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The Littlest Black Hole

2024/12/12

Radiolab for Kids

AI Deep Dive AI Insights AI Chapters Transcript

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Annie McEwen

Lulu Miller

Matt O'Dowd

Molly Webster

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Lulu Miller: 我想分享一个关于宇宙中最黑暗、最神秘的地方——黑洞的故事，特别是关于一个微型黑洞的故事。这个故事并非关于那些我们熟知的巨大黑洞，而是一个小到可以装进口袋里的黑洞，虽然你可能不会想把它放在口袋里。我们将会听到Radiolab记者Annie McEwen讲述的故事，以及Molly Webster关于她创作的儿童读物《小黑洞》的分享。 Annie McEwen: 通古斯大爆炸事件至今仍是一个谜团。虽然主流理论认为它是由一颗大型小行星造成的，但缺乏相应的陨石坑和碎片，这使得一些科学家提出了替代性理论，例如，它可能是由一个微型黑洞引起的。这个微型黑洞可能穿过地球大气层，产生巨大的能量释放，造成森林被夷为平地、窗户被震碎等现象。虽然这只是一个假设，但它并非完全不可能，并且为我们提供了思考宇宙奥秘的另一种视角。 Matt O'Dowd: 通古斯大爆炸可能由一个原子大小的原始黑洞引起。这个黑洞以极高的速度穿过地球大气层，并继续穿过地球内部，留下了一条玻璃状的通道。这个过程会产生巨大的能量和地震波，这与通古斯大爆炸的现象相符。虽然这个理论听起来很不可思议，但它在科学上是可行的，并且为我们理解宇宙的复杂性提供了新的思路。 Molly Webster: 物质落入黑洞后会发生什么，仍然是一个困扰物理学家的谜题。霍金辐射理论提出，黑洞会释放出包含内部信息的粒子，这些粒子会在黑洞表面形成一种辉光。我从这个理论中获得了灵感，创作了一本名为《小黑洞》的儿童读物。这个故事讲述了一个孤独的小黑洞，它渴望与宇宙中的其他事物建立联系，但由于自身的特性，它总是无意中吞噬掉靠近它的东西。通过这个故事，我想表达一种即使在孤独中，也能找到希望和连接的主题。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

What is the Tunguska event, and why is it significant?

The Tunguska event occurred on June 30, 1908, in Siberia, when a massive explosion flattened 800 square miles of forest, shattered windows, and threw people to the ground. It is considered the largest impact event in recorded human history. Despite extensive investigations, no impact crater or space debris was found, making it a mystery that has sparked various theories, including the possibility of a tiny black hole.

What is the theory about a tiny black hole causing the Tunguska event?

The theory suggests that a primordial black hole, about the size of a hydrogen atom but with the mass of an asteroid, could have caused the Tunguska event. As it passed through Earth, it would have devoured molecules, creating intense heat and energy, leading to a massive explosion. This would explain the lack of a crater and debris, as the black hole would have continued through Earth without leaving traditional impact evidence.

How do primordial black holes form, and what makes them unique?

Primordial black holes formed during the Big Bang, 13.5 billion years ago, when gravity compressed dense regions of hot hydrogen and helium. Unlike black holes formed from collapsing stars, these are much smaller and can shrink over time to the size of an atom. They are untethered and can move freely through the universe, potentially colliding with planets or other celestial bodies.

What is Hawking radiation, and how does it relate to black holes?

Hawking radiation, proposed by Stephen Hawking, suggests that black holes emit particles containing information about their interior. These particles, which escape from the black hole's surface, create a glow and provide clues about what the black hole has consumed. This radiation is a way for black holes to slowly lose mass and energy over time.

What inspired Molly Webster to write the children's book 'Little Black Hole'?

Molly Webster was inspired by the concept of Hawking radiation and the idea of a glowing black hole revealing its interior. The story evolved into a children's book about a lonely black hole that unintentionally consumes everything it loves. The book reflects Molly's personal experiences of solitude and the importance of feeling connected to others, even when physically apart.

What happens when a black hole passes through Earth?

If a black hole passed through Earth, it would create a narrow, deep tunnel of molten material that would solidify into glass. The black hole would generate seismic waves, causing global earthquakes, and exit the planet, leaving an exit wound. The journey through Earth would take about two minutes, and the black hole would continue its path through the universe, potentially carrying traces of Earth's material.

Chapters

The 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia involved a massive explosion with no clear impact crater or space debris. While an asteroid is the leading theory, the lack of evidence fuels alternative explanations, including the possibility of a tiny black hole.

Massive explosion in Siberia in 1908
No impact crater or space debris found
Leading theory: large asteroid atmospheric explosion
Alternative theory: tiny black hole

Shownotes Transcript

In less than 10 days, the world will witness the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year. Half of the Earth will be tilted the farthest away from the sun, and we will plunge into the dark. So today we thought we’d play another story about the dark. One of the darkest places in the universe actually: a black hole. But not just any black hole, a really tiny black hole, the size of an atom.

We start the story on a calm morning in Siberia. All of a sudden, a large ball of fire appears in the sky. A forest was flattened, roofs were blown off houses, windows were shattered, fish were thrown from streams. This was the “Tunguska event.” But what happened? What hit Earth? It’s still up for debate. Radiolab producer Annie McEwen explores the possibility that it might have been a tiny black hole. Then Senior Correspondent Molly Webster asks what happens to the stuff that falls into a black hole, and tells us about how finding an answer culminated into her writing a children’s book called “Little Black Hole)!”

Special thanks to Matt Caplan, a physicist at Illinois State University who worked on a team whose recent paper taught us what the impact crater left behind by a primordial black hole would actually look like. We also want to thank Priyamvada Natarajan and Brian Greene.

Articles:Read more) about the Tunguska impact event!Check out the paper) which considers the shape of the crater a primordial black hole would make, should it hit earth: “Crater Morphology of Primordial Black Hole Impacts”Curious to learn more about black holes possibly being dark matter? You can in the paper), “Exploring the high-redshift PBH- ΛCDM Universe: early black hole seeding, the first stars and cosmic radiation backgrounds”

Books:

Get your glow on – check out Senior Correspondent Molly Webster’s new kids book, a fictional tale about a lonely “Little Black Hole).”

Radiolab was created by Jad Abumrad and is edited by Soren Wheeler. Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser are our co-hosts. Dylan Keefe is our director of sound design. Our staff includes: Simon Adler, Jeremy Bloom, Becca Bressler, W. Harry Fortuna, David Gebel, Maria Paz Gutiérrez, Sindhu Gnanasambandan, Matt Kielty, Annie McEwen, Alex Neason, Valentina Powers, Sarah Qari, Sarah Sandbach, Arianne Wack, Pat Walters and Molly Webster. Our fact-checkers are Diane Kelly, Emily Krieger and Natalie Middleton. Production help from Tanya Chawla. Sound mixing by Joe Plourde.

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