A small and vigorous black hole in the early Universe
早期宇宙中一個小而有活力的黑洞
▲ 作者:Roberto Maiolino, Jan Scholtz, Joris Witstok, Stefano Carniani, Francesco D’Eugenio, Anna de Graaff, Hannah übler, Sandro Tacchella, Emma Curtis-Lake, Santiago Arribas, Andrew Bunker, Stéphane Charlot, Jacopo Chevallard, Mirko Curti, Tobias J. Looser, Michael V. Maseda, Timothy D. Rawle, Bruno Rodríguez del Pino, Chris J. Willott, Eiichi Egami, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Kevin N. Hainline, Brant Robertson, Christina C. Williams, Fengwu Sun
Several theories have been proposed to describe the formation of black hole seeds in the early Universe and to explain the emergence of very massive black holes observed in the first thousand million years after the Big Bang. Models consider different seeding and accretion scenarios, which require the detection and characterization of black holes in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang to be validated. Here we present an extensive analysis of the JWST-NIRSpec spectrum of GN-z11. These spectral features indicate that GN-z11 hosts an accreting black hole. Our finding explains the high luminosity of GN-z11 and can also provide an explanation for its exceptionally high nitrogen abundance.
A rapidly time-varying equatorial jet in Jupiter’s deep interior
木星內部深處快速隨時間變化的赤道噴流
▲ 作者:Jeremy Bloxham, Hao Cao, David J. Stevenson, John E. P. Connerney & Scott J. Bolton
Planetary magnetic fields provide a window into the otherwise largely inaccessible dynamics of a planet’s deep interior. In particular, interaction between fluid flow in electrically conducting interior regions and the magnetic field there gives rise to observable secular variation (time dependency) of the externally observed magnetic field. Secular variation of Jupiter’s field has recently been revealed and been shown to arise, in part, from an axisymmetric, equatorial jet2. Whether this jet is time dependent has not previously been addressed, yet it is of critical importance for understanding the dynamics of the planet’s interior. If steady, it would probably be a manifestation of deep dynamo convective flow (and jets are anticipated as part of that flow) but if time dependent on a timescale much shorter than the convective turnover timescale of several hundred years, it would probably have a different origin. Here we show that the jet has a wavelike fluctuation with a period of roughly 4 years, strongly suggestive of the presence of a torsional oscillation (a cylindrically symmetric oscillating flow about the rotation axis) or a localized Alfvén wave in Jupiter’s metallic hydrogen interior. This opens a pathway towards revealing otherwise hidden aspects of the magnetic field within the metallic hydrogen region and hence constraining the dynamo that generates Jupiter’s magnetic field.
▲ 作者:Hubert S. Stokowski, Devin J. Dean, Alexander Y. Hwang, Taewon Park, Oguz Tolga Celik, Timothy P. McKenna, Marc Jankowski, Carsten Langrock, Vahid Ansari, Martin M. Fejer & Amir H. Safavi-Naeini
Here we introduce a previously unknown class of microcomb—an integrated device that combines electro-optics and parametric amplification to yield a frequency-modulated optical parametric oscillator (FM-OPO). In contrast to the other solutions, it does not form pulses but maintains operational simplicity and highly efficient pump power use with an output resembling a frequency-modulated laser. We outline the working principles of our device and demonstrate it by fabricating the complete optical system in thin-film lithium niobate. The FM-OPO microcomb offers robust operational dynamics, high efficiency and broad bandwidth, promising compact precision tools for metrology, spectroscopy, telecommunications, sensing and computing.
環境學Environics
Making cities mental health friendly for adolescents and young adults
讓城市對青少年和年輕人的心理健康更友好
▲ 作者:Pamela Y. Collins, Moitreyee Sinha, Tessa Concepcion, George Patton, Thaisa Way, Layla McCay, Augustina Mensa-Kwao, Helen Herrman, Evelyne de Leeuw, Nalini Anand, Lukoye Atwoli, Nicole Bardikoff, Chantelle Booysen, Inés Bustamante, Yajun Chen, Kelly Davis, Tarun Dua, Nathaniel Foote, Matthew Hughsam, Damian Juma, Shisir Khanal, Manasi Kumar, Bina Lefkowitz, Peter McDermott, Lian Zeitz
Urban life shapes the mental health of city dwellers, and although cities provide access to health, education and economic gain, urban environments are often detrimental to mental health. Increasing urbanization over the next three decades will be accompanied by a growing population of children and adolescents living in cities3. Shaping the aspects of urban life that influence youth mental health could have an enormous impact on adolescent well-being and adult trajectories4. We invited a multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people to complete sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for young people. Here we show a set of ranked characteristic statements, grouped by personal, interpersonal, community, organizational, policy and environmental domains of intervention. Life skills for personal development, valuing and accepting young people’s ideas and choices, providing safe public space for social connection, employment and job security, centring youth input in urban planning and design, and addressing adverse social determinants were priorities by domain. Our findings highlight the need for intersectoral, multilevel intervention and for inclusive, equitable, participatory design of cities that support youth mental health.
Disappearing cities on US coasts
美國沿海城市正在消失
▲ 作者:Leonard O. Ohenhen, Manoochehr Shirzaei, Chandrakanta Ojha, Sonam F. Sherpa & Robert J. Nicholls
The sea level along the US coastlines is projected to rise by 0.25–0.3?m by 2050, increasing the probability of more destructive flooding and inundation in major cities. However, these impacts may be exacerbated by coastal subsidence—the sinking of coastal land areas—a factor that is often underrepresented in coastal-management policies and long-term urban planning. In this study, we combine high-resolution vertical land motion (that is, raising or lowering of land) and elevation datasets with projections of sea-level rise to quantify the potential inundated areas in 32 major US coastal cities. Here we show that, even when considering the current coastal-defence structures, further land area of between 1,006 and 1,389?km2 is threatened by relative sea-level rise by 2050, posing a threat to a population of 55,000–273,000 people and 31,000–171,000 properties. Our analysis shows that not accounting for spatially variable land subsidence within the cities may lead to inaccurate projections of expected exposure. These potential consequences show the scale of the adaptation challenge, which is not appreciated in most US coastal cities.
Rainforest transformation reallocates energy from green to brown food webs
雨林的轉變將能量從綠色食物網重新分配到棕色食物網
▲ 作者:Anton M. Potapov, Jochen Drescher, Kevin Darras, Arne Wenzel, Noah Janotta, Rizky Nazarreta, Kasmiatun, Valentine Laurent, Amanda Mawan, Endah H. Utari, Melanie M. Pollierer, Katja Rembold, Rahayu Widyastuti, Damayanti Buchori, Purnama Hidayat, Edgar Turner, Ingo Grass, Catrin Westphal, Teja Tscharntke & Stefan Scheu