News

Einstein was right again.

There is a space-time vortex around Earth, and its shape precisely matches the predictions of Einstein's theory of gravity.

Researchers confirmed these points at a press conference on Wednesday at NASA headquarters where they announced the long-awaited results of Gravity Probe B (GP-B).

“The space-time around Earth appears to be distorted just as general relativity predicts,” said Stanford University physicist Francis Everitt, principal investigator of the Gravity Probe B mission.

“This is an epic result,” added Clifford Will of Washington University in St. Louis.

An expert in Einstein's theories, Will chairs an independent panel of the National Research Council set up by NASA in 1998 to monitor and review the results of Gravity Probe B.

“One day,” he predicted, “this will be written up in textbooks as one of the classic experiments in the history of physics.”

Time and space, according to Einstein's theories of relativity, are woven together, forming a four-dimensional fabric called “space-time.”

The mass of Earth dimples this fabric, much like a heavy person sitting in the middle of a trampoline.

Gravity, says Einstein, is simply the motion of objects following the curvaceous lines of the dimple.

If Earth were stationary, that would be the end of the story. But Earth is not stationary. Our planet spins, and the spin should twist the dimple, slightly, pulling it around into a four-dimensional swirl. This is what GP-B went to space in 2004 to check.

The idea behind the experiment is simple:

Put a spinning gyroscope into orbit around the Earth, with the spin axis pointed toward some distant star as a fixed reference point. Free from external forces, the gyroscope's axis should continue pointing at the star – forever.

But if space is twisted, the direction of the gyroscope's axis should drift over time. By noting this change in direction relative to the star, the twists of space-time could be measured.

In practice, the experiment is tremendously difficult.

The four gyroscopes in GP-B are the most perfect spheres ever made by humans. These ping pong-sized balls of fused quartz and silicon are 1.5 inches across and never vary from a perfect sphere by more than 40 atomic layers. If the gyroscopes weren't so spherical, their spin axes would wobble even without the effects of relativity.

According to calculations, the twisted space-time around Earth should cause the axes of the gyros to drift merely 0.041 arcseconds over a year.

An arcsecond is 1/3600th of a degree. To measure this angle reasonably well, GP-B needed a fantastic precision of 0.0005 arcseconds. It's like measuring the thickness of a sheet of paper held edge-on 100 miles away.

“GP-B researchers had to invent whole new technologies to make this possible,” noted Will.

They developed a “drag free” satellite that could brush against the outer layers of Earth's atmosphere without disturbing the gyros.

They figured out how to keep Earth's magnetic field from penetrating the spacecraft. And they created a device to measure the spin of a gyro – without touching the gyro.

More information about these technologies may be found in the Science@NASA story, “A Pocket of Near-Perfection,” http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/16nov_gpb/ .

Pulling off the experiment was an exceptional challenge. But after a year of data-taking and nearly five years of analysis, the GP-B scientists appear to have done it.

“We measured a geodetic precession of 6.600 plus or minus 0.017 arcseconds and a frame dragging effect of 0.039 plus or minus 0.007 arcseconds,” said Everitt.

For readers who are not experts in relativity: Geodetic precession is the amount of wobble caused by the static mass of the Earth (the dimple in spacetime) and the frame dragging effect is the amount of wobble caused by the spin of the Earth (the twist in spacetime). Both values are in precise accord with Einstein's predictions.

“In the opinion of the committee that I chair, this effort was truly heroic. We were just blown away,” said Will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of Gravity Probe B give physicists renewed confidence that the strange predictions of Einstein's theory are indeed correct, and that these predictions may be applied elsewhere. The type of spacetime vortex that exists around Earth is duplicated and magnified elsewhere in the cosmos--around massive neutron stars, black holes, and active galactic nuclei.

“If you tried to spin a gyroscope in the severely twisted space-time around a black hole,” said Will, “it wouldn't just gently precess by a fraction of a degree. It would wobble crazily and possibly even flip over.”

In binary black hole systems – that is, where one black hole orbits another black hole – the black holes themselves are spinning and thus behave like gyroscopes. Imagine a system of orbiting, spinning, wobbling, flipping black holes! That's the sort of thing general relativity predicts and which GP-B tells us can really be true.

The scientific legacy of GP-B isn't limited to general relativity. The project also touched the lives of hundreds of young scientists:

“Because it was based at a university many students were able to work on the project,” said Everitt. “More than 86 PhD theses at Stanford plus 14 more at other Universities were granted to students working on GP-B. Several hundred undergraduates and 55 high-school students also participated, including astronaut Sally Ride and eventual Nobel Laureate Eric Cornell.”

NASA funding for Gravity Probe B began in the fall of 1963. That means Everitt and some colleagues have been planning, promoting, building, operating, and analyzing data from the experiment for more than 47 years – truly, an epic effort.

What's next?

Everitt recalls some advice given to him by his thesis advisor and Nobel Laureate Patrick M.S. Blackett: “If you can't think of what physics to do next, invent some new technology, and it will lead to new physics.”

“Well,” said Everitt, “we invented 13 new technologies for Gravity Probe B. Who knows where they will take us?”

This epic might just be getting started, after all …

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

 

LUCERNE, Calif. – A Lake County Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force investigation into multiple forgeries and fraudulent purchases of prescription medications has led to the arrest of a 33 year old Lucerne woman.

Erica Ray Rouse, 33, was arrested and booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on felony charges of forging or altering a prescription, counterfeiting a prescription blank, forgery and violation of probation, according to Capt. James Bauman.

On Tuesday morning, May 3, narcotics detectives contacted staff at the Kmart pharmacy in Lakeport to investigate a report that multiple medications had been filled by the use of fraudulent prescriptions, Bauman said.

After talking to pharmacy staff and examining their records, detectives determined that as many as 10 prescriptions for the pain medications Ultram and Tramadol, and the antiseizure medication Lorazepam, had been filled for a woman identified as Rouse, according to Bauman.

He said Rouse had allegedly been purchasing the medications from the pharmacy since November of 2010.

When detectives examined the prescriptions used to dispense the medications, they found Rouse had allegedly not only used her own name to obtain the prescriptions, but she is also alleged to have forged several different names on the prescriptions and the prescriptions themselves were counterfeit, Bauman said.

Bauman said narcotics detectives learned that Rouse was on formal felony probation for a prior welfare fraud conviction. At approximately 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, they went to her home in Lucerne to conduct a probation search relating to their investigation.

During their search, detectives located and recovered multiple prescription bottles matching the medications fraudulently purchased at the Kmart pharmacy. Bauman said detectives also located and seized blank counterfeit prescriptions that had apparently been fabricated by use of a computer.

Narcotics detectives continued their investigation on Wednesday morning and contacted pharmacy staff at the CVS drug store in Lakeport, Bauman said. After examining their records, detectives determined Rouse had made at least five additional purchases of the same medications by forging counterfeit prescriptions.

Bauman said the case is pending further investigation and contact with other Lake County pharmacies to determine if Rouse has forged any additional prescriptions.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The annual year in review for the local watershed groups is always a fun, informative evening, and this year’s event will be no exception.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, May 12, and join local watershed groups at the Lower Lake School House Museum, 16435 Morgan Valley Road in Lower Lake.

The doors will open at 6 p.m., with the event beginning immediately following the potluck.

Bring a dish that's ready to be shared with your friends and neighbors, and be prepared to honor the volunteers who work to make your communities and watersheds a better place to live.

Greg Dills, district manager and watershed coordinator for the East Lake and West Lake Resource Conservation Districts will show highlights of activities by the watershed groups in the Upper Cache Creek Watershed.

Dills also will present information about the activities and projects of the county's resource conservation districts.

Friends and neighbors of volunteers from the Big Valley Watershed Council, Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch, Lower Lake Watershed Council, Middle Creek CRMP, Nice Watershed Council, and Scotts Creek Watershed Council are especially encouraged to attend.

A Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented to an outstanding member from the active watershed groups. The West Lake Resource Conservation District will also be presenting their annual Partner of the Year Award.

A special treat this year will be a presentation by the tribes regarding the ongoing work they're doing to help preserve the Clear Lake hitch.

The evening is one of celebration for the work the watershed groups do throughout the year, and is being hosted by the Lower Lake Watershed Council. Each year the public is invited to attend the event to learn more about the contributions these ambitious volunteers make to their communities.

There's been a recent focus on illegal dumping activities, and various concerns are being expressed regarding the health of the watersheds in Lake County.

Be a part of what your community can do to help with these issues – join a watershed group.

For more information about these organizations, please visit www.lakecountyrcds.org.

There will be good food, great volunteers and caring members of the community, the perfect combination for a successful annual meeting.

For more information, contact Greg Dills, 707-263-4180, Extension 102.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

 

 

 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The latest report on the state's median income showed that in 2009 incomes for Californians dropped for the first time after steady increases over the last decade.

The California Franchise Tax Board's report, released in March, showed that statewide median income for all personal income tax returns decreased to $34,079, 5.1 percent below the $35,923 reported in 2008.

At the same time, median income listed on joint returns decreased to $65,025, 5.7 percent below 2008, the Franchise Tax Board said.

The agency reported that “median income” – which represents the amount reported by a typical California individual or couple – is the point where one-half of the income reported on tax returns is above and one-half is below the midpoint of the range of values.

California taxpayers filed 15.3 million 2009 state income tax returns reporting $1.08 trillion in adjusted gross income, a 2.9 percent decrease from 2008 figures. Adjusted gross income is total income increased or reduced by specific adjustments, before taking the standard or itemized deduction.

In 2009, Lake County residents filed 21,343 returns, with an adjusted gross income of $837,384,000, the state said.

There were 9,492 joint returns filed in Lake County in 2009, for a median joint income of $45,428, a rank of 48 statewide. The state said total tax assessed for the county in 2009 was $22,978,000.

Lake County's median income for 2009 was $28,307, down 4.9 percent from the 2008 number, $29,790. Its median income earned the county a statewide rank of 45 in 2009.

Unlike the state, the county's median income actually began dropping following its peak of $30,071 in 2006. In 2007 it went down 0.7 percent to $29,855, and experienced a smaller decrease, 0.2 percent, to $29,790 in 2008.

In other findings, the Franchise Tax Board said that four Bay Area counties – Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo and Santa Clara – have led California for 38 years in reported highest median incomes.

Marin County had the highest median income for joint returns at $108,465, a decrease of 8.6 percent from 2008; San Mateo County ranked second with $95,176; Santa Clara County ranked third with $94,209; Contra Costa County ranked fourth with $85,942; and Alameda County ranked fifth with $83,886, according to the report.

Los Angeles County taxpayers filed 25.5 percent of all 2009 income tax returns in California, reporting median incomes of $30,112 for all returns, the state said.

The state said the largest percentage gain in median income for all counties was 7.5 percent, reported in Alpine County.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A crash Tuesday evening in Clearlake resulted in injuries for several people.

The collision occurred at around 5:30 p.m. on Old Highway 53 in the area of J&L Market, which is located in the 6600 block, according to reports from the scene.

Radio reports indicated that the crash closed both lanes of traffic and involved three adults and a child.

Lake County Fire responded, and Northshore Fire also sent an ambulance to the scene for mutual aid. The reports indicated that three air ambulances were requested, as two of the parties had major injuries and a third had moderate to major injuries.

Two REACH and one CalStar helicopter responded to transport the injured parties to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, according to reports from the scene. The Northshore Fire ambulance transported one subject to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.

Lake County News received reports that one person involved in the crash may have fled the scene.

The names of those involved weren't immediately available. Clearlake Police did not have a report on the crash ready for release Tuesday evening.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.