了解宇宙是如何运行的（2010）

How the Universe Works S05E03

Part 1 April 18, 2021, 7:46 p.m.

两个黑洞相互环绕
Two black holes circle each other
跳着死亡之舞
in a dance of death.
它们向内螺旋旋转
They spiral inwards,
巨大的引力将它们拉得越来越近
their immense gravities pulling them ever closer.
当它们最终碰撞时
When they finally collide,
将会爆发自大爆♥炸♥以来
it's one of the most powerful events
最强大的爆♥炸♥事件之一
since the big bang.
这一爆♥炸♥性的秘密
This explosive mystery
在科学界掀起了轩然大♥波♥
sends ripples across the world of science.
但这个爆♥炸♥也能回答
But can it also answer
宇宙学中最紧迫的问题之一吗？
one of the most pressing questions in cosmology?
特大质量黑洞是如何变得如此之大的？
How do supermassive black holes grow so large?
黑洞神秘的起源
在已知的宇宙中
in the known universe,
大约有2万亿个星系
there are roughly 2,000 billion galaxies.
每一个都有不同的形状和大小
Each one has a different shape and size.
但它们可能都有一个共同的特点……
But they may all have one feature in common ...
在它们的中心有一个特大质量黑洞
a supermassive black hole buried at their center.
就如它的名字，它是超大质量的
As its name says, it is supermassive.
这里，我们讨论的是
And here, we're talking about objects
质量是太阳数百万倍
that are millions or billions of times
甚至数十亿倍的黑洞
the mass of the sun.
由于超大质量黑洞太大了
Supermassive black holes
我们需要一个特殊的尺度
are so big that we need a special scale
来测量它们
for measuring them.
太阳质量当然就是太阳的质量
A solar mass is the mass of the sun.
所以当我们研究宇宙时
So when we study the universe,
我们必须使用我们手中的工具
we have to use the tools that we have in hand.
我们周围最大的物体是什么？
And what's the most massive thing that we have around us?
就是太阳所以我们这里
It's the sun. And so we refer to things
就是用太阳质量的倍数
in multiples of the mass of the sun
因为这样更容易理解
because it just makes it easier to wrap our heads around.
然而，如果有一个物体质量
However, if you have something that's 17 billion times
是太阳的170亿倍
the mass of the sun, that's pretty difficult
那就很难理解了
to wrap your head around anyway.
但我们知道，这类黑洞
But we know that those kinds of black holes
存在于星系的中心
live in the centers of galaxies.
位于银河系中心的超大质量黑洞
The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy,
被称为人马座a星
the milky way, is called sagittarius "a"-star.
它的质量是太阳的400万倍
It weighs in at 4 million solar masses.
但与其他超大质量黑洞相比
But compared to the other supermassive black holes
它就显得微不足道了
out there, it's puny.
你可能会认为
This is probably one of the only contexts
我们的超大质量黑洞并不是超大质量的黑洞
where you would think that our supermassive black hole
这种情况很少见
isn't very supermassive.
我们的邻居仙女座星系
The supermassive black hole
它的超大质量黑洞
in our neighboring galaxy, Andromeda,
比人马座a星大25倍
is 25 times larger than sagittarius "a"-star,
差不多有1亿太阳的质量
coming in at 100 million solar masses.
但与宇宙中最大的怪物相比
But compared to the largest monsters
它又显得微不足道了
out in the universe, it's a runt.
O.j. 287的主要超大质量黑洞
O.j. 287's primary supermassive black hole
质量为180亿太阳质量
weighs in at 18 billion solar masses.
后发座星系团中的 ngc 4889星系核心的黑洞
And the black hole in the core of galaxy ngc 4889
质量达到210亿颗太阳质量
in the coma cluster weighs 21 billion solar stars.
比人马座a星
That's over 5,000 times larger
要大5000倍
than sagittarius "a"-star.
这些不可思议的东西
These are incredible things
比一些星系的质量还要大
that are more massive than some galaxies.
现在天文学家可能有了一个了不起的发现……
Now astronomers may have made a remarkable discovery ...
一个新的超大质量黑洞
a giant, new supermassive black hole
其质量是太阳的
that's a mind-blowing 30 billion times
300亿倍
the mass of the sun.
这是一个巨大的谜团
It's a huge puzzle.
我们根本不知道它是如何变得这么大的
And we have simply no idea how it got so big.
黑洞如何变得如此巨大是一个巨大的谜团
It's a huge mystery how black holes have become so enormous.
我们开始发现质量是太阳的
We started finding black holes with millions
几百万到几十亿倍的黑洞
and billions of times the sun's mass.
没人料到会这样
No one expected that.
我们也不知道它们是怎么长到这么大的
And we have no idea how they got to be so big.
目前还不完全清楚
It's not entirely clear at this point
超大质量黑洞是如何达到
how supermassive black holes can get to be the masses
今天的质量的
that they are today.
当质量超过太阳
Regular-sized black holes form
20倍的大恒星超新星爆♥炸♥后
when large stars over 20 times the mass of our sun
就会形成标准大小的黑洞
crash and burn.
当一颗大恒星耗尽燃料时
When a large star runs out of fuel,
内核就不再产生足够的向外力量
the core stops generating enough outward force
来抵消向内挤压的重力
to counteract the power of gravity crushing inwards.
当恒星坍缩时
As the star collapses,
外层就会爆♥炸♥形成超新星
the outer part explodes in a supernova.
内核就会从
The inner core shrinks
一个数百万英里宽的球体
from a sphere millions of miles wide
收缩到一个只有10英里宽的球体
to one just 10 miles across.
这就像把地球缩小到
It's like shrinking the earth down
高尔夫球大小
to the size of a golf ball.
这种快速坍缩产生了黑洞
This rapid collapse creates a black hole.
所以我们现在已经看到了
So we now have seen black holes
太阳质量的黑洞
that are solar-mass black holes
和数百万甚至
and black holes that are million
数十亿个太阳质量的黑洞
or billion-solar-mass black holes.
问题是，如何从一个到另一个？
And the question is, how do you get from one to the other?
这些巨行星是否以某种方式
Do the giants somehow grow
从太阳质量的黑洞生长而成的？
from a solar-mass black hole?
布洛克:今天的一大谜题是
Bullock: One of the big puzzles today is,
如何制♥造♥超大质量黑洞？
how do you make one of these supermassive black holes?
一种想法是，可以从
One idea is, you get there by starting
一个太阳质量的黑洞开始
with a solar-mass black hole,
然后逐渐的成长
having it grow through a stage
成长到一个中等质量的黑洞
of being an intermediate-mass black hole
最后成长到一个
and then eventually getting to be
超大质量的黑洞
a supermassive black hole.
理论上，中等质量黑洞的质量
Theoretically, intermediate-mass black holes
应该在太阳的100到10万倍之间
should be between 100 and 100,000 solar masses.
但我们从未见过
But we've never seen one.
超大质量黑洞的部分神秘之处在于
Part of the mystery of supermassive black holes
黑洞似乎以两种形式出现
is that black holes seem to occur in two flavors.
有些恒星的质量
You have ones that are only a couple times
只有太阳的几倍
the mass of the sun.
还有一些是太阳质量的
And you have ones that are millions
数百万倍甚至数十亿倍
or billions of times the mass of the sun.
所以我们有小号♥和特大号♥的
So we have small and extra large.
如果我们把恒星质量的黑洞
If we think of the stellar-mass black hole
看作是婴儿黑洞
as sort of the baby black holes,
而超大质量的黑洞看作是成年黑洞
and the supermassive black holes as the grown-up black holes,
我们就缺失了幼年黑洞
we're missing the teenage black holes.
这些质量介于恒星质量
Where are these black holes that have masses
和超大质量之间的黑洞在哪里？
that are between stellar mass and supermassive?
布洛克:它们就像是黑洞搜寻者的
Bullock: They're sort of like a holy grail
圣杯
for black hole hunters.
这些东西在哪里？在哪里可以找到它们？
Where are these things? Where can we find them?
是怎么形成的？
And how do you make them?
然后天文学家们发现了一个突破口
Then astronomers caught a break.
他们捕捉到了来自
They picked up a burst of energy
ngc 1399星系的能量爆发
coming from the ngc 1399 galaxy.
那是恒星被黑洞
It was the death throes
吞噬时的垂死挣扎
of a star being eaten by a black hole.
当他们测量它的大小时
When they measured its size, they discovered it was
他们发现它是一个
an elusive intermediate-mass black hole.
难以捉摸的中等质量黑洞
The missing link had been found.