Ad Astra Workshop

The Community Science (Ad ASTRA) Workshop is organized by Caltech/IPAC, the NASA Astrophysics Division, and the three Astrophysics Program Offices (Physics of the Cosmos, Cosmic Origins, and Exoplanet Exploration), in conjunction with the ASTRA initiative, to engage the community in defining future large, strategic astrophysics missions. Structured over three thematic days—Science, Capabilities, and Missions—the workshop provides a comprehensive framework to connect scientific priorities with technological readiness and mission implementation. Across all three days, plenaries, panels, breakout sessions, and poster contributions are designed to maximize community input. The outcomes of the workshop will help NASA prioritize mission concepts and shape a balanced, forward-looking astrophysics portfolio.

I'm going to make a summary of Concepts and Missions, because the scientific community doesn't only look for extraterrestrials, invisible matter, and Moon rocks. I say this only somewhat as a joke...

The documents present an ambitious and multifaceted vision for astrophysics in the coming decades, ranging from the study of the origins of the universe to the search for life beyond our solar system. The missions and concepts can be grouped into several key thematic areas:

1. Cosmology and the Early Universe:

   Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Missions: A recurring theme is the proposal of a state-of-the-art space observatory. Its main objective would be to measure primordial gravitational waves by searching for the B-mode in order to test cosmic inflation beyond the discussion of how they are measured and what is measured, in addition to providing definitive measurements of the mass of neutrinos—which neutrinos we are looking for and where they originate—and the optical depth to reionization.

   Exploration of the Dark Ages: Several concepts, such as radio telescopes on the far side of the Moon, focus on observing the 21 cm signal from neutral hydrogen at high redshifts z > 30. This is the only way to probe the "Dark Ages" of the universe, before the formation of the first stars, and offers a testing ground for physics beyond the standard model—dark matter, inflation, etc.

   Spectroscopic Surveys of Galaxies: Missions such as a 2-meter space telescope with multi-object spectroscopy in the near- and mid-infrared. Its goal is to map the large-scale structure of the universe with unprecedented precision, studying dark energy, inflation, and neutrino mass through baryon acoustic oscillations. It is presented as a bridge between current surveys (DESI) and future ones (Euclid, Roman).

2. High-Energy Phenomena and the Extreme Universe:

   Next-Generation X-ray Missions: There is a strong commitment to X-ray observatories with enhanced capabilities. These include:

       Successors to Chandra: Concepts offering a 10x improvement in sensitivity and 50x in survey speed, with angular resolution of ~1 arcsecond, to study black hole formation, AGN feedback, and the impact on exoplanets.

       Broadband Observatories: Missions to cover the 0.1 to 100 keV range, in order to study the spin of supermassive black holes, accretion growth, and resolve the cosmic X-ray background at its energy peak of ~30 keV, where most obscured AGN emit.

       X-ray Interferometry: Concepts seeking a quantum leap in angular resolution—microarcseconds—which would allow resolving black hole coronae, studying AGN binaries in their final stages, and observing the impact of stellar flares on exoplanet habitability.

   Closing the "MeV Gap": Missions are proposed to explore the MeV energy range, a poorly observed window. Concepts that seek to detect nuclear emission lines from supernovae, study positron physics, and capture counterparts of multi-messenger events.

   Cosmology and Particle Physics: Missions for ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and very-high-energy neutrinos, others for MeV gamma rays and the search for dark matter antinuclei, and missions to measure low-energy cosmic antinuclei seek answers to fundamental questions about dark matter, particle acceleration, and nucleosynthetic processes.

3. Planets and the Origin of Life:

   Characterization of Exoplanets: Multiple approaches compete to characterize exoplanet atmospheres, especially temperate and rocky ones.

       Direct Imaging Missions: A ~40m inflatable telescope and a constellation of 4m telescopes are innovative concepts for obtaining biosignature spectra from planets around M dwarfs. proposes a hybrid between a space-based starshade and extremely large ground-based telescopes to achieve unprecedented contrast and high observation speed.

       Transit and Eclipse Missions focus on transit spectroscopy. A dedicated survey to find Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of M dwarfs.

       Non-Transit-Based Technique: Proposes using the "Planetary Infrared Excess" (PIE) technique to characterize the thermal emission of rocky planets that do not transit, which would greatly expand the number of studyable targets.

       Infrared and Nulling Interferometry: Concepts such as mid-infrared nulling, based on the European concept, would seek to characterize planets detected by radial velocity.

   Magnetospheres and Habitability: The detection of magnetic fields on exoplanets is considered crucial for assessing their habitability. Low-frequency radio missions on the far side of the Moon could detect auroral radio emissions from Earth-like exoplanets and M dwarfs, providing the first direct measurement of their magnetospheres.

4. New Technologies and Architectures:

   Enabling Technologies: Advances are highlighted in detectors, X-ray optics (state-of-the-art silicon mirrors), CADR cooling, integrated photonic optics for interferometry, and quantum technologies (atomic clocks, atom interferometers).

   Mission Architectures:

       Missions on the Moon: The Moon emerges as a strategic destination for astrophysics, offering a radio-quiet, cold, and stable environment for low-frequency radio telescopes, infrared telescopes, and even gravitational wave detectors.

       Constellations and Distributed Architectures: Concepts that propose fleets of smaller, coordinated spacecraft instead of a single large observatory. This offers advantages such as redundancy, the ability to conduct multiple simultaneous observations, scalability, and lower cost per mission.

       Deep Space Missions: Solar Gravitational Lens Observatory and Interplanetary Laser are concepts for missions in the outer solar system, which would leverage the Sun's gravity or large distances to perform unparalleled fundamental physics and astrophysics measurements.

       Fluidic Optics: Which would drastically reduce the mass and cost of future space telescopes.

To wrap things up, I've wanted to participate in an event for a long time to share my ideas and to read what the scientific community is discussing. It was a complete success for the organizers and NASA.

Link: 

https://conference.ipac.caltech.edu/community2026

https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/programs/physics-of-the-cosmos/community/ad-astra/

 

Point of No Return: Micro Black Holes

 Can Science Create a Black Hole in the Lab? The Surprising Prediction of a New Model of the Universe

Imagine for a moment that space wasn't that boring, empty nothingness we usually picture. What if the cosmic vacuum were actually a kind of invisible crystal, a perfectly ordered grid holding everything together? This is the central idea of a bold new theoretical model called VCV48, and it doesn't just change our idea of the universe: it also draws a very clear red line for particle physics and predicts something incredible—the possibility of creating a mini black hole in a lab… but only if we cross a very specific limit.

Today, we're going to explore this "Point of No Return" in a way everyone can understand. Get ready for a journey into the heart of matter, where the safety of our experiments and the fate of energy are decided in a cosmic dance.

 1. The Universe is a Crystal: The VCV48 Hypothesis

To understand the end of the story, we first have to introduce the protagonist: the VCV48 model (Vitrum Cosmicum Vacui, or "Cosmic Vacuum Glass"). This model proposes that space-time isn't a continuous rubber sheet, but a rigid crystalline grid with a specific symmetry, like the molecular structure of a diamond or quartz.

So, what are black holes in this model? They aren't monsters that spring from nothing, but the result of a "topological collapse": a kind of jam or catastrophic failure in this cosmic crystal. But here's the crucial part: this crystal doesn't collapse from just any amount of energy. It has a defense mechanism.

 2. The Protective Shield: Topological Braking (Or How the Vacuum Protects Itself)

When we smash particles together at enormous speeds in an accelerator like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), we're injecting a brutal amount of energy into a minuscule point in this spatial crystal.

Like a safety net, the vacuum has its own emergency cooling system: Topological Bremsstrahlung (or T-Brem). Think of it as a mechanism that dissipates excess energy, like a car braking and converting motion into heat that vanishes into the air. If the impact is small, the vacuum evacuates almost all the energy and recovers without a problem. It's safe.

 3. The Point of No Return: The Red Line at 350 TeV

The big question is: how much energy is too much? The VCV48 model makes an astonishingly precise prediction. It calculates a critical energy threshold from its fundamental parameters (basically the "mass" of the crystal's building blocks and its stiffness).

The result is a clear number: Ec ≈ 350 TeV (teraelectronvolts) at the center of the collision.

- Below 350 TeV: The topological braking mechanism works. The energy dissipates, the crystal vibrates but doesn't break. This is a completely safe zone.

- Above 350 TeV: The cooling system saturates. The injected energy is so staggering that the crystal grid can't evacuate it in time. A jam is inevitable, and the crystal collapses in on itself. At that instant, according to the model, a micro-black hole would form.

This threshold is the "Topological Point of No Return."

 4. Are We in Danger? The Collider Safety Traffic Light

This is the million-dollar question. To answer it, the model defines a "Safety Factor (S)" , which compares the critical limit to the energy that actually gets trapped in the grid. If S is greater than 1, we're safe. If it's less than 1, collapse.

Let's look at the results for our most powerful machines:

| Collider | Collision Energy | Safety Factor (S) | Status |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| LHC (current) | 13.6 TeV | ~648 | ULTRA-SAFE |

| FCC (future) | 100 TeV | ~23.3 | SAFE |

| Hypothetical | 350 TeV | ~2.1 | CAUTION |

| Hypothetical | 600 TeV | ~0.97 | COLLAPSE |

Breathe easy! The current LHC has an enormous safety margin, over 600 times below the threshold. Even the Future Circular Collider (FCC), planned for 100 TeV, would be perfectly safe with a margin of 23 times. As additional comfort, the energy retained in the LHC is a mere 0.544 TeV (a cosmic sigh) compared to the 350 TeV needed for the apocalypse.

 5. The Smoking Gun: How Would We "See" This Theory at the LHC?

A theory that can't be tested isn't science; it's philosophy. And the VCV48 model hits the nail on the head by proposing a very concrete experimental signature: missing energy.

When topological braking occurs, the evacuated energy doesn't turn into particles we can see. It simply vanishes from our detectors, absorbed by the vacuum itself. This would create an imbalance in our experiments: an excess of events where a precise amount of energy seems to have disappeared into thin air.

According to the calculations, in current LHC collisions, this "ghost" energy would form a spectrum reaching a maximum of about 544 GeV. Finding a peak of events with that signature would be irrefutable proof of the model.

The bad news: the probability of this happening is minuscule. The model itself predicts we would need far more data than we currently have. So, for the moment, the fact that we haven't seen it is perfectly normal and doesn't refute the theory.

 Conclusion: A Window into the Future of Physics

The VCV48 model offers us a radically new and strangely reassuring vision. It tells us that our current experiments are profoundly safe under this framework, but it also draws a technological and ethical frontier for the distant future: an accelerator exceeding 600 TeV would be playing, quite literally, with cosmic fire.

Beyond safety, this theory is a marvel of falsifiability. That is, it's so concrete and specific that science has the power to prove it right or wrong. The data collected in the coming decades at the High-Luminosity LHC will be the final judge. If the predicted missing energy signature isn't found, the VCV48 model will become history. If it is found… we will be facing a revolution in our understanding of the universe.

The search continues, and the vacuum crystal still holds its secrets. 

Vallejos, O. A. (2026). Preprint: Topological Point of No Return in Hadron Colliders: Implications for the LHC, the HL-LHC, and the FCC. (Version Annex IV). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21779829

https://github.com/OAVallejos/VCV48

50 años aportando!

 No importa el frío o el calor… No importa el estado de ánimo ni los problemas que tengan. A cualquier hora, cualquier día, en cualquier lugar te vas a cruzar con un runner… 

El atletismo en esta región es una comunidad feliz compartiendo desafíos mutuos.  

El pasado mes de junio tuvimos un gran evento. 

La convocatoria fue un homenaje más a la trayectoria de Alcides “Locomotora” Soto y de paso a una gran familia que lo apoya. Vamos por la tercera generación de este apellido corriendo y entrenando a otros atletas…

Alcides va apenas por los 50 años contribuyendo a este hermoso deporte, el “running”... 

Un aporte de corazón, una marca registrada de perseverancia, tenacidad y logros grupales. 

Un deportista no se forma de la noche a la mañana. Además de voluntad se necesita de una organización atrás. Gente fiscalizando, preparando kids, buscando auspicio, comerciantes con visión de país. 

Los logros de este entorno están en crecimiento. Y pasamos a ver cómo representamos los colores celeste y blanco en el extranjero. 

Por nombrar el caso de la profesora de educación física Marisol Tozzi quien se coronó doble campeona sudamericana en el XVII Campeonato Sudamericano Máster de Atletismo en Chile. Obtuvo dos medallas de oro en las pruebas de 1500 y 5000 metros llanos en pista. Marisol es integrante del grupo de Locomotora Running donde el profe es Alcides y participa del circuito de carreras de la Asociación Reconquistense de Atletismo (ARA). 

Reconquista es sede deportiva en su plazas, calles y paseos aeróbicos. La participación es regional. Contamos con atletas de Villa Ocampo, Las Toscas, Guadalupe Norte, Avellaneda, Malabrigo entre otras localidades… Y a su vez esas ciudades cuentan con fechas deportivas incluidas en el calendario personal de cada atleta que disfruta de la cordialidad y la camaradería cuando sale a competir.  

Mis felicitaciones y toda mi gratitud por ser inspiración y ejemplo de buenos principios. Toda una tradición que identifica una sociedad norteña en esta provincia. Sin dejar de lado el futuro, vamos a estar atentos de las nuevas generaciones que se están gestando en el núcleo duro de nuestras instituciones deportivas.