黑洞炸弹与黑洞文明：英语精读讲义

Black holes are the largest collections of pure violent energy in the universe.

黑洞是宇宙中纯粹狂暴能量的最大集合体。

If you come too close,

如果你靠得太近，

they'll devour you and add your energy to their collection.

它们就会吞噬你，并把你的能量加入到它们的收藏中。

And so,

于是，

the energy is lost to us forever.

这种能量我们就永远失去了。

Or is it?

真的是这样吗？

It turns out there's a universe cheat code, 表達脈絡

事实证明，宇宙中存在一个作弊码，

a way of powering civilizations until the very death of everything 語法

这是一种能为文明提供能量直到万物终结的方法，

or of constructing the largest bomb in the universe.

或者可以用来制造宇宙中最大的炸弹。

But how?

但怎么做呢？

Didn't we learn that all energy is trapped forever in black holes,

我们不是学过所有的能量都会永远被困在黑洞里吗，

even light?

甚至光也不例外？

This is true.

这是事实。

Everything you think you know about the weirdest thing in the universe

你以为你对宇宙中最诡异事物的所有了解，

is about to get weirder 語法

都即将变得更加诡异，

for one simple reason.

原因很简单。

Black holes are spinning.

黑洞在旋转。

Why black holes spin?

为什么黑洞会旋转？

When really really massive stars die,

当极大质量的恒星死亡时，

their cores collapse under their own gravity into black holes. 短語搭配

它们的核心会在自身重力作用下坍缩成黑洞。

This means something very big becomes very very tiny,

这意味着非常巨大的东西变得非常非常微小，

like the tiniest anything can be in this universe.

就像宇宙中可能存在的最微小的东西。

But stars are rotating

但是恒星在旋转，

and a fundamental property of our universe

而我们宇宙的一个基本属性

is that things that are spinning don't want to stop spinning.

就是正在旋转的物体不想停止旋转。

We call this angular momentum. 用詞

我们称之为角动量。

And this angular momentum can't go away.

而这种角动量无法消失。

A big thing that spins and becomes smaller

一个正在旋转且变得越来越小的巨大物体

spins faster.

会转得更快。

So, as the core of a star collapses,

所以，当恒星核心坍缩时，

its momentum makes it spin faster and faster and faster

它的动量使其旋转得越来越快，

until it collapses into a black hole.

直到坍缩成一个黑洞。

And the black hole keeps on spinning inconceivably fast. 短語搭配

并且黑洞以令人难以置信的速度继续旋转。

Some of them spin millions of times a second.

它们中的一些每秒旋转数百万次。

Why spinning black holes are special?

为什么旋转的黑洞很特别？

Just like non-spinning black holes, 表達脈絡

就像不旋转的黑洞一样，

spinning black holes have an event horizon and a singularity at their core 用詞

旋转黑洞的核心也有事件视界和奇点，

where all of their mass is concentrated.

其所有的质量都集中在那里。

The singularity is usually described as a single infinitely small point

奇点通常被描述为一个无限小的单点，

with no surface area.

没有表面积。

But points can't rotate, 表達脈絡

但点不能旋转，

so a rotating singularity can't be a point.

所以旋转的奇点不能是一个点。

Instead,

相反，

it's a ringularity. 習語

它是一个环奇点。

A ringularity is a ring with a thickness of zero and no surface

环奇点是一个厚度为零、没有表面的环，

spinning extremely fast

它极速旋转，

containing all the mass of the black hole.

包含了黑洞的所有质量。

The black hole is spinning so fast 語法

黑洞旋转得如此之快，

that it morphs space and time itself.

以至于它使空间和时间本身发生了变形。

It literally drags space with it, 用詞

它简直是带着空间一起拖拽，

such is its power. 語法

它的力量就是如此之大。

This creates a new and super weird region of space time,

这在时空中创造了一个全新的、极其诡异的区域，

the ergosphere, 用詞

即能层，

which envelops the black hole.

它包裹着黑洞。

If space and time are completely broken inside the event horizon,

如果时间和空间在事件视界内彻底破碎，

then they're only half broken inside the ergosphere.

那么在能层里它们只碎了一半。

Inside the ergosphere,

在能层内部，

nothing makes sense.

没有任何常理可言。

It's possible to enter it and then leave it again,

进去后再出来是可能的，

but it's probably not a great experience. 語氣意圖

但这可能不是一次很棒的体验。

You can imagine it like this.

你可以这样想象。

Falling into a static black hole is like sliding down a hole. 表達脈絡

掉入一个静态黑洞就像滑入一个洞里。

Being inside the ergosphere of a spinning black hole

而处在一个旋转黑洞的能层内，

is like spiraling down a deadly drain.

就像是螺旋式掉入一个致命的下水道。

The black hole transfers its own kinetic energy in the form of rotation 短語搭配

黑洞以旋转的形式将其自身的动能，

to everything that enters the ergosphere.

转移给进入能层的任何东西。

The ringularity makes you dance

无论你愿不愿意，

whether you want to or not. 語法

环奇点都会让你跳舞。

You need to move faster than the speed of light just to stand still here,

只要想站在这里不动，你就需要移动得比光速还快，

which is impossible.

这是不可能的。

But here's our cheat code. 習語

但这就是我们的作弊码。

We can steal this energy.

我们可以窃取这种能量。

And there's a lot of energy to steal.

并且有很多能量可以窃取。

How to steal energy from a monster.

如何从怪物身上窃取能量。

Take the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. 表達脈絡

以银河系中心的超大质量黑洞为例。

We could steal as much energy from it 語法

我们可以从它那里窃取的能量，

as every single star in the Milky Way emits in a billion years combined.

相当于银河系中每一颗恒星在十亿年内释放能量的总和。

The easiest way to steal this energy is,

窃取这种能量最简单的方法，

oddly enough, 短語搭配

奇怪的是，

to drop something into the black hole.

竟然是向黑洞里扔东西。

We've seen that the ringularity forces energy on us when we enter the ergosphere, 短語搭配

我们已经看到，当我们进入能层时，环奇点会将能量强加给我们，

which is a lot like being in a whirlpool with space-time rushing around and around.

这很像处于一个时空不断盘旋的漩涡中。

If you're clever,

如果你够聪明，

you can use the water to your advantage 短語搭配

你可以利用水流为你带来优势，

and swim faster than before.

游得比以前更快。

In practice, 表達脈絡

在实践中，

this means sending a rocket into the ergosphere

这意味着向能层发射火箭，

and making a trade with the black hole.

并与黑洞进行交易。

We give it some mass energy

我们给它一些质能，

and it gives us some of its rotational energy.

它给我们一些它的旋转能量。

But it's not a fair trade.

但这不是公平交易。

We get the better deal.

我们占了便宜。

Normally,

通常情况下，

if you fire a rocket,

如果你发射火箭，

you exchange chemical energy for kinetic energy. 短語搭配

你是用化学能交换动能。

This is like pushing yourself forward in a swimming pool.

这就像是在游泳池里把自己向前推。

But if you fire a rocket inside the ergosphere,

但如果你在能层内发射火箭，

it's like pushing yourself forward in a wave pool.

就像是在造浪池里把自己向前推。

The rotational energy of the waves

波浪的旋转能量

gives you a much stronger boost than you could get just by pushing yourself.

给你带来了比仅靠自己推获得的强得多的推力。

The boost from the rotation of the black hole

来自黑洞旋转的推力

is so big

是如此之大，

that you leave the ergosphere with much more energy than you entered it.

以至于你离开能层时，拥有的能量比你进去时多得多。

The black hole gives a tiny amount of its rotational energy to you

黑洞将一小部分旋转能量给了你，

and slows down a little.

并且自己减慢了一点。

Obviously,

显然，

this requires a lot of food.

这需要很多食物。

Fortunately,

幸运的是，

black holes aren't picky eaters. 習語

黑洞不挑食。

An advanced future civilization would probably harvest asteroids

未来的高级文明可能会开采小行星，

to drop them into the black hole when they needed an energy boost.

在需要能量补充时将它们扔进黑洞。

But there's an even better way to get energy from a black hole,

但有一种从黑洞获取能量的更好方法，

and oddly enough,

而且奇怪的是，

it builds the biggest bomb

它是用来制造出最大的炸弹，

any living thing could ever hope to build.

任何生物所能奢望建造的最大炸弹。

The black hole bomb.

黑洞炸弹。

We only need two things to build a black hole bomb,

制造黑洞炸弹只需要两样东西：

a fast-spinning black hole,

一个快速旋转的黑洞，

and a big mirror.

和一面巨大的镜子。

The mirror has to completely envelop the black hole,

镜子必须完全包裹住黑洞，

which is similar to a Dyson sphere, 文化背景

这类似于戴森球，

a megastructure that harvests the energy of an entire star.

一种能够收集整个恒星能量的巨型结构。

Although our mirror would be easier to build.

不过我们的镜子更容易建造。

Mirrors are simpler

镜子更简单，

and black holes are much much more compact than stars.

且黑洞比恒星紧凑得多。

If we made the mirror 10 cm thick, 語法

如果我们让镜子有 10 厘米厚，

the metal of a big asteroid

一颗大小行星的金属

would probably be enough material for a black hole with the mass of our sun.

可能就足以作为包裹一个具有太阳质量黑洞的镜子材料。

Once our mirror is in place, 短語搭配

一旦我们的镜子就位，

we only need to open a window

我们只需要打开一扇窗户，

and shoot electromagnetic waves at the black hole.

然后向黑洞发射电磁波。

You can imagine what happens next

你可以想象一下接下来会发生什么：

by imagining tossing a ball at a wall

想象对着墙壁扔球，

and it coming back faster than a bullet.

结果它以比子弹还快的速度弹回来。

The waves hit the black hole at light speed.

波以光速撞击黑洞。

A small proportion of the waves falls past the event horizon 語法

一小部分波越过事件视界

to disappear forever.

永远消失了。

But a much larger amount sloshes through the ergosphere 用詞

但更多的波在能层中激荡，

where the black hole forces some of its rotational energy on them

在那里黑洞将其部分旋转能量强加在波上，

and amplifies them.

并将它们放大。

They now begin superradiant scattering, 用詞

它们现在开始超辐射散射，

which are fancy science words meaning 表達脈絡

这是一个花哨的科学词汇，意思是

bouncing around between mirror and black hole

在镜子和黑洞之间来回弹跳

and getting stronger.

并变得越来越强。

Every time they go around,

它们每绕一圈，

they are getting exponentially stronger. 用詞

都会成倍增强。

By opening some windows in the mirror, 語法

通过在镜子上打开一些窗户，

we can extract the energy from the waves as fast as they grow,

我们可以提取随着波增长而产生的能量，

which we could use in theory

理论上可以利用这些能量

to create what would be,

创造出一个

for all practical purposes, 短語搭配

可以满足所有实际用途的、

an endless source of energy

无尽的能源，

for trillions of years.

并持续数万亿年。

Or we could blow it up. 短語動詞

或者我们可以引爆它。

If the waves are not released,

如果不释放波，

they will continue to get stronger and stronger 表達脈絡

它们将不断变得越来越强，

and take more and more energy from the black hole

从黑洞中带走越来越多的能量，

until the mirror shatters.

直到镜子破碎。

A supermassive black hole would release as much energy as a supernova,

一个超大质量黑洞释放的能量将相当于超新星爆发，

making the bomb 語法

使得这个炸弹成为

the largest explosion any living being could ever create.

任何生物所能创造的最大的爆炸。

The last home

最后的家园

in a dying universe.

在一个濒死的宇宙中。

The beauty of the black hole bomb,

黑洞炸弹的美妙之处、

the Penrose process, 文化背景

彭罗斯过程、

and the superradiant scattering

以及超辐射散射，

is that they are not science fiction.

在于它们都不是科幻小说。

In the far far future,

在遥远的未来，

this might be the only way to survive

这可能是生存下去的唯一方式

in our dying universe.

在我们垂死的宇宙中。

After all the red dwarfs have cooled down 用詞

在所有的红矮星冷却之后，

and all the white dwarfs transformed into black dwarfs,

并且所有的白矮星都变成黑矮星之后，

the universe will turn dark forever.

宇宙将永远陷入黑暗。

Rotating black holes

旋转的黑洞

might be the only sources of energy

可能将成为整个宇宙中

in the entire universe

仅存的能源

that life could harvest.

可供生命收集。

If so, 表達脈絡

如果是这样，

the last living being in existence

存在的最后一种生命

might one day end its life

可能有一天会结束它的生命

around a black hole,

在一个黑洞周围，

which is equally chilling and uplifting. 表達脈絡

这既让人不寒而栗，又振奋人心。

It turns out

事实证明，

that even without any light, 習語

即使没有任何光芒，

there are places we can go.

我们依然还有容身之处。