1 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: Hey, Daniel, how's our email inbox looking these days? Oh? Man, 2 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: like usual, it is jammed full. We have a big 3 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: pile of questions. Really, people still have questions. You thought 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: maybe we'd like answered all the questions in the interview. Well, 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 1: we have done about two episodes and ten listener question episode. 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,159 Speaker 1: I figured, you know, eventually people might be satisfied and 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: know all the answers to the universe. I think that 8 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: the more we answer people's questions, the more questions they have. 9 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: Man sciences like that, isn't it always teasing you with 10 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: an answer and then dropping more questions? And thank goodness, 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: otherwise we would run out of episodes and then we 12 00:00:42,560 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: wouldn't be here. Hi am more handmaker, tunist and the 13 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: creator of PhD comics. Hi. I'm Daniel. I'm a particle 14 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: physicist and I'm a professional email question answer. Wow. Really 15 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: you get paid for that? I just feel like a 16 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: professional what I'm doing it. I feel like that's what 17 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: I have to do to get paid, which I don't 18 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: do very well, but which probably explains a lot. But 19 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: sometimes people write into the podcast and I think this 20 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: might be the only time this person has asked the 21 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: question to a physicist and gone an answer. So I 22 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: feel a little bit like I'm representing physics in some way. Wow, 23 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 1: you're the ambassador of the physics nation a little bit. Yeah, 24 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 1: So I feel some responsibility to know, be polite and 25 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: funny and insightful and all that stuff. You know. It's 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: like that first day of class in college. Sometimes I 27 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: get to teach freshman and I am on the first Monday, 28 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: and I feel like, Wow, I am college for them. 29 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: So there's a bit of pressure there. Yeah, and if 30 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: someone walks out, you're like, well, I guess I failed physics. 31 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: Nobody walks out on my emails fortunately, But anyways, welcome 32 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: to our podcast. Daniel and Jorge explained the Universe but 33 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: suction of I Heart Radio, in which we tackle all 34 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: the questions in the universe, all the things that science 35 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: wants to know and all the things that everybody wants 36 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: to know. How did the universe begin, what is it 37 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,399 Speaker 1: made out of? How is it going to end? Why 38 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: are we all here? And should you eat your bananas 39 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: when they're black or green? That's right, it's a very 40 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: important physics question. What can kill me out there? Daniel? 41 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: And how? And when? Basically everything can kill you out 42 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: there if you're creative about it. Love, Love can't kill you, Daniel. 43 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: Have you seen Titanic? Soh, alright, love can kill Leonardo 44 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: to keep you but exactly anyways, Yeah, it's our podcast 45 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: where we talk about the universe and all the amazing 46 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: things in it, and we also talk about the questions 47 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,639 Speaker 1: that not only scientists and physicists have at the cutting 48 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: edge of knowledge and research, but also the questions that 49 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,959 Speaker 1: everyday people have about how things work and why things 50 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: are the way they are. That's right, because questions belong 51 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: to everybody, and asking questions is part of being human. 52 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: It's impossible to be a conscious being in this world 53 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: and I'll look around you and wonder why things are 54 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: the way they are, why they aren't different, and what 55 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: it means about the way the universe works. And scientists 56 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: are just like that. They're just people who have answered 57 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: more of their questions so far, and they're onto the 58 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: most interesting cutting edge questions. And so our goal today 59 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: is to bring you up to speed, to introduce you 60 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: to the forefront of knowledge and tell you all about 61 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: the questions that scientists are asking. And it turns out 62 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:24,959 Speaker 1: the scientists are asking a lot of the same questions 63 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: that you are. It's right. Are you trying to tell 64 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: me not to look to scientists for answers, Daniel, I 65 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: just look to them for more questions. I'm trying to 66 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: tell you that we're all scientists, were all asking these 67 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: deep questions about the universe, and we'd all like to 68 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: know the answer. Great. So to be on the program, 69 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: we'll be doing another one of our famous listener question 70 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: episodes where we answer questions from listeners. So to be 71 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: on the podcast, we'll be tackling listener questions number eleven eleven. No, 72 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: we've answered a lot of these and we have a 73 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: big pile left, So if you've submitted your question and 74 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: haven't gotten answer yet, stay tuned. We're getting to them. 75 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: We love these listener Questions episodes, and I always love 76 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: these episodes because people sending the most interesting questions. These 77 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: are the really fun ones. People writing questions all the 78 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: time the email, and sometimes I'll fire off a quick answer, 79 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: but if it's a really good, juicy question that I 80 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: think a lot of people would like to hear the 81 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: answer to, or Brinkley, I need a little bit of 82 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: time to research, and then we'll do it on the 83 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: podcast cool. So today we have three pretty cool questions 84 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: from listeners from all over the world, and they have 85 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 1: to do with gravitational waves about the nature of matter 86 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: and whether or not you can have a different kind 87 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 1: of star than the ones that we are used to. 88 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: So let's jump right into it, Daniel, and let's start. 89 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: But this first question from Henrik Sumberg from Sweden, who 90 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: asks can a gravitational wave kill you? Or what will 91 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: you feel when you're close to a wave like the 92 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: one that was found by Ligo. Wow? What an awesome 93 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: question and a little terrifying. You know, do we thought 94 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: about gravitation with dying from gravitational waves which I just 95 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: assume we're rolling through us, but apparently they can kill us? 96 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: Can they kill us? Because that's a question? Well, it 97 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: is a great question. You know. These things are ripples 98 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: in space itself, and it's cool that we build observatories 99 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: that can spot them. But the ones that we've seen 100 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: so far are really far away, so it's a totally 101 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: valid question to ask what would happen if you got 102 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: close to it? I guess it's kind of like asking, like, 103 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: can of an ocean wave kill you? Right? I suppose? 104 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: I mean ocean waves certainly can kill you. I think 105 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: it's more like asking, you know, can the sun kill you? 106 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: And the answer is basically the same as from a 107 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: great distance, the sun will just make it nice and toasty, 108 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: but if you get too close to almost anything, it'll shrick. Well, 109 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: let's maybe recap for people who don't know. So gravitational 110 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: wave is like a wave with like a ripple in 111 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 1: spacetime itself. That's right. And the idea is that gravitational 112 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 1: information doesn't move instantly, like if the Sun disappeared, we 113 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 1: would still feel it's gravity for the eight minutes it 114 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,480 Speaker 1: look for that information to get to us, because gravitational 115 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: fields ripple, right, you delete something from the universe, then 116 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: the information propagates out the field itself ripples. Right, It's 117 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: not instantaneous because nothing instantaneous in the universe exactly, nothing 118 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,119 Speaker 1: is instantaneous. No information can move faster than the speed 119 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,720 Speaker 1: of light. And so gravitational waves are when you have 120 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,479 Speaker 1: really strong, very powerful objects that are accelerating around each other, 121 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,279 Speaker 1: so they're making waves in space itself. Remember, gravity is 122 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: just the bending of space. You put the Sun in 123 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 1: the center of the Solar system, it bends the space 124 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: around it, so that the Earth's most natural path is 125 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: one to move in a circle around the Sun. And 126 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: so when you move masses around, when you accelerate them 127 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: back and forth around each other, it makes these waves 128 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: in space. And that's what gravitational waves are there, like 129 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: the contracting or the pulling on space itself. It's it's 130 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 1: really kind of bonkers, like the changes in the gravitational field. 131 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: Kind of Yeah, you can think about it two different ways. 132 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: If you like to think of space is flat and 133 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: having gravitational fields in it, then you can think of 134 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: it as the rippling of those gravitational fields in space. 135 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: But if you like to think about it like Einstein did, 136 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: then you know there is no gravity. There's just sort 137 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: of changes in the shape of space. And from that perspective, 138 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: gravitational waves are ripples in the shape of space, like 139 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: things get closer and then further apart, and closer and 140 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: further apart. That's what happens when a gravitational wave passes 141 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: you by, And I guess that we're like a wash 142 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: in gravitational waves. Like if I move my arm around 143 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: in a circle, I'm creating gravitational waves. But they're just 144 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: so small that nobody can notice. That's right. Just like 145 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: there's gravity between you and your arm, and you and 146 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: that box in front of you, and you and that banana, 147 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: you just can't feel it because gravity is just so weak. 148 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: Anytime an object with mass moves and accelerates, it generates 149 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: a gravitational wave, but because gravity is so weak, you 150 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: usually just can't sense it. We can only sense gravitational 151 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: waves from really really big thing things, really massive things, 152 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: precisely because gravity is so weak. It's almost kind of 153 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: like we're all swimming in like a thick Google or 154 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: something like if space was a Google and we're all 155 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: swimming in it. You know, any motion that I make, 156 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: or any motion that any planet makes will sort of 157 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: generate a little ripple in that Google. Yeah, precisely, And 158 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: we are listening for those ripples, and we've been listening 159 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: for them for a few decades and recently, just a 160 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: few years ago, they actually detected these ripples. As an 161 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: incredible story because people had thought these ripples existed for 162 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: a long long time, but they thought it might be 163 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: impossible to detect them because they are so small, because 164 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 1: they're so faint, because gravity is so weirdly weak. And 165 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:43,080 Speaker 1: they had to build a really powerful device it's called 166 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:46,960 Speaker 1: a laser interferometer with two long arms on it that 167 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: measures the length of these like kilometer long arms to 168 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 1: see if they shrink a tiny bit like the width 169 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: of a proton. So it's a really really difficult measurement 170 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: to make because these gravitational waves are very very subtle, right, 171 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: because you know, like if I shake my fist, I'm 172 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: generating ways. But there's probably no way that anything that 173 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: we have could possibly measure that. Right. Probably you need 174 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: like these giant machines just to measure that the big 175 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: ones coming from space, that's right. But you know, I 176 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: thought for a long time even the big ones coming 177 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: from space would be impossible. What I was a grad 178 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: student thinking about what field of physics to work, and 179 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 1: I considered going to cal Tech and working on the 180 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: gravitational wave system. But I remember thinking, of these guys 181 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: are never going to spot out, and they're gonna be 182 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: working forever and never see it. And hey, I was wrong, 183 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: and I'm glad they've been proven wrong. They found something 184 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: amazing about the universe and won themselves a Nobel Prize along. 185 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:40,720 Speaker 1: So what you think is impossible today might be totally 186 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: routine in twenty years. You never missed that on that rate? 187 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: Did it? Didn't get to surf all the way to Sweden. 188 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,080 Speaker 1: You didn't catch the wave. Yea. And we could have 189 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: met at cal Tech? Isn't that weird? Yeah, that's imagine 190 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: an alternate reality where you did go working Lego and 191 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 1: then we somehow met there. Yeah, but then we would 192 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: have met in person, and we probably wouldn't have gotten along, 193 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:00,960 Speaker 1: probably wouldn't have started working to go there anyway. So 194 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: there are gravitational waves all around you, but only really 195 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: massive objects create gravitational waves that we can detect, right, 196 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,559 Speaker 1: And that's what we measure with Lego. We measure waves 197 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: that are coming from space from really crazy events. And 198 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: so I guess Henrick's question is can one of these 199 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: waves kill you? Like, if you're standing there and a 200 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 1: big wave comes through you, is it gonna affect you 201 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: or could you even feel it? Because you know, if 202 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,680 Speaker 1: it's bending and stretching space, would in all my particles 203 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: still still stay together? Yeah, in principle, these things do 204 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: have an effect on you also, right, you do get 205 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 1: bent and stretched when gravitational waves go through you, the 206 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:38,559 Speaker 1: ones that hit Earth they affect things that are a 207 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: kilometer long by about the size of a proton, so 208 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: the effect on you is totally negligible. You can't feel them. 209 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: But these are black holes that are like one point 210 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: three billion light years away, And one of the reasons 211 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: why they're so faint is because the black holes are 212 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: so far away. So it's reasonable to ask, like, if 213 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,439 Speaker 1: it was closer, if there was black holes colliding nearby, 214 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:04,080 Speaker 1: making big gravitational waves closer, what would be the effect 215 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 1: on your body? And it's certainly true that it would 216 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: pull and push you as well. Wow, yeah, because I 217 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: guess like if you're really far away from an explosion 218 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,200 Speaker 1: or something, then you don't feel the effects very much 219 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: because like you might feel a little bit of the 220 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 1: wind or the air kind of hitting on you, but 221 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: you wouldn't necessarily be hurt. But like, what if you're 222 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:25,920 Speaker 1: right next to the explosion, that would be bad news. 223 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: Absolutely it would be bad news. And the closer you 224 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 1: get to these things, the more powerful they are. The 225 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: thing is, though, gravitational waves never really that powerful. Like 226 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: take one of these events, these black holes that at 227 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,440 Speaker 1: one point three billion light years away, the wave is 228 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: really really weak over here. It's one part in ten 229 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 1: to the twenty one. So that means that if something 230 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: is like ten to the twenty one long, then it 231 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:54,080 Speaker 1: shrinks by one. Now ten is predunculously big, right, which 232 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: is why these things are so hard to see. So 233 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,679 Speaker 1: bring yourself closer, right, say you get, for example, just 234 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: one light year away from these black holes, and just 235 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: to paint a picture, lego measures like spinning black holes, 236 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: like black holes that are collapsing into each other, and 237 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: so they're it's like the death sworld of two black holes. Yeah, 238 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: because to make gravitational waves, you can't just have static mass. 239 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: That doesn't make a wave. You need stuff that's accelerating. 240 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: And so these black holes that are swirling around each other, 241 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: attracting each other, spinning in to their eventual collision, there 242 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 1: are great opportunities to see gravitational waves because there's huge 243 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: amounts of mass and there's a lot of acceleration because 244 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,679 Speaker 1: they're spinning around each other. So now we're talking about 245 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: being one point three light years from two black holes gliding, 246 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: and you're saying this is where it starts to get dangerous. Well, 247 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 1: it doesn't actually get dangerous from the gravitational wave point 248 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: of view because the power of that is like still 249 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,559 Speaker 1: one part intended the twelve, you know, so like if 250 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: you brought the whole earth within a light year of 251 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,679 Speaker 1: these black holes, then the whole earth would shrink by 252 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: like a hundreds of a millimeter, and one part in 253 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: tend of the twelve is very small whole earth. So 254 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 1: would that affect me? Like, it doesn't sound like it would, 255 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: but I don't know, like maybe we'll scramble all of 256 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: my atoms or something. No. One, one hundreds of a 257 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: millimeter full of the whole earth is unmeasurably small just 258 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:10,839 Speaker 1: for you, right, so you wouldn't even notice it. It 259 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: would be very difficult for you to notice. It could 260 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,440 Speaker 1: break up molecules or something at that level. Molecules, you know, 261 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 1: because you're if you're stretching molecules. Molecules are pretty small. 262 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,440 Speaker 1: Molecules are pretty small, but they're pretty tough. You know. 263 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 1: They're basically held together by these little bonds which are 264 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: like springs. And so it's like if somebody came and 265 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 1: tugged on you with a force, you know, enough to 266 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: pull you by one dred of a millimeter, you would 267 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,440 Speaker 1: pretty much survive that, right, it's like it's a very 268 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: gentle tug on the entire earth, right, so even just 269 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: on you, it would be almost imperceptible. All right, So 270 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:45,959 Speaker 1: it's still pretty save with a light ear. What if 271 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: I get closer, Yes, if you get within like you know, 272 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,440 Speaker 1: ten thousand kilometers of the center of this black hole, 273 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,520 Speaker 1: then we're talking about gravitational waves that are now serious. 274 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 1: They're like one part in the thousand. Like I would 275 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:59,959 Speaker 1: shrink and contract by you know, a couple of millimeter, 276 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 1: couple of millimeters. Yeah, and so again I think you 277 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,559 Speaker 1: would survive that. Like, really, you shrink and contract more 278 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: than that every day just walking around. Your height changes 279 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: more than a millimeter because of the compression on your 280 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: spine from walking around. I don't know. Maybe you never 281 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: get up from your chair so you don't drink as 282 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: much as other people. But somethings I laid down in 283 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: my chair and there's some stretching going on. Well that's 284 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: good for your back and for your height. But you know, 285 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: your height changes by a lot more than that just 286 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: during the day. So I don't think I would have 287 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: any effect on your health. But I see we're pretty 288 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: squishy again, We're pretty squishy. But you know, say, for example, 289 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: you're in a space suit, having your space suit get 290 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: pulled by one part in a thousand, you know that 291 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: could like crack the glass or break something important, or 292 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: if you're in a space ship, you know, maybe the 293 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: electronics are sensitive. So I wouldn't recommend. What about my bones? 294 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: Could my bones take it? Yeah? Your bones could take it, 295 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: for sure. I mean one part in a thousand is 296 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: not very much your bones, even though they feel pretty tough, 297 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: there's some spring to them. You're talking really close in 298 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: thousand kilometers from the center of a black hole is 299 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,040 Speaker 1: like you're like right there, it's very us and you're 300 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: not even going to survive getting that close, Like you're 301 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: going to be torn apart by the gravitational forces that 302 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: exist just from the black holes, well before the gravitational 303 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: waves do anything to you. Really, Yeah, because remember near 304 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: a black hole, the gravitational forces, just the static ones, 305 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: not the changing ones, not the ripples in the gravitational field, 306 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: just the field itself is really really strong. And the 307 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: closer you are to the black hole, the stronger the forces. 308 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,640 Speaker 1: So if your toes are closer than your head, then 309 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: there's a stronger force on your toes, and there is 310 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: on your head, which is the same thing as the 311 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: black hole pulling you apart. So if those forces that's 312 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: called tidal forces, the force on your head and your 313 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 1: toes is very different, then you get yanked apart. And 314 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: you don't have to be very close to a black 315 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: hole before those forces start to be larger than your 316 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 1: body can take. So most likely the waves won't kill you. 317 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: It will be something else. That's right. The shredded pieces 318 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: of your body that survived that close to the black 319 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: hole will not be damaged very much by the gravitational wave. 320 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: You'll already be torn apart alright. So then I guess 321 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: answer for Henrik is no, like a gravitation a wave 322 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: can't really kill you because if if there's anything causing 323 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:15,920 Speaker 1: a gravitational wave that big, then it's probably gonna kill 324 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: you in some other way. That's right, exactly. So if 325 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: gravitational waves get big enough to do any damage, you're 326 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: probably already dead. All right. Well, I feel a lot better. 327 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: I was getting kind of concerned there. I was like, 328 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: it's something else I have to worry about. No, just 329 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: avoid black holes is good general advice. Stay at least 330 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: ten thousand kilometers from them. If not more, somebody should 331 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: put up signs or something caution universe singularity ahead. All right, well, Henry, 332 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: I hope that answered your question, and I hope you 333 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: can sleep a little better at night knowing that gravitational 334 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: waves can't really kill you. Maybe those gravitational waves will 335 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: be get rocking him to sleep, sleep to the sound 336 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: of the universe. All right, Well, let's get into some 337 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: of these other questions about the nature of matter and 338 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:16,840 Speaker 1: alternate stars. But first let's take a quick break. All right, 339 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: we're back answering questions from listeners. Which are the best questions? 340 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 1: And I have to say, Daniel, these questions we got 341 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: today are pretty intense. I feel like usually people ask 342 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 1: sort of like funny situations or you know, more basic things, 343 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: but these are like intense, like can a gravitational wave 344 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: kill you? And making me question the nature of matter? Well, 345 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: we are living in strange times and everybody's at home 346 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,880 Speaker 1: thinking deep thoughts. I guess. All right, Well, the next 347 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,399 Speaker 1: question we have for today comes from one Ignacio Vadagas, 348 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 1: and he didn't say where he's from, so we're just 349 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: going to assume Jupiter. Maybe he emailed as um, you know, 350 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 1: fourteen years ago and he only just got the email. 351 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: All right, Well, here's what one wanted to know. I 352 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: was just wondering whether we have any idea yes, as 353 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: to why there is mutter, what causes energy to be 354 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,920 Speaker 1: sequestered in what we call particles? Well that is deep 355 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:11,640 Speaker 1: stuff that is deep, Like why are we here? He's 356 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:14,399 Speaker 1: basically asking. Yeah, there's a lot of possible angles to 357 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: this question. I really wish I could chat with one 358 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 1: and figure out, like what is he asking? Is he 359 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 1: asking like why do we have matter or not just radiation? 360 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: Or why is there matter or not antimatter? Or why 361 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: is there something rather than nothing? Or why is energy 362 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:31,440 Speaker 1: sort of clumped together into particles? Or there's a lot 363 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 1: of really fun angles. You want to ask him questions 364 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: about his question. I want to make sure we're answering 365 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: the like deep deep curiosity that's wormed its way into 366 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,239 Speaker 1: his brain. I want to make sure that we are 367 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: We're going to touch on the question he really wants answered. Well, 368 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: it's it sounds like a pretty interesting question. I guess 369 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,639 Speaker 1: he's asking, we have the universe and when we know 370 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,680 Speaker 1: about energy, but why do we have matter? Like why 371 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: does matter exist in the universe, Like why the energy 372 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: suddenly decide to, you know, form into little particles of matter. Yeah, 373 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: that is a great question, and you know, the short 374 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,640 Speaker 1: answer is, we really just don't know. But how much 375 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: we don't know sort of depends on what you think 376 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: is the most basic element of the universe, you no, 377 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,200 Speaker 1: Like we have talked on this podcast before that sort 378 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: of historically we discovered that things are made out of particles. 379 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:27,639 Speaker 1: You know, that all the stuff around you can be 380 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: broken up into smaller pieces, and those pieces can be 381 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 1: broken up into smaller pieces, and those can be broken 382 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,480 Speaker 1: up in the even smaller pieces, and it gives you 383 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: the sense sort of that like particles are the basic 384 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: unit of the universe, that everything is made out of particles, right, 385 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,159 Speaker 1: And the way particles interact is through these things called fields. 386 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 1: So that's sort of historically the way our understanding the 387 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: universe was developed. But more recently we have sort of 388 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,440 Speaker 1: a new view on what the basic element of the 389 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: universe is, and that suggests that particles are not really 390 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: the building block of the universe of matter itself, but 391 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: that the deepest thing are actually the field. Wait, aren't 392 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,399 Speaker 1: they the same thing? Like isn't a particle like what 393 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: they call an excitation of that field or like a 394 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 1: blip in the field. Yeah, Well, this new view says 395 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: exactly that that particles are just a weird state of 396 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: a field. But that says that the fields are the 397 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: deepest thing. You know. The particles aren't the fundamental building blocks. 398 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,119 Speaker 1: They're just like a configuration of the fields. It's like, 399 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: you know, what's more fundamental, your hand or a fist. 400 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: Your fist is just your arrangement of your fingers in 401 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: a certain way, or like what's more fundamental a wave 402 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 1: or the ocean? Yeah, precisely. And so the fields are 403 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:38,639 Speaker 1: the ocean, and the particles are the waves in that ocean. 404 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: And so more modern view is that everything in the 405 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 1: universe is filled with fields. We have an electromagnetic field, 406 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 1: and the waves in that field are photons. We even 407 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:52,119 Speaker 1: have an electron field. It's different from the electromagnetic field. 408 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: Waves in the electron field are electrons. And then every 409 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: particle that we're familiar with has a field, and those 410 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: particles are just wiggles in those fields, like little ripples, 411 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: like a little echo or a little blip, yeah, like 412 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 1: a little packet. And then it's a really interesting and 413 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 1: fun question to ask, like, well, why do those fields 414 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:13,439 Speaker 1: have packets? Right? One of those fields just sort of 415 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,359 Speaker 1: slash around and have energy everywhere. I think this is 416 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:18,439 Speaker 1: sort of what he was asking, like why is energy 417 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: clustered together into these little blip called part of where 418 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 1: did those blips come from? Yeah? And why do we 419 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,440 Speaker 1: have blips and not just you know, blushes or squishes 420 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 1: or squashes or whatever, because then we wouldn't be here 421 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: to answer it's a question. Yeah, And so you know, 422 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: the first the deepest answers, we really just don't know. 423 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 1: But we have sort of two suggestions maybe sort of 424 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: directions of thought or people sort of you know, groping 425 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,680 Speaker 1: in the dark towards ideas. And one is that these 426 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 1: fields are not just fields, their quantum fields. These fields 427 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 1: can't just have any particular value. They seem to have 428 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 1: certain discrete set of states that they can take, you know, 429 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:00,160 Speaker 1: then go up one unit of energy or two two 430 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:02,920 Speaker 1: units of energy, but not one point three seven nine. Oh, 431 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,639 Speaker 1: I see, they like um. They're kind of fuzzy. You 432 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: can move this field in like half of up wave. Yeah, exactly. 433 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,960 Speaker 1: And we associate these quantum units with particles. Like when 434 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 1: the field gets one more unit of energy that that 435 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 1: field can absorb, we consider that one more particle. And 436 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:22,160 Speaker 1: in quantum mechanics we actually do the math. We call 437 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:26,360 Speaker 1: these things counting operators. We like create new particles, destroyed particles. 438 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,440 Speaker 1: That's how you put energy into the field. So one 439 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,360 Speaker 1: way to think about it is that that a particle 440 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: is just like a quantized unit of energy in the field. 441 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: I guess maybe is it kind of like if you 442 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: throw a whole bunch of water into the air, Like 443 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 1: water tends to, you know, kind of clump into droplets, 444 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:44,679 Speaker 1: you know, it doesn't just kind of spread out when 445 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: you throw it up into the air. Yeah, it certainly does. 446 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,400 Speaker 1: I'm not sure if that's because it's quantized or there's 447 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 1: surface tension, or surface tension leads a quantization. That's actually 448 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: really cool thought there probably is a connection there. But 449 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:58,639 Speaker 1: that's kind of the idea is that it tends to cluster, 450 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,399 Speaker 1: or it tends to like little bit tends to clump 451 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: into little bits. And the second idea, which is connected 452 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,600 Speaker 1: is that we've noticed that there are some symmetries to 453 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 1: these fields, Like these fields don't just do anything, you know, 454 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: they have rules that they follow, like the field follows 455 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: the same rules over here as they do in another 456 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 1: part of the universe. Or if you spin yourself in 457 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: the field, it follows the same rules as if you 458 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: hadn't spun yourself. So they're these symmetries, translational and rotational 459 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: symmetries to the fields themselves, right, And this is going 460 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,199 Speaker 1: to sound like a really weak and fuzzy argument, but 461 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:37,160 Speaker 1: essentially a particle is the simplest thing that can exist 462 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: in those fields that satisfies those symmetries. Like that's how 463 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: you explain why it forms into particles. Well, there's this 464 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,200 Speaker 1: feeling and quantum mechanics that sort of everything that can 465 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:52,400 Speaker 1: happen does happen. So if it's not explicitly forbidden by 466 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: some rule, then you will see it happen eventually. And 467 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: so particles are sort of like the simplest thing that 468 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:02,880 Speaker 1: can exist that isn't ruled out by some basic symmetry 469 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,000 Speaker 1: or conservation rule or whatever. So therefore they do exist. 470 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 1: Now that's a pretty weak argument because there's lots of 471 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: times that we expected something to exist, like a new 472 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:16,679 Speaker 1: particle or whatever, we don't see it exists, and so 473 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,160 Speaker 1: we say, well, therefore there must be some new rule 474 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,240 Speaker 1: that eliminates it, and we just add that rule to 475 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:23,880 Speaker 1: the list. So, you know, it's not like a lot 476 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,040 Speaker 1: of these rules have deep understanding them. Some of them do. 477 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:29,719 Speaker 1: Some of them come out of like really beautiful symmetries 478 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,120 Speaker 1: of nature, etcetera. But some of them seem a little 479 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,920 Speaker 1: ad hoc. So it's a totally valid open question sort 480 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 1: of at the edge of physics and philosophy, like why 481 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 1: do these particles exist? Why do we have any particles 482 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: at all? Why do the conservation laws allow for these particles? 483 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: Why not something else bigger and squishier. Maybe a way 484 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,040 Speaker 1: to interpret his question is like, could you have a 485 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: universe without particles? Could the universe just kind of could 486 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:54,920 Speaker 1: there be a version of this universe where no particles 487 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: ever formed and everything is just kind of like the 488 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,959 Speaker 1: fields are just totally on blipped where this fields are 489 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 1: sitting there. You know, there are some other configurations of fields, 490 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: but you know, those universes would not lead to people 491 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:11,440 Speaker 1: asking questions about those particles and those podcasts. So it's 492 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,400 Speaker 1: possible those universes could exist, but they wouldn't be as 493 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: interesting or as rich, and so they wouldn't be in 494 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: them asking this question. So this sort of this selection 495 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: effect that we only tend to ask these questions in 496 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: universes where there are interesting things happening. But we already 497 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 1: we have ideas for like other ways you could arrange 498 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: quantum fields that are not particles, these things called like squirmons, 499 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 1: that are not the same kind of clusters of energy 500 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: in the quantum fields, but in fact are these like 501 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 1: we're not these other stable configurations of quantum fields that 502 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: are not quite particles. They don't act the same way. Interesting. 503 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: I guess maybe the answer you tell me is that 504 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 1: you know, in quantum physics it's all kind of like statistical, 505 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: and so if a field can kind of form into 506 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 1: a particle, it probably will. It probably will. Yeah, particles 507 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:02,159 Speaker 1: will just spontaneously occur, and probably especially if you have 508 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: like energy, right, if you like, if there's energy around, 509 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: those particles are going to pop up. And that's where 510 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: we come from. And I would say that like probably 511 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,000 Speaker 1: half of the theorists out there, the people who think 512 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 1: really deeply about quantum theory thinking that way. They think 513 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:17,639 Speaker 1: the fields are the basic thing, and the particles are 514 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: like manifestations of those fields. But you know, the other 515 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: half of the community thinks about it the other way. 516 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,000 Speaker 1: They think, no, no, no, the basic thing in the 517 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:30,080 Speaker 1: universe are particles and fields. Those are just you know, 518 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: virtual particles. So this is just how particles talk to 519 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,199 Speaker 1: each other. They think of the fields as you know, 520 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:40,959 Speaker 1: just like a huge swarm of very briefly living particles, 521 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: because the particles are the things we interact with, right, 522 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: The fields are a little bit more abstract. The particles 523 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: are the things that we like, we can see, we 524 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: can detect, we're made of them. So there's a bunch 525 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: of people out there that think that particles are the 526 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 1: basic element of the universe and not the fields. Like 527 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 1: if you didn't have particles, you wouldn't have fields. Yeah, yeah, precisely. 528 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: And and if you ask those people like well why 529 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,520 Speaker 1: are their particles, well, you know, they have no idea 530 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: because they just start from the particles, just because that's 531 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,640 Speaker 1: the aw just because it's like asking the other half like, well, 532 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: why are their fields? You're telling me particles are made 533 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,679 Speaker 1: of fields, great, why are their fields? Well, we don't know. 534 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: You know, that's that's down to like why is there 535 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 1: anything we just this is as deep as we've gotten 536 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: so far, we don't know what the next layer of 537 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 1: knowledge or ignorance is, so we're struggling to understand what 538 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 1: it means. But you know, this is why we do it. 539 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 1: We look for the patterns, We try to identify the 540 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: weirdness in those patterns, and those lead to these questions 541 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 1: which eventually, we hope in fifty two hundred years will 542 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 1: lead to really deep insights about like why the universe 543 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 1: exists at all. It's like the classic chicken fields and 544 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: egg particles problem. You know, which came first? Which is 545 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: more fundamental and or tas obviously the egg came first. 546 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: I never understood that one egg led to the chicken. 547 00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:57,439 Speaker 1: What do you mean who laid the egg? The pre 548 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: chicken mom of the egg mutated chicken. It is a 549 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:04,080 Speaker 1: pretty chicken, a chicken, Daniel. Well, if it annihilis with 550 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: an anti chicken, then and that's why this is not 551 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 1: a biology podcast, right. Well, it sounds like the answer 552 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: for Juan here is why not or stay tuned Like 553 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:20,120 Speaker 1: he's asking pretty basic questions of like why are things things? Yeah, 554 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:22,040 Speaker 1: we just don't know one and we're trying to figure 555 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: it out. And these are the deepest funnest questions to 556 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,359 Speaker 1: think about, so don't give up, we'll figure it out. 557 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,120 Speaker 1: All right. Well, I guess one won't be sleeping better 558 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,919 Speaker 1: at night after that one. But we have one more question, 559 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: and this one's about alternate stars, which I thought was 560 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:38,640 Speaker 1: pretty cool. But and so let's get into it. But 561 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 1: first let's take a quick break. All right. We're answering 562 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 1: questions from listeners today, and we've had two pretty good ones, 563 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 1: and this last one kind of blew my mind a 564 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:01,480 Speaker 1: little bit. So some to hear has a question about 565 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: whether or not as stars can be different. I really 566 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:09,080 Speaker 1: enjoyed a recent episode on turning Jupiter into a star 567 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 1: and how what would it be involved with that? I 568 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: was wondering, since you're talking primarily about fusion based stars, 569 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: what would happen if you had a fission based star? 570 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:24,959 Speaker 1: Do they exist? Are they theoretically possible? What would they 571 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: look like? All right? A pretty interesting question. I guess 572 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: he's asking whether you can have a star that works 573 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 1: based on fission and not fusion, or is he asking 574 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: whether stars can be fizzy? What would it taste like 575 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: to sip a star? How long a straw would you 576 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: need to safely sip the star. It might be a 577 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: little hot, better blowing there, use some gravitational waves to 578 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: cool it off. Yeah, there you go, all right, But 579 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 1: I guess the question is could you have a fissi 580 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 1: and stand So maybe let's recap whether fission powered stars. 581 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,000 Speaker 1: So the reason that the Sun is a star, the 582 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: reason it glows, the reason it is giving off energy 583 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,400 Speaker 1: is that doing something that releases energy, and that's fusion, 584 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: and fusion is taking lighter elements like hydrogen or helium, 585 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: things that have just like a couple of protons and 586 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 1: sticking them together and when they stick together, a lot 587 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: of energy is released. So that's called fusion. Join things together, 588 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: and anything on the periodic table. It's like lighter than 589 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:24,719 Speaker 1: iron because of the way the protons and neutrons are 590 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,719 Speaker 1: stuck together in the vagaries of the strong force. When 591 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: you join them together, you release energy, so it gives 592 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,840 Speaker 1: off energy. You can essentially combine this stuff, make bigger, 593 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 1: heavier elements and make your star glow. And that's what 594 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:41,040 Speaker 1: powers all of the stars in the universe. And that's 595 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: always been a little bit confusing that the idea that 596 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,000 Speaker 1: by joining things together it releases energy. Yeah, joining things 597 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: together releases energy. It takes energy to pull them apart. 598 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,000 Speaker 1: Think about it like that. I see so like it's 599 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 1: kind of like when you bring to magnets clothes together, 600 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 1: they snap together and they make a sound. Yeah. Like 601 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,800 Speaker 1: that sound is almost kind of like the energy released 602 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 1: in the center of a star. Yeah. And it's all 603 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: about the configuration of these protons and neutrons together. And 604 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 1: it's a bit counterintuitive because it's all the same particles, right, 605 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: There's just protons and neutrons, and either they're attracting or 606 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: they're repelling. And remember that all the protons, they're repelling 607 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:18,800 Speaker 1: each other. The whole reason the nucleus holds together is 608 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: because of the strong force. The strong force sends these 609 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 1: gluons back and forth between the neutrons and the protons 610 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 1: and really ties the thing together. The fact that the 611 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: protons are positively charged and pushing away from each other 612 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,120 Speaker 1: is really not even relevant anymore because the strong force 613 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 1: is so powerful. And it's also really hard to do calculations, 614 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 1: like it's not a simple thing to figure out what 615 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,440 Speaker 1: some arrangement of protons and neutrons will feel like. But 616 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 1: we do know that for elements lighter than iron, when 617 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:51,280 Speaker 1: you stick them together you get energy, and that's fusion, right, 618 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: So that that's most stars that we know. At least 619 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 1: our star works on fusion. It's fusing hydrogen and helium. 620 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: It's joining things to create that energy to power the 621 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:05,120 Speaker 1: star and also to make the heavier elements. Right, fusion 622 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,920 Speaker 1: needs light elements. You need stuff that's lighter than iron. 623 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 1: And in the Big Bang we got mostly hydrogen, tiny 624 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: little bit of helium and lithium, etcetera. But most of 625 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 1: the heavier stuff in the universe was made by fusion. 626 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 1: That's how you do it. Right. All of our atoms 627 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: all in in our bodies, we were all made at 628 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: the center of stars. That's right. All the uranium and 629 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:26,840 Speaker 1: all the iron and all the heavy stuff in the 630 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: universe was made in these stars. That's how you do it. 631 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: So all the stars that are out there, they're fusing 632 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 1: and making this stuff, making particles. But where does the 633 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: particles come from, Daniel, They come from the banana universe. 634 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:42,000 Speaker 1: They slipped in through a worm, all right. So that's 635 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:44,840 Speaker 1: one way to make energy fusion fusing things together. But 636 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: you can also make energy by splitting atoms apart. That's 637 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,520 Speaker 1: called fission. That's right. If you have stuff that's really heavy, 638 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,280 Speaker 1: heavier than iron, then you get energy by doing the opposite, 639 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: by breaking stuff apart. Like uranium is really heavy, much 640 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: heavier than iron, has more protons in the nucleus, and 641 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:06,560 Speaker 1: when it splits open, it releases energy. So it's the opposite. 642 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: Above iron, you get energy, when you split below iron, 643 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:13,320 Speaker 1: you get energy when you fuse. Right, there's like energy 644 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: stored in that. It was somehow these elements came together 645 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: and they're storing energy. They have energy inside of them, 646 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:21,840 Speaker 1: stored in their bonds, and then when you break them apart, 647 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 1: that energy flies off. Yeah, if you like mechanical analogies, 648 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:27,120 Speaker 1: you can think of it like they're tied together and 649 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: the springs are compressed, and when you cut the string, 650 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: they fly apart and all that energy is then released. 651 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: So you're releasing all that energy. And so this is 652 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: another way to generate energy, and we do this in 653 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:41,320 Speaker 1: nuclear power plants. You find heavy uranium in the crust 654 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,560 Speaker 1: of the earth and you let it decay and you 655 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,520 Speaker 1: gather that energy. That's fission, right, Yeah, that's what all 656 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:49,080 Speaker 1: of our nuclear reactors use, is fission, that's right. We 657 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:51,280 Speaker 1: have not been able to make fusion work on Earth 658 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 1: in a sustainable way with a few brief spits and 659 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 1: spats of it here and there. We don't have like 660 00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:58,760 Speaker 1: a fusion reactor yet. I mean, people are working on it. 661 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 1: It's an awesome brodjet And if we could would be 662 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: said in terms of energy, right, absolutely, because fusion doesn't 663 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,400 Speaker 1: create dangerous byproducts. You know, it works with very light 664 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,800 Speaker 1: elements and creates very light elements, and it's much more efficient. 665 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 1: The fuel source for it would basically be hydrogen, which 666 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:15,920 Speaker 1: we can get a lot of in the ocean, So 667 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,480 Speaker 1: fusion would be pretty awesome, right. You don't need uranium 668 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,160 Speaker 1: or any of these radioactive elements. All right, So then 669 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:23,920 Speaker 1: the question is, can you have a star that works 670 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: using fission? Like could you have a star where things 671 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:30,879 Speaker 1: at its center are being broken apart instead of fuse together? Yeah, 672 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:33,359 Speaker 1: And it's a great question, and it's exactly the kind 673 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,040 Speaker 1: of question of physicists would ask, you know, like, well, 674 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:37,400 Speaker 1: if you can do it this way, can you do 675 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,400 Speaker 1: it the other way? You know, you have two ways 676 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:41,760 Speaker 1: to make energy. Could you use either of them to 677 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,200 Speaker 1: power a star? It's a really great question. But the 678 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:46,640 Speaker 1: first part of his question was like do they exist? Like, 679 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:50,799 Speaker 1: are there stars out there that are fission ng and 680 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,560 Speaker 1: that's why they are burning? Right? So do they exist? 681 00:34:54,680 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: Are there stars that work from using fission? We do 682 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:00,120 Speaker 1: not think so. We think that every single star out 683 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,560 Speaker 1: there in the night sky is fusing. And the reason 684 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 1: it's pretty simple is that the universe is almost all hydrogen. 685 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:08,520 Speaker 1: In the Big Bang, the universe was made, and it 686 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,160 Speaker 1: was almost all hydrogen after a few hundred thousand years, 687 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 1: and a little bit of helium was made during the 688 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:16,319 Speaker 1: Big Bang, but basically it's all hydrogen, and so that's 689 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:18,600 Speaker 1: the only fuel that's out there. You've got a universe 690 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:23,320 Speaker 1: filled with fuel for fusion and very very tiny amounts 691 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 1: of the fuel you would need for fission, right, And 692 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:28,360 Speaker 1: the only way to make them is through those other stars, 693 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:31,640 Speaker 1: not even like the dimmer stars like the red dwarfs 694 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:34,919 Speaker 1: or something, even the brown dwarfs like those are fusing. Yeah, 695 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: those are fusing special kinds of fusion. Sometimes you have 696 00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 1: deuterium in their or tritium or whatever. But it's all fusion. 697 00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:42,920 Speaker 1: And that's just because the fuel in the universe is 698 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:45,600 Speaker 1: the fuel unique for fusion, not for fission. I mean, 699 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:47,399 Speaker 1: if we had a different universe where the Big Bang 700 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:51,040 Speaker 1: mostly made uranium and plutonium. Then yeah, you might have 701 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:54,840 Speaker 1: like vision based objects out there, but those heavy elements 702 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:58,200 Speaker 1: are very very rare. In fact, like we're sitting on 703 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: top of a pretty rare clumb of stuff. You know. 704 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 1: The Earth is mostly iron and nickel and really heavy 705 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:09,680 Speaker 1: stuff that's pretty rare in the universe, like by mass. Yeah, 706 00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:12,400 Speaker 1: and that's what's kind of keeping the Earth hot at 707 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:14,719 Speaker 1: its center. Yeah, part of it is gravitational pressure, but 708 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 1: another big part of it is the fact that we 709 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,200 Speaker 1: have radioactive heavy stuff in the center of the Earth 710 00:36:19,239 --> 00:36:22,560 Speaker 1: that's decaying and it's emitting energy. And so in some 711 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:24,640 Speaker 1: sense you can sort of think of the Earth is 712 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:28,759 Speaker 1: like kind of a fission powered star because it's a 713 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,560 Speaker 1: really dense blob of stuff that's being kept molten by 714 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:37,760 Speaker 1: the energy from fission. Earth is pretty heavy metal. Yeah, 715 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:39,520 Speaker 1: if you'd like to think about it, you can imagine 716 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:42,320 Speaker 1: that we're sort of living in the atmosphere of a 717 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:46,239 Speaker 1: fission powered star. Yeah. Cool, But the Earth is not 718 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:48,440 Speaker 1: called a star. I guess it has kind of a 719 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:51,600 Speaker 1: fission engine and its core inside, but you wouldn't call 720 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 1: it a star. You wouldn't call it a star because 721 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:55,879 Speaker 1: it's not glowing where the Earth doesn't give off light, 722 00:36:56,239 --> 00:36:57,960 Speaker 1: and I think to be called a star even like 723 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,640 Speaker 1: in the infrared, well the Earth does in the infrared, 724 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:03,440 Speaker 1: like everything does. You're right, everything in the universe glows 725 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:06,160 Speaker 1: at some temperature, but it doesn't glow in the visible. 726 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:08,840 Speaker 1: It doesn't glow in the in the X ray. And 727 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:10,719 Speaker 1: so I think to be a star you really need 728 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,719 Speaker 1: to be like glowing and burning consuming the fuel. We 729 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:16,480 Speaker 1: don't sparkle. We don't sparkle exactly. You can imagine trying 730 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:18,600 Speaker 1: to do that, like you know, play sort of a 731 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 1: play god and say, are right, I'm gonna take a 732 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:23,839 Speaker 1: huge amount of fission fuel like uranium, make it into 733 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:26,840 Speaker 1: a gas and just like drop it somewhere in deep 734 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:29,640 Speaker 1: space and think about like what would happen? Then, I 735 00:37:29,719 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 1: think that's what Mike is asking. Is it theoretically possible 736 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 1: to have a star that works from fission? So this 737 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,080 Speaker 1: is this is what you are experimenting with here, Like 738 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:40,640 Speaker 1: like how would you even make one? If it's possible 739 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:42,640 Speaker 1: at all? If you could get enough uranium. We we're 740 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: talking about like an enormous amount of uranium, make it 741 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:48,240 Speaker 1: into a gas and drop it in space. Well, gravity 742 00:37:48,239 --> 00:37:50,279 Speaker 1: would do its thing, just like it did for the 743 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: formation of the Sun. It would gather all that stuff 744 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:56,240 Speaker 1: together and pull all those uranium nuclei, all those atoms together, 745 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:59,400 Speaker 1: eventually get them close enough so that when they decay, 746 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:02,680 Speaker 1: they knock into each other and create chain reactions and 747 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:04,799 Speaker 1: you would get real fission. You would get you know, 748 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,879 Speaker 1: in effect, burning and empowering this thing through fission, because 749 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: I guess that's how nuclear bombs work, right, Like, if 750 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 1: you put enough unstable uranium together at some point, it's 751 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:20,160 Speaker 1: gonna cause a chain reaction which will explode. Yeah, And 752 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,680 Speaker 1: that's how the sun works, just with fusion. That it's 753 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 1: the energy from fusion is providing the energy needed to 754 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:30,239 Speaker 1: create fusion. That's called ignition, right, And so if the 755 00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:33,480 Speaker 1: release of energy then enables the next release of energy, 756 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,719 Speaker 1: then you have someone which is self sustaining. And oh really, 757 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:39,200 Speaker 1: you know our son. I thought, like what causes things 758 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:42,319 Speaker 1: to fuse was the gravitational pressure. But it's also you mean, 759 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 1: like the energy pressure from the other explosions. It's a balance, right. 760 00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:49,160 Speaker 1: The reason the Sun is not exploding is because of gravity, 761 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:51,200 Speaker 1: and the reason it's not collapsing is because of the 762 00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:55,760 Speaker 1: energy pressure, and so in our theoretical uranium star something 763 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 1: similar would happen. Eventually, like gravity would pull this stuff together, 764 00:38:59,239 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 1: which would increase use the rate of which stuff is 765 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: decaying because you know, the decay products are not bouncing 766 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:07,239 Speaker 1: into each other more often. But eventually the energy being 767 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,160 Speaker 1: released from fission would balance out the gravity. You get 768 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:13,759 Speaker 1: some like interesting you know, balance there. And I don't 769 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,640 Speaker 1: think it would be as dense as our sun. Vision 770 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 1: is not as powerful as fusion, but just release as 771 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,200 Speaker 1: much energy. I'm not sure exactly what it would look like, 772 00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:25,360 Speaker 1: but theoretically that kind of thing is possible. You just 773 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 1: have to get enough uranium and compress it. Yeah, the 774 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:34,239 Speaker 1: recipe is get a galaxy is worth uranium galaxies isolated 775 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:37,400 Speaker 1: in space and then wait a few million years and 776 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:40,160 Speaker 1: the gravity will bring it together and then they'll will ignite. 777 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:42,759 Speaker 1: And I'm not sure exactly what it would look like like, 778 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:45,239 Speaker 1: how dense it would get, and whether it would be 779 00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:47,400 Speaker 1: hot enough to get the surface to be like a 780 00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:50,560 Speaker 1: glowing plasma, or whether like other things would take over 781 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:53,719 Speaker 1: before you even got there. But I think theoretically, you know, 782 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:56,040 Speaker 1: it might be possible. Wudn't it be unstable like a 783 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:58,560 Speaker 1: nuclear ball like wouldn't in the chain reaction would run 784 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:01,520 Speaker 1: away and which is explode, right, but you have that 785 00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:04,680 Speaker 1: pressure would keep blowing it out, which would lower the density. 786 00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:06,520 Speaker 1: The same thing happens in the sun. Right. It's sort 787 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:08,840 Speaker 1: of like self regulates because the hotter it gets, the 788 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:11,680 Speaker 1: more it's pushing out, the less dens it gets, and 789 00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:14,880 Speaker 1: that lowers the rate of the reaction. All right, So 790 00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:17,720 Speaker 1: it sounds like the answer for Mike is that, yes, 791 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:24,280 Speaker 1: fission stars are possible, but not likely to exist because 792 00:40:24,280 --> 00:40:28,200 Speaker 1: they are pretty difficult to make work. That's right, because 793 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:31,319 Speaker 1: the fuel just isn't out there, we think, and we're 794 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:33,279 Speaker 1: also not exactly sure what they would look like, and 795 00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:36,480 Speaker 1: take a pretty sophisticated simulation to get like a realistic 796 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:39,520 Speaker 1: answer for what that star would look like. But theoretically 797 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:42,680 Speaker 1: the process is very similar to fusions. You just need 798 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 1: the right fuel and the right conditions. And in the 799 00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:46,880 Speaker 1: meantime we are sort of kind of sitting in a 800 00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:50,799 Speaker 1: fish and star, right, which is the Earth, that's right. 801 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:54,160 Speaker 1: Fishing is warming your feet, all right? Cool? I think 802 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:55,880 Speaker 1: Mike can sleep will at night? Are you been having 803 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 1: trouble sleeping? Jorge? I feel like all these questions are 804 00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:02,800 Speaker 1: now related to like a well being. I'm just fetting 805 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:05,759 Speaker 1: a lot of empathy for these curious people. Well, curiosity 806 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:08,000 Speaker 1: does keep me up at night, but what lets me 807 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:09,640 Speaker 1: go to sleep is knowing that we just need to 808 00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:11,759 Speaker 1: think about it and work on it, and eventually we 809 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:14,560 Speaker 1: will get these answers. The history of science is filled 810 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:17,560 Speaker 1: with people wondering about basic stuff that a hundred or 811 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:20,560 Speaker 1: two hundred years later even school children know the answer to. 812 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:24,279 Speaker 1: So eventually our deepest fundamental questions will be you know, 813 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,120 Speaker 1: like in story books in the year three thousand and 814 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 1: we talked to preschools. All right, Well, thank you to 815 00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:34,239 Speaker 1: Henry Kwan and Michael for sending in their questions, and 816 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:36,640 Speaker 1: thanks to everyone who sent their questions. And it's always 817 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:39,399 Speaker 1: kind of amazing and cool to think about all those 818 00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:42,239 Speaker 1: people out there thinking about the universe and coming up 819 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:46,560 Speaker 1: with their questions and even more exciting stumping Daniel. So 820 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:49,520 Speaker 1: thank you everybody for trusting us with your questions, for 821 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:51,840 Speaker 1: taking the time to write in, giving us feedback on 822 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:54,000 Speaker 1: the show, and letting us know what you'd like to 823 00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:56,120 Speaker 1: know more about. We want to hear from you, so 824 00:41:56,160 --> 00:41:59,360 Speaker 1: please write to us at Questions at Daniel and Jorge 825 00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:02,040 Speaker 1: dot com. And thanks to everyone also who has been 826 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:06,000 Speaker 1: leaving us ratings and comments and telling all their friends 827 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:08,759 Speaker 1: about this podcast. We really appreciate it well. Thanks for 828 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:19,560 Speaker 1: joining us, See you next time. Thanks for listening, and 829 00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:22,319 Speaker 1: remember that Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe is a 830 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:25,840 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcast for my 831 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:29,520 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 832 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:31,960 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.