Your smartphone has a molecule detector on it , and scientists want you to facilitate them reveal how the universe of discourse really works and perhaps even discover the unfeigned nature of dark matter . There are just a few bugs to work out .
gamy - energy atom from space , called cosmic rays , constantly bombard the Earth . There are all sorts of things we might be capable to memorize about the universe by studying those subatomic particle . We ’ve previously discussedhigh - tech , expensiveequipment used to monitor them . But the physicist behind a new project want your smartphone to avail gather data on these cosmic ray , hopefully revealing new insight into dark subject and other unusual phenomenon .
“ This project can only be successful with a large number of people , ” Piotr Homola , associate professor at theInstitute of Nuclear Physics at the Polish Academy of Sciences , state Gizmodo . “ We need public engagement on an unprecedented graduated table . ”
Homola is the representative of the Cosmic - Ray Extremely deal Observatory ( CREDO ) . There are a act of thing you might be able to do with a world-wide cosmic irradiation detector , but one of CREDO ’s independent goals is to spot the eminent - energy light particles in the universe of discourse . Imagine — the smallest possible blip of illumination , but with the energy of a baseball thrown by a Major League pitcher . These particles might be a signboard of dark thing in the universe — butwho knows ?
With CREDO , Homola hopes to produce a universal cosmic ray observatory , combining observance from smartphones and the top subatomic particle detectors . He ’s already make an app where users can begin identifying cosmic rays using theZooniverse platform , as well as a particle - demodulator app usable in the Google maneuver store called the CREDO Detector .
CREDO ’s app joinsDECOandCRAYFIS , two other atom - detector apps that employ roving phone cameras for detect high - energy molecule . Phone cameras contain semiconductors that are tender to these particles , and placement information to tell physicists where the particles hit . Homola is hoping to partner with all of these apps and apply their information in a wider internet . “ We are in touch with [ CREDO ] and talk about how to knead together to combine datum from unlike kinds of detectors , ” say Daniel Whiteson , University of California , Irvine physicist and principal investigator of CRAYFIS .
Homola discussed all sorts of aperient benefit to having such a detector , as well as other , raging ideas — like one theory that perhaps there ’s a link between particles from space and multiple sclerosis diagnosing . He realise that this is a implausible mind , but wanted potential users to know that there are benefit to a vast , ball-shaped cosmic ray database aside from just eminent - vigour physics .
I download CREDO ’s app onEd Cara ’s Android earphone — it runs raging and eat a lot of battery ( it uses the camera ) so it ’s best to consort passively in the background knowledge while the phone is plugged in . I did n’t detect any mote revelatory of a cosmic ray , but I only ran the app for about five minutes . CRAYFIS is still in its beta stage , and DECO took a niggling more work to set up .
But perhaps these apps will someday be in a useable - enough state that you could help physicists do some really coolheaded science .
AstronomyAstrophysicsCitizen sciencePhysicspolandScience
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