January 9th at 15:03, Long March 2 Liren RocketsWith Einstein Probe (EP), the Einstein probe is successfully launched at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
This X -ray observatory running at 600 kilometers away from the surface of the ground is mainly used to monitor high energy in the universe temporary celestial body and drama transformation celestial body.These celestial bodies are often related to the scientific predictions of Einsteins theory of relativity such as black holes and gravitational waves.ID = "34GQKVLP"> The Einstein probe satellite has used lobster -eye microporous arrays for the first time in the world to focus on imaging technology.The picture shows Einstein probe satellite schematic diagram (Source/ The Institute of Micro Satellite Innovation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
The changeable universe
The universe is like a stage full of vitality and changes, and every moment is staged a new plot.
In addition to the long evolution of billions of years, such as galaxy, the expansion of the universe, the universe is also full of a large number of temporary celestial and drama monetic celestial bodies, such as the outbreak of supernova, the double -middle star starAnd combined, black hole tide to disintegrate stars and so on.Their brightness can occur several significant changes in the time of time, day, or even seconds.
In addition, different from our common sun and stars, the "light" from many dramas into celestial body is mainly X -rays and γ -rays.These two rays are the same as visible light, both of which are electromagnetic waves.The light of different colors has different frequencies, but the frequency of X -rays and γ -rays is higher and photonic energy.
The strange scene of the X-ray band
Observe the universe in the X -ray band, you will find that the scene you see is very different from the visible light wave section.
Although the earth is illuminated by X -rays from many celestial bodies, they are basically absorbed due to interaction with the atmosphere and cannot be detected on the surface.Therefore, if we want to observe the universe from the X -ray band, we must launch the X -ray telescope to space.
The contradictions that look wide and far away
View wide
Most of the temporary sources (those celestial or astronomical phenomena that suddenly appear in the sky and then disappear quickly) are far away from usIt was completely involved before the outbreak.This makes us unable to predict the time and position they appear.Therefore, we need a long -view telescope to capture these magnificent universe fireworks in time.
To this end, people have adopted non -aggregating straight line optical technology in the previous large -scale X -ray telescope. In shortThe thick metal plate with a lot of slits can only pass from the gap, but it is difficult to see a darker celestial body, and it is difficult to obtain a more accurate location for observation targets.
Far look
To see the farther dim X -ray celestial body, you need to focus the imaging.
The focusing imaging of the visible light can be easily implemented by refraction and reflection.However, X -ray photon energy is extremely high, so high enough to interact with molecules and atoms, so they will not be simply refracted or reflected in most cases.
X -rays can only be focused by rating.Due to the very small angle of the ejaculation, for the parallel light from a distant celestial body radiation, only a very small part will be incorporated into a certain layer of reflex surface and focused on imaging, resulting in low efficiency of photon collection.In order to see a more darker and more celestial bodies, people need to nested as many as dozens of to hundreds of parallel reflex surfaces in X -ray focusing imaging systems to increase photon collection.There is an atomic ups and downs.This makes the telescope huge and costs.Whats more troublesome is that the plunders widely used X -ray focusing imaging system, the Wolter I -type optical system, is very small.How to "look wide" and "see far" have become bottlenecks that plagued X -ray astronomical development.
Revelation from Lobster
Lobster has a pair of pairs of many pairs from many.Ballical compound eye composed of square microres.The axes of these microporous are pointed at the center of the ball, which enables the incident light to focus on the retina after reflection.
In 1979, American astronomer J. Roger P. Angel was inspired by lobster eyes and proposed "lobster -eye X -ray telescope" -due to any direction incidentsLight can always find some micropores that meet the focus of focusing imaging, so the lobster eye telescope has the potential to expand the field of view to the whole day.But due to technical restrictions, it was only an idea at the time.
(Figure Yuanyuan National Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Pioneers who focus on imaging
Thanks to the advancement of micro -machining technology, people can make millions of millions on the surface of metal glass tablets.Very smooth tiny square holes, so that a large amount of light and precise microphole optical devices are made in large quantities, which makes it possible to make lobster -eye X -ray telescope.
Scientists at the National Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have started to develop microphone lobster eye technology since 2010.In just a few years, they turned a principle concept into a real set of device. In the end, not only did the instrument leader in the world, but also sent the telescope to the vast star sea in one step.
Lotus blooming in space
The shape of the Einstein probe satellite looks like a blooming lotus flower—— "petal" is a Wide-Field X-Ray Telescope (WXT) composed of 12 independent modules.(Follow-up x-Ray Telescope, referred to as FXT).
"Petal"
—— Wide vision field X -ray telescope
The wide -view field X -ray telescope is mainly used to monitor the hurried temporary sources.Each module is spliced from 36 lobster -eye microporous optical devices.The 12 modules point to different directions, providing a viewing field of up to 3,600 square meters (for measuring units occupied by the sky body in the sky).Full observation of Yetian District.
At the same time, the wide -view field X -ray telescope also uses 48 complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS) image sensors to collect the photons focusing on "lobster eyes" and transform it.For electricity signals.This is also the first time in the field of astronomical use of CMOS detectors, which greatly reduces the complexity and cost of the telescope, and has a super fast reading speed.
The picture shows the detection image of the Einstein probe satellite in the direction of the silver heart.Purple and blue are X -ray celestial bodies and thermal gas detected by the wide field X -ray telescope; the field of view of the wide -looking X -ray telescope is based on white frames; the background map is the image of the Galaxy in the optical band (source/ChinaSciences, Digital Cattering Projects of Southern Observatory)
"Hua Rui"
X -ray telescope
Astronomy is an observation -driven science.Every time the observation ability is improved, new astronomical discovery and breakthrough progress will be produced.
In order to better study the dramatic celestial body discovered by the wide -looking X -ray telescope, scientists have developed the X -ray telescope with the X -ray telescope.
In order to obtain high -quality observation data in the first time when the appearance of the celestial body, the Einstein probe satellite research and development team has set up unique observation strategies: as the wide field of view XWhen the ray telescope finds a new gathered body, the satellite will immediately turn to the direction of the neonatal body, and use the X -ray telescope to observe it with a high -precision observation.
After the X-ray telescope (Source/Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
With the advantages of large fields and high sensitivity, the Einstein probe satellite detects dozens of gamma ray storms, more than 400 stars, and many unknown dark X -ray sources in just over half a year.Essence
In the future, with the accumulation of massive observation data of the Einstein probe satellite, we will be expected to find the medium -quality black hole that you are not willing to appear.Electromagnetic signals; understand the formation of large -quality black holes, the origin of gravitational wave incidents, and the predecessor of the supernova, and other scientific issues, and see the true appearance of the mysteries of the universe.
The members of the Einstein probe project team of the National Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also contribute to this article
Draft | Liu Mingjun
Editor in charge | Gao Lin Zhang Lihan
Operation Edit | Zhang Lihan
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❖ Source: "Knowledge is Power" magazine
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