1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 304 The ripples of general relativity create a bright future for astronomy!
March 1912, 3, at the gate of Cambridge University.

A young man in a gentleman's suit looked at the familiar campus with a smile on his face.

He looked to be about 30 years old, tall, with a pointed nose, a strong face and bright eyes.

It is a typical British gentleman's dress.

The gold-rimmed glasses shine under the sun, revealing an air of wisdom.

He was dragging a suitcase in his hand, and it was obvious that he came to Cambridge for something.

Arthur Eddington murmured to himself: "Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Past events flashed quickly through his mind.

Eddington is 30 years old.

He holds an undergraduate degree in Physics from Owens College in Manchester.

In early 1903, the same year that Ridgway left England, Eddington won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge.

So he went to Cambridge University to pursue a master's degree.

In 1905, he graduated with a master's degree from Trinity College.

During his master's degree, Eddington learned almost entirely by listening to Ridgeway's stories.

Throughout Cambridge University, people discussed Ridgway's theory every day.

Quantum theory and relativity are the most fashionable words at Cambridge University.

Eddington was very upset at the time.

Before his master's degree, he could only stand far away in the audience and listen to Li Qiwei's speech.

As an undergraduate, he stood like an ant that year.

I thought I had finally arrived at Cambridge University, and at Trinity College where Ridgeway was.

"This time I can finally see the great god up close."

"Maybe I'll have a chance to ask Bruce for advice."

However, Eddington had very bad luck.

Ridgway left England just as he arrived at Trinity College.

Eddington's dream of getting close to his idol was shattered.

After arriving at Cambridge University, he found himself just like everyone else.

Before, when he was in undergraduate school, Eddington was considered a genius by others and had a great talent for physics.

However, after he graduated with a master's degree and stayed in Cavendish for two months, his faith in Taoism was shattered.

Eddington's research topic was thermal radiation, which was related to the second dark cloud.

As a result, after two months, nothing was figured out.

Everyone else in the lab was working hard and publishing papers.

Eddington was discouraged and realized the huge gap between himself and others.

Not to mention, the people in the lab couldn't even find Bruce's shadow.

The gap between him and Bruce is like that between mortals on earth and stars in the sky.

He eventually gave up continuing his academic research in physics at Cavendish.

Instead, he went to work at the Greenwich Observatory in the UK.

This is a world-famous observatory.

The famous prime meridian (0° longitude) is the longitude where the observatory is located, and it is also the starting point of the world's time zone.

Eddington's work at the observatory was mainly to observe stars.

As the saying goes, when God closes a door for you, he opens another window for you.

Unexpectedly, he had no talent in basic physics, but he was like a fish in water in astronomy.

Soon, he invented a method to effectively and accurately record the displacement of celestial bodies, and won an astronomy award for it.

Eddington immediately gained confidence and began to delve deeply into astronomy.

Eddington couldn't help but smile as he recalled his previous research experiences.

"I love Ding San is back again!"

Well, hard work and persistence will always bring good luck.

He left that year dejected, but now he is back in high spirits.

He was also personally invited by Cambridge University to serve as a professor of astronomy at the school.

It turned out that a professor of astronomy at Cambridge University had passed away not long ago.

And he was Darwin's second son, Francis's second brother, George Howard.

Eddington came here this time to take over Howard's position.

After completing the reporting procedures at school, he did not rest but rushed to visit Professor Thomson.

The reason why he was hired as a professor of astronomy at Cambridge University was naturally inseparable from his connections.

Eddington was well aware of this.

He had two benefactors, one of whom was the director of the Greenwich Observatory, Sir David Dyson.

The other is Professor Thomson.

Of course, he should now be called Sir Thomson.

It turns out that Thomson was awarded the Order of Merit this year and officially became a knight. (Chapter 94)
This is several levels higher than Ridgway's junior title of Knight.

Of course, it is much lower than Lord Kelvin's baronetcy.

Although Eddington only stayed in Cavendish for two months, he would never forget the careful guidance of Professor Thomson.

Cambridge University was optimistic about Eddington, and it is hard to say that it had nothing to do with Thomson.

With Thomson's current status, he is undoubtedly the leader of the British scientific community.

Not only is he a physics expert himself, but the students he teaches are all more awesome than the others.

Eddington thought to himself: I am probably the worst one.
Outside the director's office at the Cavendish Laboratory.

Eddington knocked cautiously on the door.

"Please come in."

Thompson's steady voice came.

Eddington pushed open the door, smiled, and said respectfully, "Hello, Professor Thomson, please forgive my intrusion."

Thomson was stunned at first, but soon he recognized the person.

"Oh! It's Eddington."

"Come in and sit down."

"Why did you come to Cambridge University?"

Eddington sat down respectfully and replied, "I am here to take up my post today."

Thompson was puzzled and suddenly thought of something.

"Are you the new astronomy professor?"

Eddington smiled and nodded.

He found Professor Thomson's surprised look very amusing.

"Hi, I heard that the school was going to recruit a new astronomy professor, but I didn't expect it to be you."

"Will your Director Dyson be willing to let you out?" Thomson joked.

He and Dyson were both members of the Royal Society of London and were familiar with each other.

Eddington didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Director Dyson told me that I was still young and that only by going to Cambridge University would I have the opportunity to go further."

“Here, I can do academic research in astronomy.”

As a world-class university, Cambridge University has its own observatory.

Specializes in astronomy.

This is very different from the Greenwich Observatory.

The latter mainly does some applied research, such as updating calendars and so on.

It is a bit like the relationship between design institutes and architecture departments in universities in later generations.

Therefore, if Eddington wanted to develop academically, he had to enter a university or research institution.

Thomson nodded and smiled, "Yes, astronomy has also developed very rapidly in recent years."

"You stay in the observatory and deal with mundane matters all day long. It's easy to bury your talent."

"I've read the paper you published before. It's very innovative."

Eddington was delighted to hear this.

He didn't expect that even Professor Thomson was paying attention to him.

"Really? Hehe."

"I thought I would study thermal radiation like I did in the past."

Thompson smiled and said, “Everyone has their own areas of expertise.”

“Only by finding your own strengths can you unleash all your intelligence and talents.”

"It seems you have a talent for astronomy."

Eddington felt a little embarrassed when Professor Thomson praised him in person, although he was secretly happy in his heart.

"Thank you for the compliment, Professor."

"Ah, it's just a pity."

“Although astronomy is somewhat related to physics, it is too far away from mainstream physics.”

"My achievements pale in comparison to the Bohr-Lee model."

"Not to mention the theory of relativity." "I have studied Professor Bruce's theory of relativity for a long time."

“I really hope I can have a chance to talk to him face to face.”

When Thomson heard Eddington's words, his smile became even happier.

"Haha, Eddington, don't ever compare yourself to that monster Bruce."

"As a teacher, I don't even dare to talk about physics in front of him."

"That's not difficult. You are now a professor at Cambridge University."

"I'll let you know the next time Bruce comes over."

"But don't be discouraged. Your astronomy may undergo tremendous changes in the future."

Eddington was shocked when he heard this. What a huge change.

Modern astronomy is all about observing the movement of stars and studying their trajectories.

It’s similar to biology, it all depends on experience and summary.

Biology is about discovering different species, while astronomy is about discovering different celestial bodies.

Fortunately, there is the law of universal gravitation to support us.

Otherwise, you will become the bottom of the scientific contempt chain.

However, Professor Thomson in front of him said that there would be changes in astronomy.

"Professor, I don't understand, what do you mean?"

Thomson smiled and said, "Did you know that Bruce has an assistant named Hubble in his laboratory?"

Eddington nodded. "Well, I have been following Professor Bruce's movements and know Hubble."

"The other party recently published several papers on astronomy, all of which are quite interesting."

As an astronomer, Eddington naturally knew that American astronomy should not be underestimated.

Because the United States has a developed industrial system, it can produce very sophisticated optical instruments.

This is what made Michelson famous.

The most important instrument in astronomy is the telescope, which has very strict requirements on the lens.

The material of optical lenses is usually glass.

High-end lenses require the glass to have as few impurities as possible and the glass surface to be as smooth as possible.

Only with such a glass lens can its imaging effect be better and the observation of celestial bodies be more precise and clearer.

And astronomy requires very large lenses.

The larger the size, the more difficult it is to make the glass.

Because it is necessary to ensure that impurities in large volumes are within an acceptable range.

This is also a relatively difficult process in later generations.

In this era, it is even more of a high-end technology.

The United States has great advantages in this regard due to its huge industrial system and advanced applied technology.

That’s why the United States can get a share of the pie in the field of physics.

Hubble from the United States was once commented on publicly by Ridgway, and he has a place in the future of physics.

This is even more impressive than publishing an article in the main journal of Nature.

After all, no matter how famous the paper is, it can never be more famous than Professor Bruce.

Therefore, almost everyone in the circle knows Hubble's name.

In addition, the other party's research direction was astronomy, so Eddington naturally paid special attention to it.

But he had no idea what this had to do with Hubble.

Could it be that the other party has made some major breakthrough?
"That's impossible. Although he has published a few papers recently, it's far from changing astronomy."

At this time, Thomson explained: "Rutherford told me this."

"He often visits Bruce and hears the latest news."

"Bruce told Hubble that his general theory of relativity might have a great impact on astronomy."

“It may change the existing methods of studying the motion of celestial bodies.”

“It’s a bit like what the Bohr-Lee model did for atomic structure.”

"It's just that one controls the micro and the other controls the macro."

"Of course, these are what Bruce said. I don't know the specifics."

"However, I think considering his character, he should be fully confident."

“Perhaps you could pay attention to it.”

"When the general theory of relativity is published, try to study it."

boom!
Eddington felt as if thunder was exploding in his mind.

His favorite theory of relativity is actually related to astronomy.

"Oh my God, is this the luck you bring me?"

As a student of physics, Eddington's biggest idol was Li Qiwei.

Although the other person is of the same age as me, the difference in our thinking is simply incalculable.

He thought he couldn't even see Professor Bruce's back.

Originally, Eddington had the opportunity to visit Ridgway after he returned to England.

Because the Greenwich Observatory is also in London, the two are very close to each other.

But he switched to studying astronomy, which is a far cry from basic physics.

So Eddington was too embarrassed to go to Ridgway.

What do you talk about when you meet?

Eddington laughed at himself: I can't tell Professor Bruce stories about the stars.

Therefore, although he admired Li Qiwei very much, he was slow to take action.

And today, he actually heard that Professor Bruce's research was related to astronomy.

Eddington suddenly felt that the world had become a better place.

His eyes sparkled, and he looked at Thomson as if he were looking at a rare treasure. He couldn't wait to ask, "Professor, is this true?"

"General relativity is actually related to astronomy?"

Thompson smiled and said, "It should be correct."

"Just think about it, the special theory of relativity overturned Newton's three laws of mechanics."

"Then general relativity should address the law of universal gravitation."

"After all, the special theory of relativity does not yet include the concept of gravity."

Thomson almost couldn't help but say that gravity no longer existed.

It is really difficult for someone of his status to make such an incredible and earth-shattering statement.

And the Eddington in front of him was studying astronomy.

The law of universal gravitation is simply their lifeblood and can be called their core theoretical weapon.

What if there is something wrong with gravity?

Thomson felt that the edifice of astronomy might have to be torn down and rebuilt.

The other party must be completely disheartened.

After getting Thomson's confirmation, Eddington felt like a fire was burning in his heart.

The physics of the past decade has been unprecedentedly exciting.

However, it is a heyday of pure physics.

Disciplines like astronomy do the same thing as biology under the guise of physics.

There is no sound or presence at all.

Anyway, no matter what discoveries are made, they must be due to Newton's laws and the law of universal gravitation.

Eddington was once considered a genius by others, so naturally he had his own pride.

Although he has some difficulty in physics, he is awesome in astronomy.

He wanted to restore astronomy to the glory it had in Newton's time hundreds of years ago.

Kepler's three laws, the law of universal gravitation, and the discovery of Neptune.
It was a high point in astronomy.

Human beings stand on the earth and hold the entire universe in the palm of their hands.

What a domineering and endless glory it is.

"I love Dinton, and I am no less than anyone in my life."

“I want to promote astronomy!”

In real history, only two examples are needed to introduce Eddington.

First.

On May 1919, 5, Eddington led his team to observe, through a total solar eclipse, that light does indeed bend when it passes through the sun.

The angle at which the light is bent is exactly as predicted by general relativity.

Eddington confirmed the correctness of general relativity, and the world was shocked.

the second.

After Eddington became famous overnight and world-famous, a reporter interviewed him and asked:
"Mr. Eddington, are there only three people in the world who truly understand the theory of general relativity?"

Eddington did not answer immediately, but remained silent for more than ten seconds.

Finally, he said in a boastful tone, "Oh, I'm wondering who the third person is."

(End of this chapter)