YSU hosts discussion on space studies and digital era issues

Within the framework of the "Space and Technology" section of YSU Alumni Forum, important issues related to space exploration and the digital world were discussed in YSU Academic Council Session Hall. 

The thematic panel discussions, held under the "Space and Technology" section, featured speeches by Feliks Aharonyan, Chief Researcher at YSU Research Institute of Physics; Garik Israyelyan, astrophysicist, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and founder of the Starmus festival (participating online); Valeri Hambaryan, Researcher at the Jena Observatory of Friedrich Schiller University in Germany (participating online); and Professor Aram Saharyan, Academician at YSU Institute of Physics and Head of the Chair of Theoretical Physics named after Gurgen Sahakyan. 

Feliks Aharonyan addressed the concept of dark energy, a proposed form of energy in physical cosmology and astronomy. Evidence for the existence of dark energy remains indirect, and it continues to be one of the rare fields without a clear scientific consensus.

The hypothesis of dark energy emerged after scientists, studying the light from supernovae (exploding stars), concluded that the rate of expansion of the universe is, in fact, accelerating. According to scientists, the universe is expanding at an increasing rate due to this so-called "dark" energy, which is estimated to constitute around 75% of the entire universe.

Other key scientific achievements include the discovery of gravitational waves resulting from black hole collisions—confirming predictions made over a century ago—as well as broader research into the field of black holes.

Garik Israyelyan highlighted the significant discovery of numerous exoplanets since 2009, and, notably, the identification of two interstellar objects between 2017 and 2019, which do not originate from our Solar System but entered it from interstellar space.

Exoplanets are those located outside the Solar System. Although the study of exoplanets is relatively new within the field of astrophysics, in the past three decades scientists have already discovered around 5,600 such planets.

Valeri Hambaryan pointed out several noteworthy and enduring challenges in the field, which remain fundamentally important to modern astrophysics. 

He specifically emphasized the current observational and empirical limitations related to the initial mass function of star formation, and secondly, the research enabled by numerous satellite observations that has contributed to the advancement of our understanding of neutron stars and magnetars.

Aram Saharyan also recognized the observational confirmation of the accelerated expansion of the Universe as a major breakthrough and raised the question of its underlying cause.

"One alternative approach suggests that this may not require dark energy at all, but rather indicates a need to modify our understanding of gravity itself," he stated.

He also highlighted the detection of temperature anisotropies in cosmic microwave background radiation, which provides valuable insight into the large-scale structure of the Universe. This revolutionary discovery allows scientists to form hypotheses about the Universe’s condition when it was only 380,000 years old (as opposed to its current age of 14 billion years).

As a theoretical physicist, Saharyan underlined a crucial principle: whenever new observational data contradict existing theories, it becomes necessary to develop new conceptual frameworks—much like the paradigm shifts that occurred with the emergence of quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity.

The section included two panel discussions:

1. "Prospects of Space Exploration in Armenia: What, How, and Why?"

2. "The Digital World through the Lenses of Education, Science, Governance, and Economy" 

For a deeper sense of the discussions in tune with the spirit of our times, watch the video.