1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 625: The most powerful ruler! Supernova distance measurement! Unbelievable! The universe is expanding at an accelerated rate! Shocking everyone!
May 2, morning.

Today is the second day of the meeting.

Instead of diminishing, the enthusiasm of the crowd became even more intense.

The content of yesterday's meeting shocked everyone more than what they had experienced in the previous year.

Period division of the Big Bang theory; discovery of black holes and neutron stars; proof of inflation; dark matter.

Each one of them taken alone can blow up the entire astronomical community!
Most importantly, these results are closely related to physics.

Once upon a time, the study of astronomy depended mainly on developments in physics.

Now, every move in the field of astronomy affects the research direction of physics.

Haier and other bigwigs felt proud.

Soon, as the host Eddington's voice sounded, the scene gradually became quiet.

Everyone is looking forward to it.

With yesterday’s success as an example, everyone’s appetite has grown.

“I hope today we can achieve the same amazing results as yesterday!”

Someone shook his head and said:
“It’s probably going to be difficult.”

"The most important speaker today should be Professor Hubble."

"But his research direction is the large-scale universe, and it should be difficult to produce concrete results at present."

Many people nodded.

Yesterday’s discoveries were so stunning that they are truly hard to surpass.

As for dark horses like Ort and Zwicky, it is impossible for them to appear frequently.

But this does not affect everyone's expectations.

Astronomy is a subject that requires a lot of accumulation.

Although some big guys haven't achieved any groundbreaking results, they have been measuring basic data day after day for decades, providing convenience for those who come after them.

Such seniors are also highly respected.

Not to mention great geniuses like Hubble.

So even if the other party is just sharing some simple measurement data, it is worth listening to.

At this time, Eddington said:

"Now, please welcome today's first speaker, Professor Hubble from Mount Wilson Observatory!"

Snapped!
Applause suddenly broke out in the conference hall.

At the age of 36, Hubble has moved beyond the category of young people and has become a rising giant in the field of astronomy.

He walked up to the podium calmly and said:
"The topic of my report is the study of the expansion of the universe."

No one was surprised.

The expansion of the universe is Hubble's famous battle, which proved the predictions of general relativity and also confirmed the dynamic universe model.

The universe is not static, but is moving like life!

However, Hubble's next sentence successfully attracted everyone's curiosity.

"I found that the expansion of the universe might not be as simple as I thought."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
What does it mean?
The expansion of the universe is expansion, so how can there be simple and complex statements?

For a time, everyone was talking about it.

At this time, Hubble imitated Professor Bruce's style and spoke:
"Ever since the island universe theory was established, astronomers have been looking for the boundary of the universe."

"As long as we find the most distant galaxy from Earth, we may be close to the answer."

"One of my research directions is to observe extremely distant galaxies in the universe."

“But problems also arise.”

"The current candlelight method for observing distant galaxies can only measure interstellar distances within about 5 million light years."

"Whether it's a Cepheid variable or a nova, beyond this distance, it can no longer be used as a candle."

"Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new method to help us observe more distant galaxies."

"I invented a feasible method based on Professor Bruce's theory of stellar evolution."

Wow!
The whole audience was shocked!

"Professor Hubble has also invented a new method of measuring distance!"

"And it's a very long-distance measurement method."

This is definitely a major event that will benefit the entire astronomical community!

This achievement may be less important than yesterday's, but it concerns the interests of everyone present.

Everyone suddenly became excited.

With the end of the great debate of the century, the measurement of galaxy distances became the top priority in the field of astronomy.

Especially since Hubble's research direction is the expansion of the universe, it is even more necessary to measure the distance and redshift of galaxies.

Hubble was indeed a super genius. When he found that traditional methods were not enough, he tried to create new methods himself.

"According to stellar evolution models, low-mass stars will eventually become white dwarfs."

"Since most stars in the universe have very small masses, white dwarfs are plentiful compared to neutron stars and black holes."

"To date, the academic community has discovered more than 100 white dwarfs, and even some mysterious celestial bodies discovered in the past have ultimately been proven to be white dwarfs."

"The current theory of stellar evolution has become more and more detailed after being studied by many people."

"The three outcomes that Professor Bruce proposed (white dwarf, neutron star, black hole) are only the most common scenarios."

Everyone nodded.

In recent years, the number of papers related to stellar evolution theory has grown exponentially.

Countless scholars have studied many detailed issues from various angles, making the theory more and more perfect.

The evolution of stars is far more complicated than we imagined.

There are more than a dozen levels of classification based on stellar mass alone, and the evolution process of each level is slightly different.

But these do not affect Professor Bruce's status.

Although the three major outcomes he proposed are simple, they are the framework of the entire theory and are the top priority.

"Supernova explosions can be divided into two types."

"One is the supernova explosion that occurs when the center of a massive star collapses to form a neutron star or a black hole, which is called a Type II supernova explosion."

"The other is a supernova explosion caused by runaway nuclear fusion in a white dwarf, known as a Type I supernova explosion."

"We know that the main components of white dwarfs are carbon and oxygen, also known as carbon-oxygen white dwarfs."

"It's about the same size as Earth, but millions of times denser."

"According to the latest theoretical research, when the mass of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf exceeds 1.44 times the mass of the sun, an out-of-control nuclear fusion reaction will occur, triggering a Type I supernova explosion."

“But here comes the problem.”

"How can a white dwarf that is already at its mass limit acquire additional mass?"

Everyone became confused.

A white dwarf is the result of a star burning and has been shaped. Logically, its mass should not change.

Even if there is a possibility of a supernova explosion, it will be useless if the mass is not enough.

Hubble smiled.

"The answer is the companion star!"

"If the white dwarf is not a single star system, but is in a binary or triple star system, then its strong gravity will absorb the matter of the companion star, increase its own mass, and after reaching the critical limit, a supernova explosion will occur!"

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
What a clever idea!
The theory of stellar evolution is indeed profound!

"Of course, this theory was not proposed by me. I referred to a paper written by a Chinese scholar."

"The journal he published was very ordinary, and I only saw it by chance."

Yu Qingsong's expression changed.

Although this paper is not amazing, it is definitely innovative.

He didn't even know there was such a person in the Chinese Tianxia literary world. "After the meeting, I have to ask Brother Hubble about this."

Li Qiwei smiled with relief.

He doesn't care who the author of this paper is in China.

China's scientific level has gradually caught up.

Only such breakthroughs in details can reflect the true essence of a country.

Today it is astronomy, tomorrow it may be mechanics, chemistry, biology
The strength of the strong is all-round strength.

At this point, Hubble continued:
“Although the original theory was not proposed by me, I discovered a new distance measurement method based on this theory!”

"That's the distance measurement of Type I supernova explosion."

"You can see that Type I supernovae explode with exactly the same initial conditions."

"They all require a white dwarf, and each white dwarf has the same mass when it explodes."

"So the light curve for every Type I supernova explosion is the same."

"The light curve refers to the same process of a Type I supernova increasing in brightness and then dimming over time after it explodes."

"And one more thing: the maximum luminous power of every Type I supernova explosion is the same."

"So as long as we measure the apparent brightness of a Type I supernova explosion on Earth and combine it with its redshift value, we can calculate the distance between the galaxy where the white dwarf is located and the Earth."

"This is the principle of distance measurement for Type I supernova explosions."

"So why is it more advantageous than traditional Cepheid distance measurement?"

"Because the energy produced by a supernova explosion is countless times higher than the energy of the light emitted by an ordinary star."

"The energy released during the entire explosion of a Type I supernova is higher than the energy released by the sun in its entire lifetime!"

“So it’s very, very bright.”

"This means that Type I supernova explosions can be used as candles at greater distances."

"According to my calculations, the range of the Type I supernova explosion candle method exceeds 200 billion light years!"

“It’s 40 times better than existing methods!”

hiss!
The whole audience gasped!
What a terrifying astronomical figure!
A full 200 billion light years!
Such a long distance can actually be observed by humans.

This is simply a miracle!
"Awesome! So awesome!"

"Professor Hubble is indeed a genius in the field of astronomy!"

"His casual results are so shocking!"

"With the distance measurement of Type I supernova explosions, future large-scale research will be very convenient."

"We can explore the universe from even further back in time."

Everyone was shocked and talked about it.

Supernova distance measurement is simply the most powerful celestial ruler in the universe.

Hale looked arrogant. Shapley, Hubble, Yu Qingsong, these geniuses are the best signs of Mount Wilson Observatory.

However, he felt a little sad when he thought about the future 50-meter radio telescope in Borneo.

"By then, I'm afraid the title of my holy land of astronomy will have to change hands."

At this time, someone suddenly asked:
"Professor Hubble, have you ever put this method into practice?"

Hubble heard this and said with a smile:
"I was just about to show you guys."

Snapped!
A picture appears.

"Everyone, please take a look."

"These dozen photos are the complete explosion process of a Type I supernova that I took."

“I recorded the whole process of it going from dark to light and then back to dark.”

Hubble then displayed a series of pictures.

"I was very lucky. A few months later, I discovered another Type I supernova explosion."

"Comparing the results of the two explosions, we can clearly see that the luminous intensity and periodic changes of Type I supernova explosions are almost exactly the same."

“This strongly proves my suspicion.”

“That’s why I can conclude that it is a completely new kind of candlelight.”

Wow!
No one had any more questions.

Theory and experiment agree perfectly.

Hubble is not only extremely powerful, but also extremely lucky.

He encountered two rare supernova explosions in a row, and both were Type I supernovae.

"Professor Hubble has opened up a whole new field."

"In the future, many people will probably join the research on Type I supernovae."

"As more and more experimental data is collected, our understanding of the universe will become more and more comprehensive."

Eddington and Schwarzschild looked at the little brother with a smile.

Hubble was the youngest of the three brothers, but he achieved the greatest success.

The other party has an extreme love and endless energy for astronomy.

Eddington sighed:

"If it weren't for Professor Bruce, Hubble would have been the brightest star in astronomy."

Schwarzschild smiled and said:
"Professor Bruce is a black hole and does not participate in the comparison of stellar brilliance."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The reason why these three people are famous in the astronomy world is because they stand on the shoulders of Professor Bruce.

The general theory of relativity, the Big Bang theory, and the stellar evolution theory, these three theories have a profound impact on astronomy.

Professor Bruce is above everything and cannot be compared to anyone else.

Soon, Eddington came to his senses.

He thought Hubble's sharing was over, and said very naturally:
"Okay, now please ask questions about Professor Hubble's speech."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Hubble laughed.

"Wait a minute, Eddington, I haven't finished my content yet."

ha?
Eddington was stunned.

Isn’t this over yet?

Suddenly, he remembered that the topic of Hubble's speech seemed to be about the expansion of the universe.

It’s just that the theory of distance measurement for Type I supernova explosions was so amazing that he even forgot Hubble’s original topic.

Not only did he, the host, forget it, but the audience below also forgot it and showed the same surprised expression.

After all, everyone subconsciously believes that there is nothing to say about the expansion of the universe and it is not as good as the supernova ranging method.

But now, something seems wrong.

"Professor Hubble laid so much groundwork, is it just for the subsequent expansion of the universe?"

So, amid everyone's confusion and doubts.

Hubble continued:

"With this method, I can measure the redshift of galaxies at greater distances."

“Because of this, I discovered an extremely incredible phenomenon!”

Wow!
Everyone became extremely curious.

"You are all familiar with the expansion of the universe."

"Before today, I think everyone thought the universe was expanding at a constant speed or at a decelerating rate."

"But my latest observations show that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate!"

boom!
The whole audience was shocked!

"This is impossible!"

(End of this chapter)