Intellectually Curious

Megamasers: Cosmic Lasers Lighting the Universe

Mike Breault

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0:00 | 4:21

We explore megamasers—natural microwave lasers in distant galaxies. From hydroxyl megamasers in merging starbursts like Arp 220 to water megamasers circling supermassive black holes, these beacons let us weigh black holes, refine the Hubble constant, and map galactic magnetic fields via the Zeeman effect. Join us as we unpack the physics of masers in open space, compare environments from starbursts to AGN, and discover what these extraordinary cosmic lasers reveal about the universe—and what they hint at for future technology.


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