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Astronomy 330 Classes Final Papers Final Astronomy 330 Classes •! CHP allows $100 for informal get togethers. •! We are meeting Thursday to watch a movie and order some pizza. •! Still want Armageddon? Music: Space Race is Over – Billy Bragg Final Papers Final •! Final papers due on May 3rd. •! Take-home final –! At the beginning of class... •! Will email it out on the last class. •! You must turn final paper in with the graded •! Will consist of: rough draft. –! 2 large essays •! If you are happy with your rough draft grade as –! 2 short essays you final paper grade, then don’t worry about it. –! 5-8 short answers •! Due May 11th, hardcopy, by 5pm in my mailbox or office. Online ICES Outline •! What is the future for interstellar travel? •! ICES forms are available online. •! Fermi’s Paradox– Where are they? •! I appreciate you filling them out! –! In addition to campus honors thingy •! Please make sure to leave written comments. I find these comments the most useful, and typically that’s where I make the most changes to the course. Drake Equation Warp Drives Frank That’s 22,181 advanced civs!!! Drake •! Again, science fiction is influencing science. •! Due to great distance between the stars and the speed limit of c, sci-fi had to resort to “Warp Drive” that allows faster-than-light speeds. N = R* ! fp ! ne ! fl ! fi ! fc ! L •! Currently, this is impossible. # of # of •! It is speculation that requires a Star Fraction Fraction advanced Earthlike Fraction Fraction Lifetime of formation of stars that revolution in physics civilizations planets on which that evolve advanced rate with commun- we can per life arises intelligence civilizations –! It is science fiction! planets icate contact in system •! But, we have been surprised our Galaxy 6 before… today 15 0.65 1.3 x 0.1 0.125 0.175 .8 1x10 •! Unfortunately new physics usually = 0.13 intel./ comm./ yrs/ http://www.filmjerk.com/images/warp.gif stars/ systems/ life/ adds constraints not removes them. yr star planets/ planet life intel. comm. system The Theory of General Relativity The Theory of Relativity •! Recall Galileo/Newton: free body motion is a straight line, •! Einstein’s Theory of constant speed •! Important to note that ALL free bodies move this way. Relativity tells us how straight line, constant speed, INDEP of size, mass gravity works •! Q: Why? –! Space and time are not •! A: That's the way it is! distinct •! Q: Be more specific: that's the way WHAT is? –! They are bound together •! A: Einstein: that's the way space and time in 4-dimensional spacetime are if nothing else going on (no forces) –! Gravity is not a force, but a curvature space and time constructed so that free bodies move in straight lines at constant –! Matter tells spacetime how to curve speed independent of nature of the object –! Curved spacetime tells matter how to move •! That's the way space and time are Free Fall The Theory of General Relativity •! Since objects move the same in a gravity field, •! Recall Galileo's INDEPENDENT of object, then gravity is not a experiment. force, but also a feature of space-time! •! The objects in the •! Objects do their best to move in a straight line. gravity field, move •! Newton: Matter causes force (gravity) independent of mass or " particles follow curved lines in even object. “flat” (Euclidean geometry) space •! For Newton, the object •! Einstein: Matter causes spacetime to be “curved“ mass cancels out of the " particles follow straight lines (“geodesics”) in gravity equation. curved space The Theory of General Relativity The Theory of General Relativity Curved Spacetime Curved Space •! No matter = Flat Spacetime •! Massive object = Dent in Spacetime –! Everything follows curvature of spacetime including light (photons) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rocNtnD-yI Warning, trying to show three dimensional effects in 2D 3:18+ is dangerous. Space is 3D, i.e. the curvature is spherical! Eddington and the 1919 Eclipse Einstein Lens Apparent position of star This angle agrees with GR prediction Actual position of star Earth http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ogniank#p/u/15/AAqSCuHA0j8 0:47+ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000201.html General relativity Gravity: Is relative? •! Gravity you feel is really the •! Gravitational fields change space and distance away you are from time the mass of the object. –! A clock runs more slowly on Earth than it does in outer space away from any mass, i.e. planets. •! Einstein revealed that gravity is really ‘warped’ space-time. •! A black hole is an extreme example. Einstein Is Warping My Mind! General relativity •! Space and time are re- •! Rotating black holes may form interpreted wormholes to “elsewhen” but they are thought to be short-lived. •! No longer immutable, •! Researchers are considering stabilizing constant properties them with exotic matter. •! Space itself can be •! What if it were possible to create a “warped” by mass. localized region in which space-time was severely warped? –! A car has a speed limit on a road, but what if you compress the road itself? Apr 22, 2008 Astronomy 330 Spring 2008 Quantum field theory Quantum field theory •! The subatomic world is not a world •! In 1948, Hendrik Casimir of billiard ball-like particles predicted a weak attraction •! “Empty space” is full of waves/ between two flat plates due to particles popping in and out of existence the effect of the sea of virtual –! Like a choppy sea, “virtual particles. particles” are born and interact for •! Two 1 meter plates placed a an allowed window of time micron apart, would have •! This sea of “virtual particles” that 1.3mN of force. This is like a inhabits space-time can be a source weight of 130 mg. of energy •! It is force from nothing! –! This is real physics, not Sci-fi http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/virtual_particles.html Zero Point Energy Making Propulsion? •! Harnessing this power for propulsion has been an idea •! Need to create repulsive effects in the quantum since at least the 90’s. vacuum, which should be possible. •! Science fiction has even caught on.. idea of harnessing this •! This work is underway, sponsored by NASA and “free” energy. others. •! For example, the zero point module (ZPM) from Stargate. •! Or Syndrome from The Incredibles http://www.todayscacher.com/2005/feb/img/zero_point_module.jpg Dark Energy The future: •! Imagine harnessing the power of dark energy (which May bring us closer to the speed of light seems to occupy all space) to form an anti-gravity –! Right now we can travel through space at about generator? c/25,000 •! It is crucial to investigate new ideas with open minds and –! Maybe fusion-powered freedom. crafts could in the near •! Right now, we really don’t have a firm idea for any new future reach 0.01c or propulsion system (space warp-driven propulsion, etc.). maybe even 0.10c •! But, be patient – a long wait may be ahead –! Hundreds of years? –! Thousands of years? –! Remember that the civilization lifetime can be millions of years! http://www.jedisaber.com/SW/wallpaper/light%20speed.jpg Issues and Incentives ET’s Spacecraft? •! Assume there is intelligent life out there. •! We really don’t know yet how to get to the stars realistically, so we don’t know what advanced •! Will they try to travel to us? civilizations might use. –! Is it worth it? •! But it is –! Exploration? –! Smarter •! If a civilization has been around for 1 million –! Cheaper more years than ours… –! Still very informative and •! But interstellar travel is HARD!!!! –! Realistic •! Back to thinking about autonomous probes.. to send an unmanned probe into the stars first –! Lighter payload! •! Self-replicating probes? Problems to Overcome? Going Interstellar! Maximum Speed Achieved 1.! Space is Big. –! Nothing we can probably do about this one. 2.! Time. –! Because of #1, interstellar travel would take a lot of time. –! But arguably do-able. •! Maybe lifetime is expanded, generation ships, suspended animation, or intelligent robots. Space Shuttle 3.! Cost –! Right now, colossal budget of a few trillion dollars. Impossible now, but in the future? Automobile Plane –! Medieval blacksmiths could have made an oil tanker, but too costly. 500 years later, piece of cake. Train –! In future, cost of interstellar travel may also go down. Horse Apr 24, 2008 Astronomy 330 Spring 2008 Nikolai Kardashev: Civilization Types 1000 Years? Type 0: Not in complete control of planet’s energy Understand the basic laws of physics •! So in 1000 years from now, we might be able to Chemical and nuclear propulsion, solar sails travel to other stars. But will we? Type I: Harnesses energy output of an entire planet. •! It would be nuts to speculate on what will Laser sails. motivate our descendents (if any) 1000 years from now. But if interstellar travel really is easy and Type II: Harnesses entire output of their host star. Dyson Sphere–can provide a trillion times more energy than we cheap, surely someone will give it a go? use on the Earth now. Antimatter drives? Type III: Colonizes and harnesses output of an entire galaxy Use a trillion times the energy of Type II civilizations Use a trillion trillion times the energy of Type I civilizations http://www.unm.edu/~astro1/ET109/types/types.html Getting Out of Here Getting Out of Here •! Distances between stars are much greater than we can imagine– freaky big distances, plus difficult •! Even the Voyager spacecraft (one of the fastest environment and time consuming makes ever flown) travels at only 20 km/s through space interstellar travel hard to conceive. - not even 1% of the speed of light. They would •! SciFi books and movies have dramatized space take 60,000 years to reach even the nearest star.
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