了解宇宙是如何运行的（2010）

How the Universe Works S09E05

Part 9 March 16, 2022, 8:55 a.m.

并在这个过程中发射出快速电波爆发
sending out FRBs in the process.
中子星就像白矮星
A neutron star is
like a white dwarf.
更厉害的那种……是一颗巨恒星剩余的
Even more so...
It is the leftover core
内核
of a giant star.
它们实际上是巨大的中子球
They're effectively giant
balls of neutrons
挤在一起
squeezed together
形成一个城市大小的物体
into things about the size
of a city.
萨特:有一颗中子星——令人难以置信的
SUTTER: You have a neutron star,
an incredibly nasty,
复杂的奇异天体，还有一颗白矮星——
complicated exotic object
and a white dwarf,
令人难以置信的、丑陋的、复杂的天体
an incredibly nasty,
ugly, complicated object,
它们迎头相撞
crashing headlong into
each other.
随着两颗恒星的轨道越来越近
As the two stars
orbit more closely,
中子星会从白矮星上剥离气体
the neutron star strips gas
from the white dwarf.
这种物质在中子星上盘旋
This material spirals
onto the neutron star,
使中子星旋转得越来越快
causing it to spin faster
and faster.
快速的旋转放大了它的磁场
The rapid rotation amplifies
its magnetic fields
直到两颗恒星♥相♥撞
until the two stars collide,
形成一个磁性更强的怪物
creating
a very magnetic monster,
磁星
a magnetar.
这是一个动荡的局面
It's a turbulent situation.
你可以把它想象成一个刚出生的
You could think of it as
a newborn baby coming into
婴儿，在又踢又叫
the world,
kicking and screaming.
乱流产生强大的
The turbulence produces
电磁辐射冲击波
a powerful blast of
electromagnetic radiation.
它以光速冲出碰撞地点
It races out of the collision
site at the speed of light
直到我们检测到一个快速的射电暴
until we detect it
as a fast radio burst.
我们可以听到数百万光年外
We can hear the screams of
agony from millions
痛苦的尖叫声
of light-years away,
那些尖叫声是快速的电波脉冲
and those screams are
the fast radio bursts.
这可能是宇宙中最困难的
This could be the most
difficult childbirth in
“分娩”
the cosmos.
很少有人怀疑白矮星
Few suspected
that white dwarfs could create
能产生像磁星那样剧烈的物体
something as violent as
a magnetar.
白矮星正从阴影中
White dwarfs are emerging
from out of
走了出来，作为宇宙中
the shadows and taking
their rightful place
最迷人的物体之一，获得天文学中
as one of the most
fascinating objects
它们应有的位置
in the universe.
当我们第一次观察白矮星时，它们很奇怪
When we first observed white
dwarfs, they were weird.
是好奇的萌宝，但只是个小插曲
They were curious,
but just like a sideshow.
现在白矮星向我们展示了
But now white dwarfs
are showing us
它们真正的实力
what they're truly capable of.
斯特劳恩:白矮星在某种程度上
STRAUGHN: White dwarfs
can sort of be seen
可以被看作是宇宙中的弱者
as these underdogs
of the universe,
但它确实成为一个令人兴奋的
but it's really become
an exciting and cutting edge
前沿研究领域
area of research.
泰勒:现在我们认为这些天体可能有
THALLER: Now we think
these objects may have
很多令人兴奋的科学发现，比如
a lot of exciting science
to deliver, things like,
宇宙会永远膨胀吗？
will the universe
expand forever?
宇宙的最终命运是什么？
What is the ultimate fate of
the universe?
所有这些可能都在白矮星内部等着我们
All of that may be waiting for
us inside a white dwarf.
普里特:如果你小看它们
PLAIT: Discount these things
at your own risk,
你将承担风险
because honestly,
因为老实说，它们是宇宙的驱动力之一
they are one of the driving
forces in the universe.
虽然它很小但不代表它不坏
Just because it's little
don't mean it ain't bad.
不要再低估白矮星
Don't underestimate
a white dwarf.