An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

The act of culminating or the instant at which a celestial object reaches its highest altitude above the horizon by crossing the observer's meridian. → upper culmination; → lower culmination.

Verbal noun of → culminate.

Bâlest, from Mid.Pers. bâlist "culmination point of a star; highest, summit," from bâlây "high" + -ist superlative suffix, Av. barəzišta- "highest," from barəz- "high, mount" (Skt. bhrant- "high," O.E. burg, burh "castle, fortified place," from P.Gmc. *burgs "fortress," Ger. Burg "castle," Goth. baurgs "city," E. burg, borough, Fr. bourgeois, bourgeoisie, faubourg; PIE base *bhergh- "high") + -išta- superlative suffix (Skt. -istha-, Gk. -istos, O.H.G. -isto, -osto, O.E. -st, -est, -ost).

A function that gives the probability that a → random variable X is less than or equal to x, at each possible outcome: F(x) = P(X ≤ x), for -∞ < x < ∞. Same as → distribution function.

→ cumulative; → distribution; → function.

A hypothetical → scalar field that is used to explain the → primordial curvature perturbation in the Universe. It is generally supposed that the primordial perturbation originates during → inflation, from the → quantum fluctuation of the inflation field. The curvaton model is an attempt to account for the primordial perturbation by a completely different origin, namely the quantum fluctuation during inflation of a light scalar field which is not the assumed slowly-rolling inflation. In this model, the curvaton field is an energetically sub-dominant component during inflation. As the energy density of the Universe drops after inflation, the fraction of this component becomes significant. At this time the curvaton perturbation is converted into an adiabatic curvature perturbation of the Universe. The amplitude of the final perturbation, which should match observations, depends on both how long the curvaton oscillates before it decays, and on the shape of the potential. The first curvaton model was proposed by D. H. Lyth & D.Wands and in 2002 (Physics Letters B524).

From curvat-, from → curvature, + → -on. Although not related, the term curvaton exists in Fr. meaning "small curve" with variants curvatone, courbaton, and corbatone (A. Jal, 1848, Glossaire nautique).

A parameter occurring in the → Friedmann equations of → general relativity describing the geometry of → space-time. A spatially → open Universe is defined by k = -1, a → closed Universe by k = + 1 and a → flat Universe by k = 0. See also the → Robertson-Walker metric. See also → curvature of space-time.

→ curvature; → parameter.

Any circulatory wind system in the atmosphere in which the motion is anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere (that is in the same sense as that of Earth) and clockwise in the southern hemisphere, around a center of low pressure.

From Gk. kyklon "moving in a circle, whirling around," pr.p. of kykloun "move in a circle, whirl," from kyklos "circle," cognate with Pers. carx→ cycle.

Carxand "moving in a circle," from carxidan→ rotate, from carx, → cycle.

Having a sense of rotation about the local vertical the same as that of the Earth's rotation. More specifically, as viewed from above, → counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, → clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, and undefined at the equator. The opposite of → anticyclonic (Meteorology Glossary, American Meteorological Society).

→ cyclone; → -ic.

An → accelerator in which charged subatomic particles generated at a central source are accelerated to acquire energies up to several tens of millions of → electron-volts. The cyclotron consists of two flat, semicircular metal boxes or electrodes, called dees or D's because of their shape. An alternating electric field between the dees continuously accelerates the particles from one dee to the other, while the magnetic field bends their direction guiding them in a circular path. As the speed of the particles increases, so does the radius of their path, and the particles spiral outward. See also → cyclotron frequency, → synchrotron.

From cyclo- a combining form meaning → cycle + → -tron.

The frequency with which a → non-relativistic particle of charge q and mass m turns in a cyclotron with → uniform magnetic field B. The equality of the → centripetal force to the → Lorentz force leads to the expression: by: f_cycl = qB/2πm. For → relativistic case, the frequency is smaller and is called → synchrotron frequency.

→ cyclotron; → frequency.

Same as → Larmor radius.

→ cyclotron; → radius.

One of nine → OB associations located in the Cygnus → constellation. The central association, → Cygnus OB2, is the most famous and the youngest of the Cygnus region. (L. Mahy et al. 2013, astro-ph/1301.0500 and references therein).

→ Cygnus; → OB star; → association.

An → ionization front of → H II regions whose expansion speed is comparable to the → sound speed in the gas (~ 10 km/sec for hydrogen at 10⁴ K). A D-type ionization front results from → R-type ionization front when its propagation speed decreases as the volume of gas ahead of the ionization front grows. If front velocity is equal to a lower limit (C₁² / 2C₂, where C₁ and C₂ are the sound speed ahead and behind the front respectively), the front is called D critical.

D referring to a dense gas; → type; → ionization; → front.

A 40-year period of unusually low → solar activity, from about 1790 to 1830. See also the → Maunder minimum.

Named after John Dalton (1766-1844), British meteorologist; → minimum.

A modern unportable astrolabe which is used for high precision measuring of stellar and geographical coordinates. The instrument uses the simultaneous observations of two images of the same star, one of the images formed directly by the lower face of a prism and the other by the light rays reflected first from a mercury bath and then by the upper face of the prism. The images coincide when the zenithal distance of the star attains a prefixed value (Gauss method of equal altitudes, → almucantar). Apart from astrometry, the Danjon astrolabe was used for studying the Earth's rotation and is currently used for solar radius measurements.

After André Danjon (1890-1967), French astronomer, who developed the instrument at the Strasbourg Observatory before the Second World War and at the Paris Observatory in 1948. The concept of prism astrolabe was initially invented by the French Auguste Claude (1858-1938) around 1900 and was later modified in collaboration with Ludovic Driencourt (1861-1940); → astrolabe.

A scale to evaluate as exactly as possible the darkening degree of a total → lunar eclipse. The five steps of the scale run from 0 (extremely dark, invisible Moon) to 4 (extremely bright, the eclipse having a very weak effect on the Moon's visibility). The darkening at a lunar eclipse is determined to a great extent by the transparency of the terrestrial atmosphere, which is affected by clouds and the dust from the volcanic eruptions (M.S.: SDE).

Named after André Danjon, who set up the scale, → Danjon astrolabe; → scale.

The automatic adjustment of the iris and retina of the eye to allow maximum vision in the dark, following exposure of the eye to a relatively brighter illumination.

→ dark; → adaptation.

A hypothetical process whereby hypothetical → non-baryonic dark matter particles undergo → annihilation interactions with themselves. The process results in observable by-products such as high-energy photons, neutrinos, and other detectable particles. See also → dark matter decay.

→ dark; → matter; → annihilation.

The process of controlling telescope operations during observation and obtaining data.

→ data; acquisition, from L. acquisitionem, from acquirere "get in addition," from → ad- "extra" + quærere "to search for, obtain."

Alfanješ, verbal noun of alfanjidan (variant alfaqdan) "to acquire, get," Bactrian αλφανζ "to acquire," Sogdian δβ'yz "to acquire, gain, get" (Cheung 2007); → data.

The process of converting crude observational data into usable information for scientific interpretation, by correcting, rearranging, ordering, and simplifying.

→ data; → reduction.

The experiment carried out in 1927 that confirmed the → de Broglie hypothesis as to the → wave nature of the → electron. It showed that electrons scattering off crystals form a → diffraction pattern. The experimental setup consisted of a → nickle chloride → crystal as → target, an electron gun, and a → detector placed on a graduated circular scale. The intensity of the reflected electrons was measured as a function of angle and electron energy. The observations showed a strong intensity peak at a certain angle. The nickel crystal acted as a → diffraction grating. → Constructive interference occurred at a particular angle, where the peak intensity was observed in accord with → Bragg's law. Interestingly, the intent of the initial experiment was was not to confirm the de Broglie hypothesis. In fact, the discovery was made by accident.

Carried out by American physicists Clinton Davisson (1881-1958) and Lester Germer (1896-1971); → experiment.

According to the → de Broglie hypothesis, which has been verified by experiments, every → particle of matter, whatever its nature, has a characteristic → wavelength associated with its wavelike quantum aspect. The de Broglie equation gives the equivalent wavelength of a moving particle: λ = h/mv, where h is → Planck's constant, m the mass of the particle, and v its velocity.
See also: → de Broglie wavelength, → Davisson-Germer experiment.

Named after Louis Victor de Broglie (1892-1987), French physicist, creator of a new field in physics, wave mechanics, who won the Nobel prize in physics in 1929. → equation