1 0:00:02 --> 00:00:08 The speed of sound is 340 meters per second-- 2 00:00:12 --> 00:00:18 it depends a little bit on the temperature-- 3 00:00:14 --> 00:00:20 about 770 miles per hour. 4 00:00:17 --> 00:00:23 When I speak to you, my sound reaches you with that speed. 5 00:00:20 --> 00:00:26 I produce a certain frequency here, 6 00:00:24 --> 00:00:30 a certain number of oscillations per second. 7 00:00:27 --> 00:00:33 They reach you, 8 00:00:28 --> 00:00:34 your eardrum starts to oscillate with the same frequency 9 00:00:30 --> 00:00:36 and you hear that tone. 10 00:00:32 --> 00:00:38 I have here a tuning fork 11 00:00:34 --> 00:00:40 which oscillates 440 times per second. 12 00:00:37 --> 00:00:43 (tuning fork produces medium-pitched tone ) 13 00:00:38 --> 00:00:44 Your eardrum oscillates 440 times per second-- 14 00:00:44 --> 00:00:50 you hear this tone. 15 00:00:46 --> 00:00:52 Here I have 256 oscillations per second. 16 00:00:50 --> 00:00:56 (metal rod emits lower tone ) 17 00:00:53 --> 00:00:59 Your eardrum is now shaking, 18 00:00:56 --> 00:01:02 going back and forth 256 times per second. 19 00:00:59 --> 00:01:05 If you stay where you are and you don't move 20 00:01:02 --> 00:01:08 and I move these tuning forks, 21 00:01:04 --> 00:01:10 you will hear a different frequency 22 00:01:06 --> 00:01:12 and that's what we call Doppler effect. 23 00:01:09 --> 00:01:15 If my sound source approaches you, 24 00:01:15 --> 00:01:21 you will hear a frequency f prime which is larger 25 00:01:18 --> 00:01:24 than the frequency of the tuning fork. 26 00:01:21 --> 00:01:27 If it moves away from you, which I will call receding, 27 00:01:27 --> 00:01:33 then f prime equals lower... lower frequency. 28 00:01:33 --> 00:01:39 For instance, I move to you a sound source-- 29 00:01:37 --> 00:01:43 I call that a transmitter-- 30 00:01:39 --> 00:01:45 with a speed of about one meters per second. 31 00:01:46 --> 00:01:52 Transmitter is the sound transmitter. 32 00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 Then if it approaches you here, you will hear f prime, 33 00:01:55 --> 00:02:01 which is 1.003 times f. 34 00:01:58 --> 00:02:04 This three here is the one part out of 340 35 00:02:03 --> 00:02:09 that you get an increase in frequency. 36 00:02:06 --> 00:02:12 If I move it away from you, then f prime would be 37 00:02:09 --> 00:02:15 0.997 times the frequency of the source itself. 38 00:02:17 --> 00:02:23 You stay where you are. 39 00:02:19 --> 00:02:25 I have here a tuning fork which generates 4,000 hertz, 40 00:02:24 --> 00:02:30 a very high frequency. 41 00:02:26 --> 00:02:32 If I move it to you with the speed of one meter per second, 42 00:02:29 --> 00:02:35 which I can do, then you get an increase in pitch of 0.3%. 43 00:02:33 --> 00:02:39 That makes it 4,012 hertz. 44 00:02:35 --> 00:02:41 And when I move it away from you there is a decrease of 0.3%. 45 00:02:38 --> 00:02:44 And you can clearly hear that difference. 46 00:02:40 --> 00:02:46 I will first make you listen to the 4,000 hertz 47 00:02:43 --> 00:02:49 without my moving. 48 00:02:45 --> 00:02:51 (tuning fork produces very high pitched tone ) 49 00:02:47 --> 00:02:53 Can you hear it? Very high frequency. 50 00:02:49 --> 00:02:55 Is it painful, really? 51 00:02:51 --> 00:02:57 High frequency. 52 00:02:53 --> 00:02:59 Most of you are young enough 53 00:02:54 --> 00:03:00 you should be able to hear 4,000 hertz. 54 00:02:56 --> 00:03:02 Okay, now I am going to move it to you one meter per second 55 00:02:59 --> 00:03:05 and away from you. 56 00:03:00 --> 00:03:06 (high tone goes up and down slightly in pitch ) 57 00:03:05 --> 00:03:11 Did you hear it? Once more. 58 00:03:08 --> 00:03:14 (tone goes up and down quickly again ) 59 00:03:12 --> 00:03:18 (class laughs ) 60 00:03:13 --> 00:03:19 When it comes to you, it's clear that the frequency goes up, 61 00:03:17 --> 00:03:23 and when it moves away from you, the frequency is down. 62 00:03:21 --> 00:03:27 Now imagine that I'm going to rotate the sound source 63 00:03:26 --> 00:03:32 around in a circle. 64 00:03:27 --> 00:03:33 Now the sound that you receive, the frequency that you receive 65 00:03:31 --> 00:03:37 will change in a sinusoidal fashion. 66 00:03:35 --> 00:03:41 If this is that circle, and this is the radius of that circle, 67 00:03:41 --> 00:03:47 and if you are here in the plane of the circle, 68 00:03:48 --> 00:03:54 then when the source comes straight to you 69 00:03:52 --> 00:03:58 with the velocity v-- let's say it's a uniform circular motion-- 70 00:03:56 --> 00:04:02 f prime will be larger than f 71 00:03:58 --> 00:04:04 and it will, in this case, reach a maximum. 72 00:04:02 --> 00:04:08 When it is at 90 degrees relative to you-- 73 00:04:05 --> 00:04:11 I don't have to give it a vector notation-- 74 00:04:09 --> 00:04:15 f prime equals f. 75 00:04:10 --> 00:04:16 When it moves away from you, f prime is smaller than f, 76 00:04:15 --> 00:04:21 you hear a minimum. 77 00:04:17 --> 00:04:23 And when it is here again-- 78 00:04:19 --> 00:04:25 when the angle between the velocity and your direction 79 00:04:22 --> 00:04:28 is again 90 degrees-- then f prime equals f again. 80 00:04:27 --> 00:04:33 And so this phenomenon is called the Doppler effect. 81 00:04:35 --> 00:04:41 So if I twirl it around, 82 00:04:37 --> 00:04:43 you will hear a sinusoidal fluctuation in f prime. 83 00:04:43 --> 00:04:49 Suppose I plot, as a function of time, f prime 84 00:04:50 --> 00:04:56 the way you will receive it-- you sit still, 85 00:04:52 --> 00:04:58 but I'm going to move the sound source around like this. 86 00:04:56 --> 00:05:02 Then you will have a curve that looks something like this: 87 00:04:59 --> 00:05:05 some sinusoidal-cosinusoidal fluctuation of f prime. 88 00:05:05 --> 00:05:11 This will be the value f 89 00:05:09 --> 00:05:15 produced by the sound source itself. 90 00:05:11 --> 00:05:17 This will be f prime maximum and this will be f prime minimum. 91 00:05:24 --> 00:05:30 If you could record this, there is an amazing number of things 92 00:05:27 --> 00:05:33 that you can deduce from this curve. 93 00:05:31 --> 00:05:37 First of all, you can take... 94 00:05:34 --> 00:05:40 You can measure f prime max divided by F, 95 00:05:39 --> 00:05:45 because you see this curve, so you know what f is here, 96 00:05:41 --> 00:05:47 you see what f prime max is, 97 00:05:43 --> 00:05:49 and that should allow you to retrieve immediately 98 00:05:46 --> 00:05:52 v velocity of the transmitter. 99 00:05:48 --> 00:05:54 If that number were 1.003, then you know 100 00:05:53 --> 00:05:59 that the speed in the orbit was one meter per second. 101 00:05:56 --> 00:06:02 So this ratio immediately gives you the transmitter velocity. 102 00:06:00 --> 00:06:06 This time separation gives you immediately 103 00:06:05 --> 00:06:11 the period of rotation, 104 00:06:07 --> 00:06:13 but since two pi R-- if R is the radius 105 00:06:13 --> 00:06:19 divided by the velocity of the transmitter-- 106 00:06:16 --> 00:06:22 since that is the... oh, I can reverse it, it doesn't matter. 107 00:06:20 --> 00:06:26 Two pi R divided by the time to go around 108 00:06:24 --> 00:06:30 is the velocity of the transmitter. 109 00:06:26 --> 00:06:32 Since you know the velocity of the transmitter from this ratio 110 00:06:30 --> 00:06:36 since you know the period, which is this, 111 00:06:32 --> 00:06:38 you now also find the radius R. 112 00:06:35 --> 00:06:41 So from that curve-- and keep that with you, 113 00:06:37 --> 00:06:43 because it's going to be important in what follows-- 114 00:06:40 --> 00:06:46 we can derive three things: 115 00:06:42 --> 00:06:48 the radius, the period of rotation 116 00:06:46 --> 00:06:52 and the speed of the object as I twirl it around. 117 00:06:52 --> 00:06:58 I have here what we call a wind organ. 118 00:06:55 --> 00:07:01 When I twirl this around, it produces a particular tone. 119 00:06:59 --> 00:07:05 We will talk later about 801 120 00:07:01 --> 00:07:07 why it produces a particular tone. 121 00:07:03 --> 00:07:09 Sometimes you hear two tones. 122 00:07:05 --> 00:07:11 I'll try to make you hear only one. 123 00:07:07 --> 00:07:13 And as I swirl it around, the sound is coming... 124 00:07:11 --> 00:07:17 the sound source, the transmitter is coming to you. 125 00:07:15 --> 00:07:21 This, when it goes like this, it's 90-degree angle 126 00:07:17 --> 00:07:23 so you should not hear any Doppler shift. 127 00:07:20 --> 00:07:26 When it is here, it's moved away from you 128 00:07:23 --> 00:07:29 and so you hear a sinusoidal change in f prime. 129 00:07:27 --> 00:07:33 Try to hear that. 130 00:07:28 --> 00:07:34 (wind organ producing tone that changes pitch ) 131 00:07:36 --> 00:07:42 Can you hear, when it's coming to you, that it's higher-pitched 132 00:07:38 --> 00:07:44 than when it's going away from you? 133 00:07:40 --> 00:07:46 Can you hear that? 134 00:07:41 --> 00:07:47 Just say no if you don't hear it. 135 00:07:43 --> 00:07:49 Not very clear. 136 00:07:44 --> 00:07:50 (wind organ again producing varying tone ) 137 00:07:51 --> 00:07:57 For me, it's impossible to hear 138 00:07:52 --> 00:07:58 because I'm standing right under it, of course. 139 00:07:54 --> 00:08:00 Well, I tried. 140 00:07:57 --> 00:08:03 141 00:08:00 --> 00:08:06 I now want to change to electromagnetic waves. 142 00:08:03 --> 00:08:09 Electromagnetic waves travel with the speed of light, 143 00:08:07 --> 00:08:13 which is 300,000 kilometers per second. 144 00:08:09 --> 00:08:15 And if you want to treat that correctly, 145 00:08:11 --> 00:08:17 you would have to use special relativity. 146 00:08:15 --> 00:08:21 In the case of sound, I stressed repeatedly 147 00:08:19 --> 00:08:25 that you in the audience should not move 148 00:08:22 --> 00:08:28 but that the sound source is moving. 149 00:08:25 --> 00:08:31 In the case of electromagnetic radiation 150 00:08:27 --> 00:08:33 when you deal with the speed of light, 151 00:08:29 --> 00:08:35 you don't have to ask that question. 152 00:08:31 --> 00:08:37 It is a meaningless question in special relativity. 153 00:08:33 --> 00:08:39 To ask whether you are moving relative to me 154 00:08:36 --> 00:08:42 or whether I am moving relative to you, it doesn't matter. 155 00:08:39 --> 00:08:45 All that matters in special relativity 156 00:08:41 --> 00:08:47 is the relative motion, 157 00:08:42 --> 00:08:48 so you can always think of yourself as standing still 158 00:08:46 --> 00:08:52 and make the source of electromagnetic radiation 159 00:08:49 --> 00:08:55 move to you, or away from you, relative to you. 160 00:08:53 --> 00:08:59 Electromagnetic radiation is optical light, infrared, 161 00:08:56 --> 00:09:02 ultraviolet, radio, x-rays, gamma rays. 162 00:08:59 --> 00:09:05 All of that is electromagnetic radiation. 163 00:09:03 --> 00:09:09 If the velocity of the source of electromagnetic radiation-- 164 00:09:08 --> 00:09:14 the transmitter-- 165 00:09:09 --> 00:09:15 if that is way, way smaller than the speed of light, 166 00:09:13 --> 00:09:19 then it is very easy to predict 167 00:09:16 --> 00:09:22 the change in frequency due to Doppler shift. 168 00:09:20 --> 00:09:26 Let this be the transmitter which produces frequency f, 169 00:09:26 --> 00:09:32 and here is the receiver which receives the frequency f prime. 170 00:09:33 --> 00:09:39 And let the velocity 171 00:09:37 --> 00:09:43 of the source of electromagnetic radiation be v-- 172 00:09:43 --> 00:09:49 I could put transmitter here, but we can drop that index-- 173 00:09:47 --> 00:09:53 and let this angle be theta. 174 00:09:49 --> 00:09:55 Then this is the component in your direction-- 175 00:09:54 --> 00:10:00 we call that the radial component-- 176 00:09:56 --> 00:10:02 which is v cosine theta. 177 00:09:59 --> 00:10:05 So I delete the tr. 178 00:10:00 --> 00:10:06 This is just the velocity of the source 179 00:10:04 --> 00:10:10 relative to you at that angle. 180 00:10:06 --> 00:10:12 181 00:10:09 --> 00:10:15 If now we want to know what f prime is, 182 00:10:14 --> 00:10:20 then f prime equals f times one plus v over c 183 00:10:20 --> 00:10:26 times the cosine of theta. 184 00:10:23 --> 00:10:29 What matters is only the radial component of the velocity. 185 00:10:30 --> 00:10:36 This is the radial component. 186 00:10:32 --> 00:10:38 If theta is 90 degrees, just like we had with sound, 187 00:10:36 --> 00:10:42 then f prime equals f. 188 00:10:37 --> 00:10:43 So 90 degrees, the cosine of theta is zero, 189 00:10:41 --> 00:10:47 f prime equals f. 190 00:10:43 --> 00:10:49 If theta is smaller than 90 degrees, 191 00:10:47 --> 00:10:53 then it's coming towards you, 192 00:10:51 --> 00:10:57 then f prime equals larger than f. 193 00:10:55 --> 00:11:01 If theta equals larger than 90 degrees, 194 00:10:58 --> 00:11:04 it's going away from you, 195 00:11:01 --> 00:11:07 then f prime equals smaller than f. 196 00:11:05 --> 00:11:11 197 00:11:07 --> 00:11:13 You would get a similar equation for sound 198 00:11:10 --> 00:11:16 by replacing this c by the speed of sound. 199 00:11:14 --> 00:11:20 But I want to stress 200 00:11:15 --> 00:11:21 that this only holds for electromagnetic radiation 201 00:11:19 --> 00:11:25 if v over c is much, much smaller than one. 202 00:11:23 --> 00:11:29 203 00:11:29 --> 00:11:35 Now, when we deal with sound, 204 00:11:31 --> 00:11:37 there is something mechanically oscillating. 205 00:11:33 --> 00:11:39 Something is vibrating. 206 00:11:36 --> 00:11:42 With electromagnetic radiation, charges are vibrating. 207 00:11:39 --> 00:11:45 Electrons are vibrating, 208 00:11:41 --> 00:11:47 and they are vibrating with a certain frequency, 209 00:11:44 --> 00:11:50 and that means 210 00:11:46 --> 00:11:52 there is a certain period of one oscillation. 211 00:11:49 --> 00:11:55 And that period of one oscillation is, of course, 212 00:11:54 --> 00:12:00 one over the frequency. 213 00:11:57 --> 00:12:03 I can ask myself now the question, 214 00:11:59 --> 00:12:05 how far does electromagnetic radiation, 215 00:12:01 --> 00:12:07 how far does light travel in the time of one period capital T? 216 00:12:07 --> 00:12:13 Well, it goes with the speed of light, 217 00:12:08 --> 00:12:14 so in T seconds, it moves a distance cT. 218 00:12:14 --> 00:12:20 And that distance we call 219 00:12:16 --> 00:12:22 the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, 220 00:12:19 --> 00:12:25 lambda equals cT, for which you can also write c divided by F. 221 00:12:24 --> 00:12:30 So this is the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation-- 222 00:12:27 --> 00:12:33 the speed of light, 300,000 kilometers per second-- 223 00:12:30 --> 00:12:36 the period of one oscillation, say, of the electrons, 224 00:12:33 --> 00:12:39 and this is the frequency, which you can give in hertz. 225 00:12:38 --> 00:12:44 I could give you a specific example. 226 00:12:42 --> 00:12:48 I, for instance, can take a period T 227 00:12:45 --> 00:12:51 of two times ten to the minus 15 seconds. 228 00:12:53 --> 00:12:59 That would give me a wavelength 229 00:12:55 --> 00:13:01 of about six times ten to the minus seven meters-- 230 00:12:59 --> 00:13:05 six times ten to the minus seven meters-- 231 00:13:02 --> 00:13:08 and that you would experience as red light. 232 00:13:06 --> 00:13:12 If I make the period shorter-- 233 00:13:09 --> 00:13:15 say, 1.3 times ten to the minus 15 seconds-- 234 00:13:14 --> 00:13:20 I get a shorter wavelength. 235 00:13:16 --> 00:13:22 I get four times ten to the minus seven meters, 236 00:13:21 --> 00:13:27 and you would experience that as blue light. 237 00:13:26 --> 00:13:32 238 00:13:29 --> 00:13:35 In astronomy, in optical astronomy 239 00:13:31 --> 00:13:37 we cannot measure the period or the frequency of optical light. 240 00:13:36 --> 00:13:42 All we can measure is the wavelength. 241 00:13:39 --> 00:13:45 And so if I want to use this equation, 242 00:13:42 --> 00:13:48 then I have to replace f prime by c divided by lambda prime 243 00:13:49 --> 00:13:55 and f I have to replace by c divided by lambda. 244 00:13:55 --> 00:14:01 And when I do that, I get the following result. 245 00:13:58 --> 00:14:04 I get lambda prime equals lambda 246 00:14:02 --> 00:14:08 times one minus v over c cosine theta. 247 00:14:10 --> 00:14:16 If this is a plus, this is a minus. 248 00:14:12 --> 00:14:18 Check that for yourself. 249 00:14:14 --> 00:14:20 You have to use the small number approximation, 250 00:14:17 --> 00:14:23 the Taylor expansion, 251 00:14:19 --> 00:14:25 namely that v over c is much, much smaller than one. 252 00:14:24 --> 00:14:30 So you can see now if the object comes to you, 253 00:14:30 --> 00:14:36 in other words, if f prime is larger than f, 254 00:14:34 --> 00:14:40 if the frequency is higher, then the wavelength will be smaller. 255 00:14:41 --> 00:14:47 And so let me write that down. 256 00:14:43 --> 00:14:49 When the cosine of theta... so the object is coming to you-- 257 00:14:47 --> 00:14:53 when the cosine of theta is larger than zero, 258 00:14:50 --> 00:14:56 the object is approaching you, 259 00:14:54 --> 00:15:00 then the wavelength lambda prime will be less than lambda. 260 00:15:00 --> 00:15:06 And that has a name-- we call that blue shift. 261 00:15:04 --> 00:15:10 And the reason why we call that blue shift is 262 00:15:06 --> 00:15:12 that if the wavelengths become shorter, 263 00:15:08 --> 00:15:14 it moves towards the blue end of the spectrum, 264 00:15:11 --> 00:15:17 because blue has a lower wavelength than red. 265 00:15:15 --> 00:15:21 If cosine theta is negative, 266 00:15:20 --> 00:15:26 then the object is receding from you, 267 00:15:25 --> 00:15:31 then lambda prime is larger than lambda, 268 00:15:29 --> 00:15:35 and we call that red shift. 269 00:15:33 --> 00:15:39 These are the terms that astronomers use all the time. 270 00:15:39 --> 00:15:45 When you make a spectrum of a star-- 271 00:15:42 --> 00:15:48 you can do that using prisms or by other means-- 272 00:15:47 --> 00:15:53 and you look at the light intensity 273 00:15:49 --> 00:15:55 as a function of wavelength-- 274 00:15:51 --> 00:15:57 so here is the light intensity as a function of wavelength-- 275 00:15:58 --> 00:16:04 then you may expect to see some kind of a continuum. 276 00:16:00 --> 00:16:06 But, in fact, what you do see is... 277 00:16:03 --> 00:16:09 Superimposed on a continuum 278 00:16:05 --> 00:16:11 you see sometimes very sharp absorption lines-- 279 00:16:09 --> 00:16:15 black, missing light, called absorption lines 280 00:16:13 --> 00:16:19 And these absorption lines correspond 281 00:16:16 --> 00:16:22 to elements in the atmosphere of the star. 282 00:16:20 --> 00:16:26 In fact, if you see the absorption lines, you can tell 283 00:16:23 --> 00:16:29 what kind of elements are present in the star. 284 00:16:27 --> 00:16:33 Some are very characteristic absorption lines: 285 00:16:29 --> 00:16:35 some for hydrogen, some for calcium, some for silicon, 286 00:16:31 --> 00:16:37 some for magnesium and so on. 287 00:16:33 --> 00:16:39 It's actually interesting 288 00:16:35 --> 00:16:41 that when you look at the spectrum of the sun-- 289 00:16:38 --> 00:16:44 when people did that first, 290 00:16:40 --> 00:16:46 when they had the means of doing that, 291 00:16:43 --> 00:16:49 they found absorption lines in the spectrum of the sun 292 00:16:46 --> 00:16:52 which could not be identified. 293 00:16:48 --> 00:16:54 They had never been seen here on Earth, these lines, 294 00:16:50 --> 00:16:56 and so they called these lines after the sun. 295 00:16:53 --> 00:16:59 The sun is Helios, and so they called it helium. 296 00:16:56 --> 00:17:02 So helium was first discovered on the sun 297 00:16:58 --> 00:17:04 before it was later discovered on Earth 298 00:17:01 --> 00:17:07 by looking at the absorption lines of the solar spectrum. 299 00:17:07 --> 00:17:13 If a star moves to you, then all the lines-- 300 00:17:11 --> 00:17:17 every single line-- will be blue-shifted. 301 00:17:13 --> 00:17:19 And if the star moves away from you, 302 00:17:15 --> 00:17:21 all the lines will be red-shifted. 303 00:17:18 --> 00:17:24 If you take an example: 304 00:17:19 --> 00:17:25 With lambda prime divided by lambda 305 00:17:21 --> 00:17:27 and you pick any one of those lines-- 306 00:17:24 --> 00:17:30 it doesn't matter which you pick 307 00:17:25 --> 00:17:31 because they will all do exactly the same. 308 00:17:27 --> 00:17:33 If this were, for instance, 1.00333-- 309 00:17:32 --> 00:17:38 I just pick a very nice number; 310 00:17:34 --> 00:17:40 that means lambda prime, as you see, is larger than lambda; 311 00:17:39 --> 00:17:45 the wavelengths get longer, so we have a red shift-- 312 00:17:43 --> 00:17:49 and you substitute that in that equation, 313 00:17:46 --> 00:17:52 then you'll find that the velocity 314 00:17:48 --> 00:17:54 at which that star is moving relative to you-- 315 00:17:51 --> 00:17:57 that gives you immediately the answer there-- 316 00:17:54 --> 00:18:00 equals minus 0.00333 times the speed of light, c, 317 00:18:03 --> 00:18:09 and that is minus 100 kilometers per second. 318 00:18:08 --> 00:18:14 And the minus, then, reminds you 319 00:18:11 --> 00:18:17 that the object is receding from you. 320 00:18:14 --> 00:18:20 So that gives you a red shift. 321 00:18:16 --> 00:18:22 322 00:18:17 --> 00:18:23 I just wrote down 323 00:18:19 --> 00:18:25 that the velocity v is minus 100 kilometers per second. 324 00:18:22 --> 00:18:28 It's, of course, v cosine theta 325 00:18:24 --> 00:18:30 that is minus 100 kilometers per second. 326 00:18:27 --> 00:18:33 It's theradial velocity-- that's all you can measure. 327 00:18:31 --> 00:18:37 You have no information on theta. 328 00:18:33 --> 00:18:39 So it is this component, v cosine theta-- 329 00:18:37 --> 00:18:43 which we call the radial velocity-- 330 00:18:40 --> 00:18:46 that is minus 100 kilometers per second. 331 00:18:43 --> 00:18:49 332 00:18:44 --> 00:18:50 Half of all the stars in the sky are binaries, 333 00:18:48 --> 00:18:54 and so when you look at the spectra, 334 00:18:51 --> 00:18:57 you will see them go around each other. 335 00:18:54 --> 00:19:00 And so you, in principle, can measure the red shifts 336 00:18:58 --> 00:19:04 and the blue shifts as they go around each other. 337 00:19:01 --> 00:19:07 You see Doppler effect. 338 00:19:02 --> 00:19:08 If they come to you, you see blue shift. 339 00:19:04 --> 00:19:10 If they go away from you, you see red shift. 340 00:19:07 --> 00:19:13 So, in principle, 341 00:19:08 --> 00:19:14 you can determine for each one of those stars 342 00:19:11 --> 00:19:17 the velocity in orbit, the radius of their orbit 343 00:19:14 --> 00:19:20 and, of course, the period of the binary system. 344 00:19:18 --> 00:19:24 So it's an extremely powerful tool in astronomy 345 00:19:21 --> 00:19:27 if you have a binary system, when the stars exactly do this, 346 00:19:24 --> 00:19:30 to determine 347 00:19:26 --> 00:19:32 all these quantities that you would like to know. 348 00:19:30 --> 00:19:36 I first would like to show you now some slides. 349 00:19:34 --> 00:19:40 350 00:19:41 --> 00:19:47 The first slide... oh, I have to lower the screen, by the way. 351 00:19:47 --> 00:19:53 That would help, wouldn't it? 352 00:19:48 --> 00:19:54 (chuckles ) 353 00:19:50 --> 00:19:56 The first slide is a spectrum made in the laboratory 354 00:19:56 --> 00:20:02 of hydrogen, helium and calcium and sodium. 355 00:20:01 --> 00:20:07 It shows you emission lines, no absorption lines. 356 00:20:05 --> 00:20:11 These lines are produced by lamps, 357 00:20:07 --> 00:20:13 and the frequencies are very well known. 358 00:20:11 --> 00:20:17 Here you see the famous sodium yellow lines. 359 00:20:13 --> 00:20:19 So here is the red part of the spectrum 360 00:20:15 --> 00:20:21 and there is the blue part of the spectrum. 361 00:20:17 --> 00:20:23 362 00:20:19 --> 00:20:25 So we know these frequencies, 363 00:20:21 --> 00:20:27 we know these wavelengths very well. 364 00:20:23 --> 00:20:29 And here you see the spectrum of the sun 365 00:20:26 --> 00:20:32 with all these absorption lines that I mentioned to you. 366 00:20:29 --> 00:20:35 It's plastered with absorption lines, 367 00:20:31 --> 00:20:37 and each of them can be identified. 368 00:20:34 --> 00:20:40 These are due to calcium, iron, hydrogen and so on. 369 00:20:37 --> 00:20:43 Here is the blue part of the spectrum, 370 00:20:39 --> 00:20:45 here is the green part, the green part, 371 00:20:42 --> 00:20:48 and here is the red part of the spectrum. 372 00:20:44 --> 00:20:50 373 00:20:46 --> 00:20:52 And here you see the basic idea behind a binary system. 374 00:20:53 --> 00:20:59 Suppose you have a binary system 375 00:20:55 --> 00:21:01 that only one star is visible and the other one is invisible 376 00:20:58 --> 00:21:04 and the one star shows you three clear absorption lines. 377 00:21:02 --> 00:21:08 Then as the star moves around the center of mass, 378 00:21:05 --> 00:21:11 you see that all these lines drift in unison. 379 00:21:08 --> 00:21:14 And out of this information 380 00:21:09 --> 00:21:15 you get the radius, the velocity and the period, 381 00:21:12 --> 00:21:18 assuming that you are on Earth 382 00:21:15 --> 00:21:21 in the plane of the orbit of the stars. 383 00:21:17 --> 00:21:23 If you have a binary system whereby both stars are visible 384 00:21:22 --> 00:21:28 so you get the spectrum of both stars, 385 00:21:25 --> 00:21:31 then you see the Doppler shift of both stars in the spectrum. 386 00:21:29 --> 00:21:35 Here we have a simple case 387 00:21:30 --> 00:21:36 that we only have two absorption lines, not to confuse the issue, 388 00:21:34 --> 00:21:40 and so in one... in the case of one star, 389 00:21:36 --> 00:21:42 the shift will be towards the left of the two lines, 390 00:21:39 --> 00:21:45 but the other star, the shift will be to the right, 391 00:21:42 --> 00:21:48 because if you have a binary system 392 00:21:44 --> 00:21:50 when one star comes to you, 393 00:21:45 --> 00:21:51 the other star goes away from you, and vice versa. 394 00:21:48 --> 00:21:54 So now you are very lucky, now you have an ideal situation 395 00:21:52 --> 00:21:58 that you can find for both stars the radius of the orbit, 396 00:21:56 --> 00:22:02 the velocity in orbit and the period for each star, 397 00:22:00 --> 00:22:06 which, of course, is the same for both. 398 00:22:03 --> 00:22:09 399 00:22:05 --> 00:22:11 And here you see real data. 400 00:22:07 --> 00:22:13 You see here, first of all, 401 00:22:08 --> 00:22:14 the emission lines which are measured in the laboratory 402 00:22:12 --> 00:22:18 that I just showed you. 403 00:22:13 --> 00:22:19 They are always done simultaneously 404 00:22:15 --> 00:22:21 with the measurements. 405 00:22:16 --> 00:22:22 You always must be sure 406 00:22:18 --> 00:22:24 that you have a good calibration of your wavelength. 407 00:22:22 --> 00:22:28 And this spectrum a, the top spectrum, is of a star, 408 00:22:25 --> 00:22:31 a binary system, that has a period of 20.5 days. 409 00:22:28 --> 00:22:34 And you see here single lines, if you have good eyes. 410 00:22:32 --> 00:22:38 That means at this very moment 411 00:22:34 --> 00:22:40 both stars move relative to you at angles of 90 degrees, 412 00:22:37 --> 00:22:43 so you don't see any Doppler shift. 413 00:22:39 --> 00:22:45 But now look here. 414 00:22:41 --> 00:22:47 Later in time, you see that this line has split in two lines 415 00:22:45 --> 00:22:51 and this one has also split in two lines. 416 00:22:47 --> 00:22:53 Clearly, one component is coming to you 417 00:22:50 --> 00:22:56 and the other component is moving away from you. 418 00:22:53 --> 00:22:59 And so you get all this useful information in astronomy 419 00:22:58 --> 00:23:04 by making the Doppler shift measurements of binary systems. 420 00:23:04 --> 00:23:10 421 00:23:11 --> 00:23:17 I want to pursue the idea of binary stars. 422 00:23:16 --> 00:23:22 They give us 423 00:23:18 --> 00:23:24 not only the information that we want regarding the orbits, 424 00:23:23 --> 00:23:29 but there is even more that we can get out of it 425 00:23:27 --> 00:23:33 which is even more exciting. 426 00:23:29 --> 00:23:35 So I will remind you what a binary system looks like. 427 00:23:33 --> 00:23:39 428 00:23:38 --> 00:23:44 Remember the second exam. 429 00:23:42 --> 00:23:48 I'm sure you will never forget that second exam 430 00:23:45 --> 00:23:51 and maybe never forgive me for that. 431 00:23:47 --> 00:23:53 432 00:23:49 --> 00:23:55 Binary system: star one, radius r1, mass m1, velocity v1, 433 00:24:02 --> 00:24:08 and star two-- going about their common center of mass-- 434 00:24:12 --> 00:24:18 mass m2, radius r2 and velocity v2. 435 00:24:22 --> 00:24:28 m1 r1 equals m2 r2. 436 00:24:27 --> 00:24:33 That's the way the center of mass is defined. 437 00:24:30 --> 00:24:36 Imagine that you as an observer 438 00:24:33 --> 00:24:39 are somewhere in the plane of this orbit, and you are here. 439 00:24:37 --> 00:24:43 And you are observing the system going around. 440 00:24:42 --> 00:24:48 Kepler's Third Law, which you derived on your exam 441 00:24:48 --> 00:24:54 as well as on an assignment: the period squared equals 442 00:24:54 --> 00:25:00 four pi squared times r1 plus r2 to the power three. 443 00:25:00 --> 00:25:06 divided by G times m1 plus m2. 444 00:25:07 --> 00:25:13 Let me check that to make sure I have that right. 445 00:25:08 --> 00:25:14 Yes, that is correct. 446 00:25:10 --> 00:25:16 Imagine now you can make 447 00:25:12 --> 00:25:18 the Doppler shift measurements of both stars. 448 00:25:15 --> 00:25:21 You make the Doppler shift measurement of star number one, 449 00:25:18 --> 00:25:24 so you measure lambda one prime as a function of time. 450 00:25:22 --> 00:25:28 Out of that pops immediately the period of rotation. 451 00:25:26 --> 00:25:32 Out of that pops the velocity, as we discussed. 452 00:25:29 --> 00:25:35 Out of that pops the radius, r1. 453 00:25:32 --> 00:25:38 And now you measure 454 00:25:33 --> 00:25:39 the Doppler shift of star two as a function of time. 455 00:25:38 --> 00:25:44 Out of that pops the period 456 00:25:40 --> 00:25:46 which, of course, better be the same. 457 00:25:42 --> 00:25:48 Out of that pops its velocity in orbit 458 00:25:44 --> 00:25:50 and out of it pops its radius. 459 00:25:47 --> 00:25:53 All these things come out of the Doppler shift measurements, 460 00:25:50 --> 00:25:56 but if you know r1 and you know r2, 461 00:25:53 --> 00:25:59 then you also know r1 plus r2, 462 00:25:56 --> 00:26:02 so you know this part in Kepler's Third Law. 463 00:26:01 --> 00:26:07 Since you also know the periods, you can find what m1 plus m2 is. 464 00:26:06 --> 00:26:12 So now you get an extra bonus. 465 00:26:08 --> 00:26:14 You know now what the sum of the mass of the two stars is 466 00:26:13 --> 00:26:19 in the binary system, but you also know that m1 r1 is m2 r2. 467 00:26:18 --> 00:26:24 So now you have two equations. 468 00:26:20 --> 00:26:26 You know what m1 plus m2 is 469 00:26:22 --> 00:26:28 and you know this equation, and you can solve for m1 and m2, 470 00:26:25 --> 00:26:31 which is an amazing thing when you come to think of it. 471 00:26:28 --> 00:26:34 So we finally end up 472 00:26:30 --> 00:26:36 with the mass of star one and the mass of star two. 473 00:26:33 --> 00:26:39 All this comes out of Doppler shift measurements: 474 00:26:36 --> 00:26:42 the velocities, the radii, the periods 475 00:26:39 --> 00:26:45 and even the masses of these objects. 476 00:26:43 --> 00:26:49 Now, if you as an observer on Earth 477 00:26:46 --> 00:26:52 are not exactly in the plane of the orbit, 478 00:26:48 --> 00:26:54 then the situation is a little bit more complicated, 479 00:26:51 --> 00:26:57 and I will not discuss that here today 480 00:26:53 --> 00:26:59 because, in principle, 481 00:26:54 --> 00:27:00 it doesn't affect the idea behind Doppler shift. 482 00:26:57 --> 00:27:03 But for astronomers, it is very important. 483 00:26:59 --> 00:27:05 It's really a nuisance, 484 00:27:01 --> 00:27:07 but I will not discuss that in any detail. 485 00:27:04 --> 00:27:10 I want to discuss a fascinating application 486 00:27:06 --> 00:27:12 that we have in x-ray astronomy. 487 00:27:10 --> 00:27:16 Namely, we have x-ray binaries. 488 00:27:13 --> 00:27:19 489 00:27:16 --> 00:27:22 What is an x-ray binary? 490 00:27:18 --> 00:27:24 Well, it is a binary system. 491 00:27:21 --> 00:27:27 This is a star not unlike our sun. 492 00:27:23 --> 00:27:29 It has as certain mass, has a certain radius, 493 00:27:25 --> 00:27:31 and it is in orbit, let's say, with a neutron star, 494 00:27:28 --> 00:27:34 even though it could be a black hole. 495 00:27:30 --> 00:27:36 But for now, let's just assume it is a neutron star. 496 00:27:33 --> 00:27:39 And if these two masses are the same, 497 00:27:35 --> 00:27:41 which I only use for the sake of simplicity-- 498 00:27:38 --> 00:27:44 in practice, they could be very different-- 499 00:27:40 --> 00:27:46 then there is a point between these two, right in the middle, 500 00:27:45 --> 00:27:51 whereby the gravitational pull in one direction is the same 501 00:27:48 --> 00:27:54 as the gravitational pull in the other direction. 502 00:27:51 --> 00:27:57 And we call that the inner Lagrangian point. 503 00:27:54 --> 00:28:00 In other words, if you were there, 504 00:27:56 --> 00:28:02 the neutron star would pull at you 505 00:27:58 --> 00:28:04 with exactly the same force as the other star. 506 00:28:01 --> 00:28:07 So you wouldn't know where to go. 507 00:28:03 --> 00:28:09 If this inner Legrangian point lies 508 00:28:07 --> 00:28:13 below the surface of this star, that means 509 00:28:10 --> 00:28:16 if the stars are a little closer than I have drawn them here, 510 00:28:13 --> 00:28:19 then the matter of this star will fall 511 00:28:16 --> 00:28:22 towards the neutron star, 512 00:28:18 --> 00:28:24 because the pull in this direction is, then, larger 513 00:28:21 --> 00:28:27 than the pull in this direction. 514 00:28:23 --> 00:28:29 Now, of course, this system is a binary system. 515 00:28:26 --> 00:28:32 They go around in the plane of the blackboard, say, 516 00:28:30 --> 00:28:36 and so this matter cannot fall radially in 517 00:28:32 --> 00:28:38 but it will fall in and spiral in 518 00:28:35 --> 00:28:41 and forms what we call an accretion disk 519 00:28:40 --> 00:28:46 around the neutron star. 520 00:28:44 --> 00:28:50 This is called the accretor and this is called the donor. 521 00:28:48 --> 00:28:54 There is mass transfer from the donor to the neutron star. 522 00:28:52 --> 00:28:58 Oops, I just noticed I misspelled the word "accretion." 523 00:28:56 --> 00:29:02 There is an "r" in "accretion." 524 00:28:58 --> 00:29:04 And as that occurs, 525 00:28:59 --> 00:29:05 there is a tremendous amount of energy that is released. 526 00:29:03 --> 00:29:09 I want to blow up the neutron star. 527 00:29:05 --> 00:29:11 Very simple 801 considerations, now. 528 00:29:10 --> 00:29:16 What comes is extremely pedestrian. 529 00:29:13 --> 00:29:19 This is the mass of the neutron star 530 00:29:16 --> 00:29:22 and this is the radius of the neutron star. 531 00:29:19 --> 00:29:25 And I take a little bit of matter m, 532 00:29:21 --> 00:29:27 and I drop it from a large distance onto the neutron star. 533 00:29:25 --> 00:29:31 At what speed 534 00:29:27 --> 00:29:33 will that little piece of matter reach the neutron star? 535 00:29:30 --> 00:29:36 You should almost be able to close your eyes 536 00:29:33 --> 00:29:39 and give me that answer right now. 537 00:29:35 --> 00:29:41 The kinetic energy when it reaches the neutron star 538 00:29:38 --> 00:29:44 equals one-half m v squared. 539 00:29:41 --> 00:29:47 That is the speed 540 00:29:42 --> 00:29:48 at which it will crash onto the neutron star, 541 00:29:45 --> 00:29:51 and that must be 542 00:29:47 --> 00:29:53 mM neutron star G divided by the radius of the neutron star. 543 00:29:52 --> 00:29:58 You always lose your m, and so you find 544 00:29:55 --> 00:30:01 that the speed at which it reaches the neutron star 545 00:29:58 --> 00:30:04 is the square root of two M neutron star 546 00:30:02 --> 00:30:08 times G divided by R neutron star. 547 00:30:04 --> 00:30:10 You should remember this equation. 548 00:30:07 --> 00:30:13 This was the equation that we had for escape velocity. 549 00:30:10 --> 00:30:16 If you were here, and you go back to infinity, 550 00:30:13 --> 00:30:19 you reach exactly that speed, so if you fall in from infinity 551 00:30:17 --> 00:30:23 that is exactly the speed 552 00:30:18 --> 00:30:24 at which you reach the neutron star. 553 00:30:19 --> 00:30:25 It should obviously be the same number. 554 00:30:21 --> 00:30:27 And you don't really have to be infinitely far away; 555 00:30:23 --> 00:30:29 you just have to be much further away 556 00:30:25 --> 00:30:31 than the radius of the neutron star. 557 00:30:29 --> 00:30:35 When this matter crashes onto the neutron star, 558 00:30:33 --> 00:30:39 the kinetic energy that is released is one-half mv squared. 559 00:30:37 --> 00:30:43 It is converted to heat, and to give you some feeling 560 00:30:42 --> 00:30:48 for the incredible power of a neutron star, 561 00:30:46 --> 00:30:52 if you make this little m as little as ten grams-- 562 00:30:50 --> 00:30:56 think of it as a pretty full-sized marshmallow-- 563 00:30:54 --> 00:31:00 and you throw a marshmallow 564 00:30:56 --> 00:31:02 from a large distance onto a neutron star, 565 00:30:58 --> 00:31:04 the energy that is released is comparable 566 00:31:01 --> 00:31:07 to the atomic bomb that was used on Hiroshima. 567 00:31:04 --> 00:31:10 A ten-gram object thrown onto a neutron star-- 568 00:31:07 --> 00:31:13 the reason being that this velocity 569 00:31:10 --> 00:31:16 becomes enormously high. 570 00:31:12 --> 00:31:18 If you put in for the neutron star 571 00:31:15 --> 00:31:21 a mass of about three times ten to the 30th kilograms, 572 00:31:20 --> 00:31:26 and you take for the radius of the neutron star 573 00:31:23 --> 00:31:29 about ten kilometers, 574 00:31:25 --> 00:31:31 you will find that that velocity becomes 575 00:31:28 --> 00:31:34 about two times ten to the eighth meters per second, 576 00:31:33 --> 00:31:39 which is about 70% of the speed of light. 577 00:31:38 --> 00:31:44 And because of thisenormous speed-- 578 00:31:40 --> 00:31:46 one-half mv squared is horrendously high-- 579 00:31:43 --> 00:31:49 it is a conversion 580 00:31:44 --> 00:31:50 of gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy 581 00:31:47 --> 00:31:53 and then ultimately to heat. 582 00:31:51 --> 00:31:57 Now, nature is transferring mass at an extraordinarily high rate 583 00:32:01 --> 00:32:07 in many of these binary systems. 584 00:32:04 --> 00:32:10 There are at least some hundred or so that we know 585 00:32:08 --> 00:32:14 in our own galaxy. 586 00:32:11 --> 00:32:17 The mass transfer rate, which I call dm/dt-- 587 00:32:15 --> 00:32:21 so that is the transfer rate 588 00:32:17 --> 00:32:23 from the donor onto the neutron star-- 589 00:32:20 --> 00:32:26 that transfer rate 590 00:32:22 --> 00:32:28 is roughly ten to the 14th kilograms per second. 591 00:32:29 --> 00:32:35 It is ahorrendous mass transfer rate. 592 00:32:32 --> 00:32:38 You can calculate-- 593 00:32:33 --> 00:32:39 by multiplying it with one-half v squared-- 594 00:32:37 --> 00:32:43 how many joules per second are released 595 00:32:39 --> 00:32:45 in the form of kinetic energy. 596 00:32:41 --> 00:32:47 That means in the form of heat. 597 00:32:43 --> 00:32:49 And I call that the power of that neutron star, 598 00:32:45 --> 00:32:51 and that, then, for this mass transfer rate, 599 00:32:49 --> 00:32:55 that's about two times ten to the 30th joules per second, 600 00:32:54 --> 00:33:00 which is watts. 601 00:32:56 --> 00:33:02 And that is about 5,000 times larger 602 00:32:58 --> 00:33:04 than the power of our own sun. 603 00:33:02 --> 00:33:08 But the temperature of this neutron star-- 604 00:33:04 --> 00:33:10 because of this enormous amount of energy released, 605 00:33:07 --> 00:33:13 the temperature would reach values 606 00:33:09 --> 00:33:15 of about ten million degrees Kelvin, 607 00:33:11 --> 00:33:17 and at that high temperature, 608 00:33:13 --> 00:33:19 the neutron star would emit almost exclusively x-rays. 609 00:33:16 --> 00:33:22 You and I are very cold bodies, only 300 degrees Kelvin. 610 00:33:20 --> 00:33:26 We radiate electromagnetic radiation 611 00:33:23 --> 00:33:29 in the infrared part of the spectrum. 612 00:33:25 --> 00:33:31 We have warm bodies. 613 00:33:26 --> 00:33:32 When you hold someone in your arms, you can feel that. 614 00:33:29 --> 00:33:35 If I would heat you up to 3,000 degrees Kelvin, 615 00:33:32 --> 00:33:38 you would become red-hot. 616 00:33:34 --> 00:33:40 And you actually... 617 00:33:35 --> 00:33:41 we could turn the light off and I would see you. 618 00:33:38 --> 00:33:44 You're just emitting red light. 619 00:33:40 --> 00:33:46 If I would heat you up to three million degrees, 620 00:33:43 --> 00:33:49 you would start to begin to radiate in x-rays. 621 00:33:46 --> 00:33:52 You may not like it, but that's a detail, of course. 622 00:33:48 --> 00:33:54 So I want you to appreciate the fact that the... 623 00:33:52 --> 00:33:58 the kind of radiation that you get depends strongly 624 00:33:55 --> 00:34:01 on the temperature, and at ten million degrees 625 00:33:57 --> 00:34:03 you're dealing almost exclusively with x-rays. 626 00:34:01 --> 00:34:07 627 00:34:05 --> 00:34:11 So these binary systems are very potent sources of x-rays. 628 00:34:08 --> 00:34:14 The neutron stars rotate around, we discussed that earlier-- 629 00:34:12 --> 00:34:18 conservation of angular momentum-- 630 00:34:14 --> 00:34:20 and they have strong magnetic fields. 631 00:34:17 --> 00:34:23 The matter that falls onto the neutron star 632 00:34:20 --> 00:34:26 already heats up during the infall 633 00:34:23 --> 00:34:29 because there is gravitational potential energy released, 634 00:34:26 --> 00:34:32 and so the matter is so hot 635 00:34:27 --> 00:34:33 that, in general, it's highly ionized. 636 00:34:30 --> 00:34:36 And highly ionized material cannot reach 637 00:34:33 --> 00:34:39 a magnetic neutron star 638 00:34:35 --> 00:34:41 in all locations that it prefers to do so. 639 00:34:38 --> 00:34:44 In 802, you will learn why that's the case. 640 00:34:41 --> 00:34:47 However, the matter can reach 641 00:34:42 --> 00:34:48 the neutron star at the magnetic poles. 642 00:34:46 --> 00:34:52 And so what you're going to see now is 643 00:34:47 --> 00:34:53 you're going to have a neutron star with magnetic poles, 644 00:34:51 --> 00:34:57 so the matter streams in onto the magnetic poles, 645 00:34:53 --> 00:34:59 which gives you two hot spots. 646 00:34:55 --> 00:35:01 And if the axis of rotation doesn't coincide 647 00:34:58 --> 00:35:04 with the line through the two hot spots, 648 00:35:01 --> 00:35:07 if the neutron star rotates, 649 00:35:02 --> 00:35:08 you're going to see x-ray pulsations. 650 00:35:05 --> 00:35:11 When the hot spot is here, you will see x-rays, 651 00:35:08 --> 00:35:14 and when the hot spot is here, you will not see x-rays. 652 00:35:11 --> 00:35:17 And so we observe from these systems x-ray pulsations. 653 00:35:16 --> 00:35:22 Now think of the following. 654 00:35:18 --> 00:35:24 The x-ray pulsations are a clock. 655 00:35:21 --> 00:35:27 It is the clock of the rotating neutron star. 656 00:35:23 --> 00:35:29 If the neutron star in a binary system-- 657 00:35:25 --> 00:35:31 because all of these are in a binary system, 658 00:35:27 --> 00:35:33 these x-ray binaries-- 659 00:35:28 --> 00:35:34 if it's coming to you, you see Doppler shift. 660 00:35:30 --> 00:35:36 The ticks of the clock come a little closer together. 661 00:35:33 --> 00:35:39 If the neutron star moves away from you, 662 00:35:35 --> 00:35:41 the ticks of the clocks are a little bit further apart. 663 00:35:38 --> 00:35:44 That is exactly what Doppler shift is all about. 664 00:35:40 --> 00:35:46 So by timing the pulses of the x-rays, 665 00:35:43 --> 00:35:49 you can get a handle 666 00:35:45 --> 00:35:51 on the Doppler shift of the neutron star. 667 00:35:47 --> 00:35:53 That means you can get the speed of the neutron star, 668 00:35:50 --> 00:35:56 you can get the radius of the orbit, 669 00:35:52 --> 00:35:58 and you can get the period, just like we discussed before. 670 00:35:55 --> 00:36:01 But now you take an optical... 671 00:35:56 --> 00:36:02 The x-ray observations, by the way, have to be made 672 00:35:58 --> 00:36:04 from outside the Earth's atmosphere, 673 00:36:00 --> 00:36:06 because x-rays are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. 674 00:36:02 --> 00:36:08 Now you take an optical telescope 675 00:36:04 --> 00:36:10 and you look from the ground, 676 00:36:05 --> 00:36:11 and now you see the optical spectrum of the donor. 677 00:36:09 --> 00:36:15 And what do you see in the donor? 678 00:36:11 --> 00:36:17 You see these absorption lines. 679 00:36:12 --> 00:36:18 And as the donor moves around the center of mass, 680 00:36:15 --> 00:36:21 these absorption lines move back and forth. 681 00:36:17 --> 00:36:23 The Doppler shift of the donor. 682 00:36:19 --> 00:36:25 So you know the velocity of the donor, 683 00:36:21 --> 00:36:27 you know the radius of the donor... 684 00:36:23 --> 00:36:29 not the radius of the donor-- 685 00:36:24 --> 00:36:30 you know the radius of the orbit, and you know the period. 686 00:36:27 --> 00:36:33 So now we have a situation that I just described earlier 687 00:36:31 --> 00:36:37 that you have the Doppler shift of both objects, 688 00:36:35 --> 00:36:41 and remember, I told you that you also get the masses. 689 00:36:39 --> 00:36:45 You get the mass of the donor and the mass of the accretor. 690 00:36:43 --> 00:36:49 691 00:36:45 --> 00:36:51 Before I go ahead, let me show you some slides. 692 00:36:49 --> 00:36:55 So we have to lower this again, if that's possible-- yep. 693 00:36:54 --> 00:37:00 694 00:36:59 --> 00:37:05 I want to show you 695 00:37:01 --> 00:37:07 an artist's conception of such a binary system. 696 00:37:05 --> 00:37:11 697 00:37:15 --> 00:37:21 So this is what it may look like. 698 00:37:18 --> 00:37:24 You see the donor there 699 00:37:20 --> 00:37:26 and you see the neutron star right here, 700 00:37:24 --> 00:37:30 so small, of course, that it's invisible. 701 00:37:26 --> 00:37:32 And this is the accretion disk. 702 00:37:28 --> 00:37:34 Swirls in, the matter ends up on the neutron star. 703 00:37:31 --> 00:37:37 And this is another view that gives you an idea of the donor 704 00:37:38 --> 00:37:44 and then the swirl of matter, 705 00:37:40 --> 00:37:46 and then it swirls in and ends up here on the neutron star. 706 00:37:45 --> 00:37:51 And here you see data that were obtained in 1971. 707 00:37:51 --> 00:37:57 It's clear evidence for the existence 708 00:37:53 --> 00:37:59 of these rotating neutron stars with these x-ray hot spots. 709 00:37:57 --> 00:38:03 You see here the observed x-ray intensity as a function of time. 710 00:38:01 --> 00:38:07 And the actual data are these very thin lines. 711 00:38:05 --> 00:38:11 And this bold line was drawn over by the authors 712 00:38:08 --> 00:38:14 to convince you that you see a signal which is highly periodic. 713 00:38:12 --> 00:38:18 The time from here to here is 1.24 seconds. 714 00:38:15 --> 00:38:21 This object was called Hercules X-1. 715 00:38:17 --> 00:38:23 So this is one of the magnetic poles 716 00:38:19 --> 00:38:25 and this is the other magnetic pole. 717 00:38:21 --> 00:38:27 One magnetic pole and the other magnetic pole. 718 00:38:23 --> 00:38:29 So you see here unmistakably the rotation of the neutron star 719 00:38:26 --> 00:38:32 and the x-ray pulsations. 720 00:38:27 --> 00:38:33 Here you see data from the same object, 721 00:38:30 --> 00:38:36 but now the time scale is very different. 722 00:38:32 --> 00:38:38 From here to here is one day. 723 00:38:34 --> 00:38:40 This is two days. 724 00:38:36 --> 00:38:42 And when you look at this data alone, forget this for now, 725 00:38:40 --> 00:38:46 notice that you see the source is active in x-rays-- 726 00:38:43 --> 00:38:49 the 1.42-second oscillations 727 00:38:45 --> 00:38:51 you cannot see, of course, anymore 728 00:38:47 --> 00:38:53 because the time scale is different, 729 00:38:49 --> 00:38:55 but notice here there are no x-rays at all: 730 00:38:51 --> 00:38:57 1.7 days later, no x-rays at all. 731 00:38:54 --> 00:39:00 1.7 days later, no x-rays at all. 732 00:38:57 --> 00:39:03 And so what you're looking at here 733 00:38:59 --> 00:39:05 are what we call x-ray eclipses. 734 00:39:01 --> 00:39:07 When the neutron star moves behind the donor star, 735 00:39:04 --> 00:39:10 all the x-rays are absorbed by the donor star 736 00:39:06 --> 00:39:12 and you get x-ray eclipses. 737 00:39:08 --> 00:39:14 In other words, you get... 738 00:39:10 --> 00:39:16 Independently from the Doppler shift 739 00:39:12 --> 00:39:18 you also get the period of the orbit by the x-ray eclipses. 740 00:39:19 --> 00:39:25 And this really changed our whole concept of astronomy, 741 00:39:26 --> 00:39:32 the existence of these neutron star binaries. 742 00:39:30 --> 00:39:36 And now comes a part, what are the masses of these objects? 743 00:39:36 --> 00:39:42 I already alluded you to the idea 744 00:39:38 --> 00:39:44 of the possibility that there may be black holes. 745 00:39:42 --> 00:39:48 All the mass measurements that have been done to date 746 00:39:45 --> 00:39:51 of these neutron stars where you see the pulsations... 747 00:39:49 --> 00:39:55 all of them are very close to 1.4 solar mass. 748 00:39:55 --> 00:40:01 And there's a good reason for that-- that's not an accident. 749 00:39:58 --> 00:40:04 In 1930, the physicist Chandrasekhar predicted 750 00:40:03 --> 00:40:09 that white dwarfs could not exist 751 00:40:06 --> 00:40:12 if their mass is larger than 1.4 solar mass. 752 00:40:09 --> 00:40:15 It was a quantum mechanical calculation 753 00:40:11 --> 00:40:17 for which he received in 1983 the Nobel Prize. 754 00:40:14 --> 00:40:20 Remember we discussed white dwarfs earlier. 755 00:40:16 --> 00:40:22 A white dwarf has about a radius of 10,000 kilometers, 756 00:40:19 --> 00:40:25 about the same as the Earth. 757 00:40:21 --> 00:40:27 And imagine that you have a white dwarf, 758 00:40:23 --> 00:40:29 and you add matter to the white dwarf 759 00:40:26 --> 00:40:32 and you pass the 1.4-solar-mass mark. 760 00:40:28 --> 00:40:34 Then the white dwarf will collapse 761 00:40:30 --> 00:40:36 and becomes a neutron star. 762 00:40:32 --> 00:40:38 And so when we measure the masses of neutron stars, 763 00:40:35 --> 00:40:41 it turns out, maybe somewhat by surprise, 764 00:40:37 --> 00:40:43 that they're all very close to 1.4. 765 00:40:41 --> 00:40:47 If you could add more matter to the neutron star 766 00:40:44 --> 00:40:50 by accreting more and more matter 767 00:40:47 --> 00:40:53 and you reach the point that the neutron star becomes 768 00:40:50 --> 00:40:56 as massive as three times the mass of the sun, 769 00:40:53 --> 00:40:59 we believe that the neutron star can no longer support itself 770 00:40:58 --> 00:41:04 and becomes a black hole. 771 00:40:59 --> 00:41:05 And so now comes the question, what is a black hole? 772 00:41:03 --> 00:41:09 A black hole is the most bizarre object that you can imagine, 773 00:41:07 --> 00:41:13 and it is something 774 00:41:09 --> 00:41:15 that you want to stay away from, too. 775 00:41:12 --> 00:41:18 A black hole has no size, unlike a neutron star. 776 00:41:18 --> 00:41:24 It has no size, but it does have mass, and it has a lot of mass-- 777 00:41:24 --> 00:41:30 three times the mass of the sun, ten times the mass of the sun, 778 00:41:27 --> 00:41:33 a hundred times the mass of the sun. 779 00:41:29 --> 00:41:35 So it has mass, but it has no size. 780 00:41:34 --> 00:41:40 We identify around the black hole a sphere with radius R 781 00:41:40 --> 00:41:46 which we call the event horizon. 782 00:41:43 --> 00:41:49 783 00:41:46 --> 00:41:52 Imagine you are at the event horizon 784 00:41:48 --> 00:41:54 and you want to get away from the black hole. 785 00:41:51 --> 00:41:57 What kind of speed do you need? 786 00:41:54 --> 00:42:00 You should be able to give me that answer immediately. 787 00:41:57 --> 00:42:03 The escape velocity must be 788 00:42:00 --> 00:42:06 2 MG divided by the radius of that event horizon. 789 00:42:05 --> 00:42:11 In other words, the radius of the event horizon itself 790 00:42:09 --> 00:42:15 equals 2 MG divided by c squared. 791 00:42:13 --> 00:42:19 If you tell me what m is, 792 00:42:15 --> 00:42:21 I will tell you what the radius of the event horizon is. 793 00:42:18 --> 00:42:24 794 00:42:19 --> 00:42:25 I went a little fast here. 795 00:42:21 --> 00:42:27 I skipped an important step. 796 00:42:23 --> 00:42:29 v is the escape velocity from the event horizon, 797 00:42:26 --> 00:42:32 which is at a distance capital R from the mass M. 798 00:42:29 --> 00:42:35 So we see that here. 799 00:42:30 --> 00:42:36 Now, this escape velocity can never be larger 800 00:42:33 --> 00:42:39 than the speed of light, so the maximum value possible is c. 801 00:42:38 --> 00:42:44 And if now you look at this part of this equation 802 00:42:41 --> 00:42:47 and you take the radius on one side, 803 00:42:43 --> 00:42:49 you'll get that the radius of the event horizon 804 00:42:46 --> 00:42:52 equals 2 MG divided by c squared, 805 00:42:53 --> 00:42:59 and that's how I found that equation. 806 00:42:55 --> 00:43:01 Sorry that I went a little too fast. 807 00:42:57 --> 00:43:03 808 00:42:58 --> 00:43:04 If M is the mass of the Earth, 809 00:43:00 --> 00:43:06 the radius of the event horizon is one centimeter. 810 00:43:03 --> 00:43:09 If M is the mass of the sun, 811 00:43:05 --> 00:43:11 the radius of the event horizon is three kilometers. 812 00:43:08 --> 00:43:14 If M is three times the mass of the sun, 813 00:43:11 --> 00:43:17 the radius of the event horizon would become ten kilometers. 814 00:43:15 --> 00:43:21 It scales linearly with the mass. 815 00:43:18 --> 00:43:24 If you were inside the event horizon, 816 00:43:20 --> 00:43:26 you could never escape the black hole 817 00:43:22 --> 00:43:28 because you would need 818 00:43:24 --> 00:43:30 a speed which is larger than the speed of light. 819 00:43:28 --> 00:43:34 Therefore, you can never escape from inside the event horizon. 820 00:43:31 --> 00:43:37 Nothing can get out of it, 821 00:43:33 --> 00:43:39 not x-rays, no radio emission, no light, nothing. 822 00:43:36 --> 00:43:42 Once you're inside the event horizon, you've had it. 823 00:43:39 --> 00:43:45 You cannot escape it. 824 00:43:40 --> 00:43:46 And so the question now that comes up: 825 00:43:43 --> 00:43:49 Can we see x-rays from a black hole? 826 00:43:45 --> 00:43:51 Because if nothing can come out of a black hole, 827 00:43:48 --> 00:43:54 how can we see x-rays? 828 00:43:49 --> 00:43:55 And the answer is yes, we can, 829 00:43:51 --> 00:43:57 because as long as the matter that swirls in 830 00:43:54 --> 00:44:00 is outside the event horizon, it would still be very hot. 831 00:43:58 --> 00:44:04 Because gravitational potential energy 832 00:44:00 --> 00:44:06 would already have been released, it would be very hot 833 00:44:04 --> 00:44:10 and it would emit x-rays. 834 00:44:06 --> 00:44:12 So we can see x-rays outside a black hole. 835 00:44:08 --> 00:44:14 However, you will never see pulsations, 836 00:44:11 --> 00:44:17 because a black hole has no surface, like a neutron star. 837 00:44:14 --> 00:44:20 So there's no such thing 838 00:44:16 --> 00:44:22 as two hot spots which rotate around. 839 00:44:18 --> 00:44:24 And so now comes the problem for astronomers: 840 00:44:21 --> 00:44:27 How can you determine the mass of the accretor 841 00:44:24 --> 00:44:30 if the accretor is not a pulsating neutron star 842 00:44:28 --> 00:44:34 but if the accretor is a black hole? 843 00:44:30 --> 00:44:36 Well, you can only now measure the Doppler shift of the donor, 844 00:44:35 --> 00:44:41 because the donor, in general, is quite well visible. 845 00:44:39 --> 00:44:45 It's an optical star. 846 00:44:41 --> 00:44:47 But you will not be able to measure 847 00:44:43 --> 00:44:49 the Doppler shift of the black hole-- no pulsations. 848 00:44:47 --> 00:44:53 If, however, an astronomer can make an estimate 849 00:44:51 --> 00:44:57 of the mass of that donor, 850 00:44:53 --> 00:44:59 then you will find the mass of the accretor. 851 00:44:56 --> 00:45:02 In other words, instead of having 852 00:44:59 --> 00:45:05 the Doppler shift measurements of both stars-- 853 00:45:02 --> 00:45:08 the neutron star and the donor star, 854 00:45:05 --> 00:45:11 which gives you the mass of two stars-- 855 00:45:07 --> 00:45:13 now you have to settle for the Doppler shift of only the donor 856 00:45:11 --> 00:45:17 and the mass of the donor itself. 857 00:45:13 --> 00:45:19 And if you have a reasonable idea of what that mass will be, 858 00:45:17 --> 00:45:23 then you can find the mass of the accretor. 859 00:45:20 --> 00:45:26 And there is a very famous case 860 00:45:22 --> 00:45:28 that was the first one discovered in the early '70s, 861 00:45:26 --> 00:45:32 which is called Cygnus X-1. 862 00:45:29 --> 00:45:35 Cygnus X-1 is an x-ray binary 863 00:45:31 --> 00:45:37 which has an orbital period of 5.6 days. 864 00:45:35 --> 00:45:41 The Doppler shift measurements of the donor were made, 865 00:45:39 --> 00:45:45 and astronomers simply looking at the spectrum-- 866 00:45:42 --> 00:45:48 at the absorption lines 867 00:45:43 --> 00:45:49 and the structure of the absorption lines 868 00:45:45 --> 00:45:51 and the kind of absorption lines-- 869 00:45:48 --> 00:45:54 were able to say, "Yeah, the mass of the donor 870 00:45:50 --> 00:45:56 is probably approximately 30 solar masses." 871 00:45:58 --> 00:46:04 And with that information and with the Doppler shift, 872 00:46:03 --> 00:46:09 you can now arrive at the mass of the accretor, 873 00:46:09 --> 00:46:15 and that is, in this case... 874 00:46:12 --> 00:46:18 oh, by the way 875 00:46:13 --> 00:46:19 there is an r missing in the word "accretion" there-- 876 00:46:16 --> 00:46:22 that mass turns out to be about 15 solar masses. 877 00:46:19 --> 00:46:25 878 00:46:22 --> 00:46:28 Now, when this was found in the early '70s, 879 00:46:25 --> 00:46:31 most people concluded this has to be a black hole. 880 00:46:28 --> 00:46:34 It is a very compact object. 881 00:46:29 --> 00:46:35 Otherwise it wouldn't emit x-rays in the first place. 882 00:46:32 --> 00:46:38 And clearly, if the mass of that compact object 883 00:46:36 --> 00:46:42 is way larger than three solar masses, 884 00:46:39 --> 00:46:45 then there is no doubt in our minds that this is a black hole. 885 00:46:42 --> 00:46:48 Since that time, 886 00:46:44 --> 00:46:50 many black hole x-ray binaries have been discovered. 887 00:46:47 --> 00:46:53 So, if I summarize, the amazing thing is 888 00:46:50 --> 00:46:56 from studying the Doppler shift 889 00:46:53 --> 00:46:59 of binary systems like x-ray binaries, 890 00:46:56 --> 00:47:02 you can derive the orbital parameters, orbital radius, 891 00:47:01 --> 00:47:07 orbital periods, the speed of the stars in orbit, 892 00:47:06 --> 00:47:12 but you can also find the masses. 893 00:47:09 --> 00:47:15 And whenever you make a measurement of the mass 894 00:47:12 --> 00:47:18 when it is a neutron star 895 00:47:13 --> 00:47:19 when you see the x-ray pulsations, 896 00:47:15 --> 00:47:21 you almost always find 897 00:47:17 --> 00:47:23 that it is very close to 1.4 times the mass of the sun. 898 00:47:20 --> 00:47:26 But in a few cases, you will find 899 00:47:22 --> 00:47:28 that the mass is substantially larger. 900 00:47:25 --> 00:47:31 Admittedly you have to do without the Doppler shift, then, 901 00:47:28 --> 00:47:34 of the accretor, but you have to use some other information, 902 00:47:30 --> 00:47:36 and then you can conclude in most cases 903 00:47:33 --> 00:47:39 with pretty good confidence 904 00:47:35 --> 00:47:41 that you're dealing with something like... 905 00:47:37 --> 00:47:43 bizarre as a black hole, 906 00:47:38 --> 00:47:44 which you can only define the event horizon... 907 00:47:41 --> 00:47:47 And you can never escape a black hole 908 00:47:44 --> 00:47:50 when you're inside the event horizon, 909 00:47:46 --> 00:47:52 because that is when the escape velocity 910 00:47:49 --> 00:47:55 would be larger than the speed of light. 911 00:47:51 --> 00:47:57 So this is the escape velocity. 912 00:47:53 --> 00:47:59 If you set that equal to c, 913 00:47:55 --> 00:48:01 then you can solve for the radius of the event horizon, 914 00:47:58 --> 00:48:04 and out of it pops this equation. 915 00:48:00 --> 00:48:06 I would like to show you now a slide of Cygnus X-1, 916 00:48:05 --> 00:48:11 which is the oldest known black hole x-ray binary. 917 00:48:09 --> 00:48:15 918 00:48:14 --> 00:48:20 I have to lower the screen. 919 00:48:17 --> 00:48:23 920 00:48:20 --> 00:48:26 And there it comes. 921 00:48:22 --> 00:48:28 922 00:48:25 --> 00:48:31 This was really a bombshell when this was discovered. 923 00:48:28 --> 00:48:34 I still remember reading that first publication. 924 00:48:31 --> 00:48:37 Two people discovered this independently, by the way. 925 00:48:34 --> 00:48:40 They came independently to the same conclusion. 926 00:48:37 --> 00:48:43 Tom Bolton and it was Paul Merlin-- 927 00:48:41 --> 00:48:47 two independent groups. 928 00:48:43 --> 00:48:49 929 00:48:50 --> 00:48:56 All right, here is an optical picture-- it is a negative, 930 00:48:55 --> 00:49:01 so you see the stars dark and you see the sky bright-- 931 00:48:59 --> 00:49:05 and right here is the star that is Cygnus X-1. 932 00:49:03 --> 00:49:09 It is the donor. 933 00:49:04 --> 00:49:10 It is a very large star, a supergiant, huge radius, 934 00:49:08 --> 00:49:14 and it is believed to have 935 00:49:10 --> 00:49:16 a mass of 30 times that of the sun. 936 00:49:12 --> 00:49:18 You see here the close-up. 937 00:49:14 --> 00:49:20 This is not the companion, believe me. 938 00:49:16 --> 00:49:22 This is just an image of that star. 939 00:49:19 --> 00:49:25 The position was... it was hard to get an accurate position. 940 00:49:23 --> 00:49:29 Various groups made a major contribution 941 00:49:26 --> 00:49:32 to finding the position. 942 00:49:28 --> 00:49:34 One of the rocket flights of MIT 943 00:49:31 --> 00:49:37 found a position that is quite precise 944 00:49:33 --> 00:49:39 and there was no doubt later... 945 00:49:35 --> 00:49:41 When the orbital period was found of 5.6 days, 946 00:49:38 --> 00:49:44 there was no doubt that this was the x-ray source. 947 00:49:41 --> 00:49:47 And so this is a system 948 00:49:42 --> 00:49:48 whereby you can only see the donor in the optical light. 949 00:49:46 --> 00:49:52 You can measure the Doppler shift of the donor, 950 00:49:49 --> 00:49:55 and by looking at the spectrum of this star alone, 951 00:49:52 --> 00:49:58 you come to the conclusion 952 00:49:54 --> 00:50:00 that the mass must be about 30 solar masses, 953 00:49:57 --> 00:50:03 and then you can argue 954 00:49:59 --> 00:50:05 that the invisible x-ray source must be a black hole. 955 00:50:02 --> 00:50:08 956 00:50:04 --> 00:50:10.000