I believe many of my friends have heard of the singularity. Modern scientific theories believe that the universe is the singularity big bang that originated 13.8 billion years ago. So what is this singularity? The definition given by scientists is a mysterious thing with infinite mass, infinitely small volume, infinitely high distortion of time and space, and infinitely high heat.
So does this incredible singularity really exist? So far we have not discovered any singularity, but scientists believe that the center of the black hole may be a singularity. Black holes are believed to be familiar to everyone. They are the product of conjectures under Einstein’s theory of relativity. Scientists later confirmed the existence of black holes through observations.
A black hole is an indescribable kind of celestial body in the universe. Any matter around it will be swallowed. Even light entering the black hole cannot escape. It is precisely because of the powerful swallowing ability of black holes that we cannot see the true colors of black holes at all.
Although we cannot see the true face of a black hole, we can observe and discover the existence of a black hole. That is because the appearance of a black hole is often accompanied by an “event horizon”. This “event horizon” is actually the process of the black hole engulfing surrounding celestial bodies and matter. The outer circle formed. In the “event horizon”, the collision of various materials produces high energy released into the universe, which is observed by us.
Therefore, it is difficult for massive black holes to really hide their tracks. The “event horizon” they form is extremely bright, which is like a huge light bulb in the universe, which can easily be observed by us. And there is a massive black hole in the center of every galaxy. The center of our Milky Way galaxy is a very bright area, and there may be a supermassive black hole there.
The reason why a black hole is black is that no light can escape from the black hole’s horizon. Therefore, humans cannot observe the scene inside the black hole. So what is the essence of black holes? Scientists speculate that the black hole may be a singularity, which is the product of the evolution of a massive star to its end.
We all know that a star has a lifespan, and the lifespan is different depending on the mass. The larger the mass of the star, the longer the lifespan, while the lifespan of massive stars is often only tens of millions of years. When they reach the end, the inner core is no longer stable and gradually collapses, finally forming a singularity.
Therefore, we can also regard the singularity as a special kind of celestial body, its mass is incredible, but its volume is extremely small. Scientists say that if the Earth is compressed into a 9mm ball, it will become a singularity, which will create a black hole. It’s just that this black hole is too small to last for too long, and it will soon evaporate.
The essence of the birth of a black hole is a singularity produced by ultra-high-density matter. As long as the matter can be compressed to an extreme, a singularity can be formed and a black hole can be formed. However, what we currently know is that only massive stars can achieve the ability to compress matter to the extreme.
Regarding the mystery of the singularity, although we have a lot of speculation and research, there is uncertainty in everything before it is actually observed. So can humans observe the singularity? At present, we do not have the ability to do so. Scientists guess that the center of a black hole is a singularity, but we cannot penetrate the horizon of the black hole to actually observe the singularity inside.
This result makes us feel frustrated. For every scientist who studies celestial bodies, observing singularities is believed to be a grand wish. However, we cannot realize such a wish. In 2020, Nobel Prize winner Penrose put forward a theory: “The universe prohibits human beings from seeing any “singularity” in a black hole.
After this theory was put forward, it has been supported and recognized by many scientists. Seeing this, many friends may not understand: Why does the universe prohibit humans from observing singularities? Is there any major secret hidden in this singularity? Scientists say that the purpose of the universe is to protect us. Why?
We all know that human beings can have the current good life and the current scientific and technological achievements, inseparable from the discovery of various laws of physics. In the eyes of many people, the laws of human physics apply to the entire universe and to every corner of the universe. But Einstein’s general theory of relativity put forward the theory of space-time bending.
The general theory of relativity points out that the universe is not uniform in time and space, and the “curvature of space and time” is different in different locations. The higher the density of matter, the higher the curvature of space and time. The normal cosmic space position, although there is also the existence of time-space curvature, but the influence is very small, and it will not have much impact on our physical laws. The human physical laws still apply to these cosmic spaces.
But if it is in a cosmic position where the curvature of space-time is particularly exaggerated, then the situation is completely different, and it may completely invalidate our laws of physics, which is of no use. Does such a position exist in the universe? The answer is yes, these locations are where the black hole is located, that is, the area where the singularity is located.
Singularity is characterized by its infinite mass and infinite density, so the space-time distortion near the singularity is particularly exaggerated. The curvature of space-time is the highest in the universe, and the essence of gravity is the curvature of space-time. After the curvature of time-space reaches a particularly exaggerated degree, Then the space around it will be completely different, and the laws of human physics will no longer apply here.
Our physical theories, laws of physics, etc. are all based on a flat space-time, but if the curvature of space-time is so high that even light cannot escape near the singularity, then everything will fail. Without the support of physical theory, we cannot make an accurate description of the movement of matter.
Therefore, human physical theories cannot describe things near the singularity, and cannot describe things in black holes. This will make humans lose the ability to describe the future, and will create more obstacles to human scientific exploration, which is not conducive to scientific research. development of. We must know that once we see the singularity and see that the physical theory of mankind has no effect, it may give us an illusion: all the scientific systems we are studying now may be wrong.
Once human beings have doubts about the scientific theories they are studying, it will cause the slow development of human civilization and, in serious cases, may bring human science and technology into a state of stagnation. Therefore, for the future of mankind, in order to protect mankind, the universe will not let us see the singularity. Of course, this prohibition is not permanent, but a temporary blockade.
As long as the scientific road of mankind can continue to develop, our knowledge of the universe and the singularity will also increase. When science develops to a certain level, it may be possible to develop some scientific theories specifically for the space of singularities. At that time, the universe will unlock the prohibition of singularities and let us see its true colors. It is believed that by that time, the scientific and technological strength of mankind will also develop to an extremely high stage and enter the ranks of advanced civilizations in the universe.