Black holes prize

Leading researcher at the theoretical physics department of Fian, professor of MIF, doct. physical. Sciences Vasily Beskin commented on the award of the Krauford Academy of Sciences of Sweden in astronomy for the TRV-HOW. The award was awarded professor at the University of Kenterbury (New Zealand) Roy Kerr and Professor of Stanford University (USA) Roger Blandford for their “fundamental work on rotating black holes and their astrophysical applications”.

Recently, I accidentally stumbled upon words that belong to Vladimir Igorevich Arnold: “Being a mathematician by profession, I have to constantly rely on evidence in my work, but on sensations, guesses and hypotheses, moving from one fact to another type of insight, which makes you see common features in the phenomena, perhaps that seemed unrelated to each other. outsider. " What Roy Kerr did in 1963 both Roger Blandford and Roman Rada in 1977 was just such a breakthrough. Because the final, including strict mathematical, confirmation of the results they received was performed only after many years.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the names of Kerra and Blandford became household. With their works, they set a whole scientific direction in physics and astrophysicist, which is now engaged in a huge number of researchers. Indeed, when we talk about the Kerrov black hole , everyone understands that we are talking about the metric of a rotating black hole. It was Kerr that was the first to find the exact suspicious solution of the equations of the general theory of relativity of Einstein in the absence of external masses and fields.

The number of such solutions can be counted on the fingers. The first of them-Schwarzshild’s decision for a central symmetric case-was found in 1916. As you know, the properties of black holes are completely determined only by three parameters, namely their mass, momentum of the pulse and an electric charge. The decision for the case when the charge is zero, just received Kerr. Now they like to talk about the "level of engineering calculations." This decision is a certain basis on which all other processes can be considered: how the substance moves, how jet emissions are generated, how the plasma radiates.

When we talk about the effect of Blandford-the knowledge, or, abbreviated, about the BZ effect, all astrophysicists perfectly understand that the rotating black hole, immersed in the external magnetic field, can lose energy and, therefore, be a source of activity in many astrophysical objects. The theoretical result obtained by them (in fact completely non -obvious) is now one of the key points at which modern astrophysics is built. At many conferences, the Blandford name is mentioned in connection with the topics of individual sections. Because the very possibility of extracting energy from a rotating black hole was so important and fundamental that it has opened the opportunity for further research.

Let me remind you that now the majority of astrophysicists believe that black holes in the universe have already been discovered, although it must always be remembered that the found objects are still only candidates for black holes. Currently, a dozen two galactic black holes are found, included in double systems, with a mass of about 10-50 masses of the Sun. In addition, several hundred ultra -massive black holes with masses of 106–109 masses of the Sun are located in the centers of distant galaxies. In our galaxy, a black hole has a not very large mass of about 106 masses of the sun.

The question of which black hole rotating or not rotating, we are dealing with the history of its occurrence, namely, whether there was a fairly large moment of the pulse of the gas or stars, which eventually turned into a black hole. Unfortunately, there are no direct evidence of the existence of rotating black holes yet. Only recently, due to greater progress in radio -autonomy, which allows to significantly increase the angular resolution of telescopes, did the hope appear that the black hole in our galaxy will finally be “allowed” and it will be possible to say whether it rotates whether it is rotated or not.

In conclusion, I would like to add that in fact, R. Blandford has only a few articles on black holes. However, his article with R. Knowcin enters his “grandmaster” series of 8 works, which have more than 1000 links. The funnyness is that in addition to working with R. Knowing, the same row includes another publication with D. Payne, regarding another mechanism for energy release from the central machine, in which the main role itself is no longer a black hole, but the surrender disk surrounding it. The question of how these two mechanisms have played a greater role in specific sources are actively discussed for many years.

We met Roger Blandford many times, since I myself have been involved in the problem of the central machine in active galactic nuclei for a long time. He was our guest at the Ginzburg Conference, which was held in 2012 by the Fian. And now we also invite him to enter the ADVISORY Committee conferences dedicated to the centenary of V. L. Ginzburg, which will be held in May next year. He is a very pleasant person in communication, who did not “booked”, despite the undoubted merits, and I am very happy for him.

Recorded by Natalia Demina