理解原行星盘——这颗“行星摇篮”的精细结构，是揭示行星形成奥秘的关键。在盘中，尘埃颗粒的垂直沉降是形成行星的第一步，但对其厚度（即尺度高度）在盘内不同区域的精确测量，一直是观测上的难题。近日，一项基于阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米波阵列（ALMA）超高分辨率偏振观测的研究，首次成功绘制了著名原行星盘HL Tau中尘埃颗粒的径向尺度高度剖面，揭示了从内到外由“厚”变“薄”的惊人结构，为理解行星诞生地的物理环境提供了前所未有的清晰图景。该研究成果以《利用尘埃自散射探测的HL Tau盘中尘埃颗粒的详细径向尺度高度剖面》为题，于2025年8月20日发表于...

Unlike today, the early Universe was filled mostly with neutral hydrogen, formed from protons and electrons that combined shortly after the Big Bang. Observations of distant quasars reveal that most of this hydrogen was reionized within the first billion years—a period known as the Epoch of Reionization. Yet, the sources and evolution of reionization remain uncertain. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggest that the massive stars in early, compact galaxies produced enough ionizin...