the atmosphere have allowed researchers to explore storm structures in ways that traditional visualization techniques, such as satellite imagery, cannot. . The details offered by this new technique could help researchers model storms and associated weather effects. It could also lead to more accurate early warning systems.
It’s hard not to notice the number of stories in the news about severe storms in different parts of the world, often attributed to climate change. Weather forecasts and early warning systems have always been important, but with increasing storm activity, that seems especially so these days. A team of researchers, led by Professor Hiroyuki Tanaka of Muographix at the University of Tokyo, is giving the meteorological world a new way to detect and explore tropical cyclones using a quirk of particle physics that unfolds all the time above our heads.
“You have probably seen photographs of cyclones taken from above, showing swirling whirlwinds of clouds. But I doubt that you have already seen a side cyclone, perhaps in the form of infographic, but never in the form of data Real captured by a sensor, “said Tanaka. . “What we offer to the world is the possibility of doing this exactly, of visualizing large -scale weather phenomena such as cyclones from a 3D point of view, and in real time also. We do it using a technique Called Muography, which you can think of like an X -Ray, but to see inside really huge things. “
Muography creates X-ray-like images of large objects including volcanoes, pyramids, bodies of water and now, for the first time, atmospheric weather systems. Special sensors called scintillators come together to form a grid, much like the pixels in your smartphone’s camera sensor. However, these scintillators do not see optical light, but instead see particles called muons that are created in the atmosphere when cosmic rays from deep space collide with atoms in the air. Muons are special because they easily pass through matter without dispersing as much as other types of particles. But the small amount they deviate from as they pass through solid, liquid, or even gaseous matter can reveal details of their path between the atmosphere and sensors. By capturing a large number of muons passing through something, an image of it can be reconstructed.
“We were able to image the vertical profile of a cyclone, and it revealed density variations that are key to understanding how cyclones work,” Tanaka said. “The images show transverse cuts of the cyclone which crossed the prefecture of Kagoshima in the west of Japan. I was surprised to see clearly that it had a hot nucleus with low density which was considerably contrasting with the cold exterior to High pressure. There is absolutely no way to capture this data with traditional pressure sensors and photography. “
The detector used by the researchers has a viewing angle of 90 degrees, but Tanaka envisions combining similar sensors to create hemispherical and therefore omnidirectional observation stations that could be placed along a coastline. These could potentially see cyclones up to 300 kilometers away. Although satellites are already tracking these storms, the additional detail offered by muography could improve predictions of approaching storms.
“One of the next steps for us now will be to refine this technique to detect and visualize storms at different scales,” Tanaka said. “This could mean better modeling and forecasting not only for large storm systems, but also for more local weather patterns.”
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Material provided by University of Tokyo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.