Chapter 122: The Unbelievable Hypothesis and Its Proof
"Wow, Lou Song, you also know this?"
"Well, I also like astronomy knowledge."
Lou Song usually focuses his main energy on mathematics, but even in a physics competition, most students majoring in physics find it difficult to beat Lou Song.
At this time, everyone felt that Xu You’s point of view was somewhat incredible.
But at least for now, it makes sense in theory.
"Well, let's do some calculations first. If Planet-X is really a black hole, then what is its radius?"
After saying that, Xu You quickly took out a pen and paper and started calculating.
Everyone then realized that this was another "question-solving" competition, and they quickly took out their papers and started calculating.
Although Xu You did not specify any specific conditions.
But in fact, everyone has an idea for this question that Xu You came up with on the spur of the moment.
First of all, the mass of Planet-X has been calculated before, so it is a known condition.
The main problem now is to calculate the density of the black hole.
Some people might think that the density of a black hole is infinite.
But if we analyze it according to the definition of a black hole, when light approaches a black hole, even light cannot escape from the black hole.
That would allow us to define an event horizon for a black hole — the interface where the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light.
The event horizon radius calculated through these conditions is the Schwarzschild radius of the black hole.
Once these are determined, the problem becomes very clear.
Soon, based on these conditions, Xu You calculated the density of the black hole and, under this assumption, the radius of Planet X.
Although Lou Song started a little slower than Xu You, he completed the calculation almost at the same time as Xu You thanks to his advantage in calculation speed.
This time, Lin Shi and Luo Wenkun were not too slow and completed the calculations soon after.
When all four of them finished their calculations, they compared the final results together.
Seeing the consistent results, everyone knew that each other's calculations were correct.
"According to this assumption, the radius of Planet-X is only about 4.5cm. It's hard to imagine a celestial body as big as a fist."
Like Luo Wenkun, everyone had already thought that through this assumption, the calculated radius of Planet-X would definitely be very small.
But I didn't expect it to be so small.
An object the size of a fist has ten times the mass of the Earth.
This is indeed a breakthrough in the common people's cognition.
"We have figured it out, but how do we prove whether this theory is correct? We can't just say that we have completed the project by constructing a possible theoretical model."
Xu You seemed to be prepared for this question.
"Like Lou Song said just now, theoretically, it is possible that a special kind of black hole called a primordial black hole exists. Primordial black holes are born in the early universe. Some very dense matter, under the powerful energy of the Big Bang, may form such a primordial black hole. Compared with ordinary black holes, primordial black holes are very stable."
"So, there really could be a black hole in the solar system?"
"Yes, there is such a possibility. Moreover, primordial black holes may be related to dark matter. If primordial black holes are confirmed, they can also explain many problems that cannot be explained by current theories."
After hearing what Xu You said, everyone felt that this theory, which had sounded a bit unbelievable before, did have some possibility.
"Is it possible that there is a black hole in the solar system? It's outrageous, too outrageous!" Luo Wenkun complained.
Xu You's new theory not only gave everyone a new direction, but also made them realize that this topic is not just about finding Planet-X.
It may even solve more unsolved mysteries in astronomy.
After calming down, everyone began to think about the next issue.
"So, how do we prove that Planet-X is a black hole?"
Originally, discovering a black hole is a very difficult task.
Not to mention, it is a black hole with a radius of only 4.5cm.
Xu You thought for a moment and continued:
"It's difficult to prove, but there are ways. You know, comets approaching a black hole will be absorbed by the black hole. In this process, the comet will interact with the hot gas accumulated in the area and some radiation signals will appear, which is the accretion flare. If we can find flares in the solar system, then there is sufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that Planet-X is a black hole."
After hearing Xu You's analysis, Luo Wenkun couldn't help but say excitedly:
"Fuck, Xu You, how did you come up with these theories? I really want to cut your brain open to see what the structure inside is."
"It's not that exaggerated. Everyone's brains are similar. It's just that I read more books."
These days, Xu You still keeps the habit of dragging his suitcase to the library every two days, and he always returns with a full load.
After all, such a large borrowing quota cannot be wasted.
These days, Xu You also read a lot of information and literature related to astrophysics.
This new theory is not just a momentary inspiration, but a spark of inspiration that comes from the accumulation of a large amount of knowledge.
"Although we cannot record any data ourselves, the amount of data provided by Professor Huang is sufficient. As long as we can analyze clues about the flare from this data, our theory will have a high degree of certainty."
"But since these data have already been analyzed by others, can we analyze anything new from them?" Lin Shi asked.
"Don't worry about this, because the amount of data recorded by the observatory is very huge. Faced with such a huge amount of data, those scientific researchers also analyze it from certain dimensions, and it is impossible to fully analyze the information in the data. As long as the method is appropriate, we are entirely likely to discover some new information."
After listening to Xu You's words, everyone had a clear direction.
Immediately, under the leadership of Xu You, everyone started a new round of work.
Lou Song is good at modeling, so based on Xu You's new theory, he simulated the location and trajectory of possible flares emitted by Planet-X.
Xu You, Lin Shi and Luo Wenkun were responsible for data processing and analysis, looking for some clues in the data.
This kind of work may seem simple, but in actual implementation it is actually very complicated and requires a lot of effort.
Although in theory, even if the size of Planet-X is really very small, it will not affect its absorption of comets that enter its gravitational range.
But because Planet-X's theoretical orbit is very long, the area that needs to be searched is also very large.
Not to mention, the orbit curve of Planet-X is only simulated, and there may be certain errors in the actual situation.
