Compiled by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liwang and Qin Ying.
Xichang, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A new astronomical satellite launched by China on Jan. 9 will use a new detection technology inspired by lobster eyes to capture the mysterious phenomena in the universe that appear and disappear like fireworks, revealing a little-known side of the universe.
The Einstein probe satellite sent into space by a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center weighs 1At 45 tons, it is the size of a large off-road vehicle, and it looks like a double-stamen lotus flower with 12 petals in full bloom.
Yuan Weimin, the chief scientist of the satellite and a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who has been engaged in space astronomy research for more than 30 years, said: "This is the most beautiful satellite I have ever seen, the 'Petals' are 12 wide-field X-ray telescopes, and the 'Stamen' are two follow-up X-ray telescopes. ”
The telescopes form a space observatory that will help scientists capture the first rays of light from supernovae bursts, search for and pinpoint sources of gravitational waves, and discover hidden black holes and more distant and faint objects and phenomena in the universe. Black holes and gravitational waves are both important predictions made by Einstein's general theory of relativity, hence the name of the satellite.
Raging Universe.
Yuan Weimin, who likes to look up at the brilliant galaxy since he was a child, said that the starry sky that the human eye can see is quiet and peaceful, but in fact, there are many violent celestial activities in the universe, such as the death of supermassive stars, black holes tearing apart and devouring stars, and strange neutron stars and black holes colliding with each other and merging ......
In 1054 A.D., astronomers at the court of the Northern Song Dynasty recorded a supernova explosion that could compete with the bright moon, and nearly a thousand years later, mankind discovered its relics, the crab nebula and its neutron stars, which became China's major contribution to the world's astronomical research.
Some of the physical nature and processes of these explosive objects are still unclear to us about the physical nature and processes that make up the universe and arise from the critical stages of the evolution of celestial bodies and the formation and evolution of compact objects, and they can be used as probes for cosmology, galaxy studies, and laboratories for exploring the laws of physics under extreme conditions. The study of them can help us answer the most basic scientific questions about what the universe consists of, what physical laws govern how it works, and how the universe begins and ends. Yuan Weimin said.
These miraculous eruptive objects and phenomena often emit X-rays, but X-rays cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, he said. It wasn't until humans had the ability to send probes into space that the X-ray band discovered the other side of the universe that kept shining like fireworks.
At 15:03 on January 9, China successfully launched the Einstein probe satellite using a Long March-2C carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and the satellite successfully entered the predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhang Jing).
"Lobster eyes" in space
These eruptions and phenomena are often sudden and unpredictable, and are known as transient sources. The tentative sources that scientists have discovered so far are only the tip of the iceberg in the universe, so how can we capture more of them?
It's like going to the river to fish, we don't know where the fish come from, we can only weave a big net. Ling Zhixing, a satellite payload scientist, said that the wide-field X-ray telescope is a "big net" sprinkled into the universe, which can observe 1 12 of the whole day at the same time.
This kind of telescope is a special new type of X-ray telescope developed by scientists inspired by the peculiar focused imaging principle of lobster eyes, which is the first time in the world to realize full-day monitoring and X-ray focused imaging with a large field of view.
Ling Zhixing said that thanks to the use of lobster eye telescope technology, the Einstein probe can carry out large-field, high-sensitivity, and fast time-domain survey monitoring of soft X-ray bands that are currently poorly understood.
The X-ray telescopes on the satellites are developed by China-led and internationally cooperated, and these two telescopes have a large photon receiving area, high sensitivity, and large field of view, which are not only suitable for rapid follow-up observation of temporary sources of celestial bodies, but also can independently discover eruption sources and temporary sources. Chen Yong, a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who is responsible for the research and development, said.
Zhang Chen, assistant to the chief scientist, said that when the wide-field X-ray telescope receives the X-ray signal from the temporary source, the spaceborne computer will process the observed data in real time, extract the orientation and brightness information of the temporary source, adjust the satellite attitude towards the celestial body, and carry out high-precision tracking observations with the X-ray telescope, and the two telescopes complement each other.
The project team also independently developed a CMOS (an image sensor) detector that can observe space X-rays, which is another important innovation in X-ray astronomical detection technology.
The Einstein probe will carry out systematic sky survey monitoring of high-energy transient objects in the universe;It is expected to discover the hidden silent black hole and study its formation, evolution and material accretion processSearch for X-ray signals from gravitational wave events and pinpoint them;Objects and phenomena such as neutron stars, white dwarfs, supernovae, and early cosmic gamma bursts will also be observed.
I look forward to discovering new phenomena and new celestial bodies that have never been seen or known to mankind. Yuan Weimin said.
According to reports, the Einstein probe is another space science satellite developed by the second phase of the space science pilot project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, following Taiji-1, Huairou-1 and Kuafu-1, and the European Space Agency and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics of Germany jointly participated in the satellite project.
*: Xinhuanet).