Sometimes science comes to light that challenges even our most basic assumptions about the
universe.
But don't fret, 'Standard Model of Physics,' QUANTUM LAW WILL PROTECT US.
BAH BAH BAH!
Hi there you lovely lumps of degenerate matter!
Trace here for DNews.
You may remember your schoolbook definition of friction: a resistive force that counteracts
the motion of an object across a surface.
For example: you can feel friction from the air when running, and friction from your hands
when you rub them together…
But, if a pulsar is spinning in the "vacuum" of space, which is full of, well, nothing,
then what the heck could be causing friction?
Hold on to that thought.
We'll come back to it.
First, we have to talk neutron stars.
These collapsed stars are stellar husks of densely packed neutrons, the tiny particles
that you find in the nuclei of atoms.
They form after a big star goes boom.
That’s right, when a star of a certain mass a few times bigger than our sun runs out of
hydrogen fuel and explodes as a supernova, a tiny ball of dense matter only a dozen miles
across is left in its wake.
Because there’s so much matter crammed into such a small space, gravity becomes so powerful
that these neutrons are compressed into one of the densest forms of matter possible in
nature -- this is called degenerate matter.
I can't really emphasize enough how dense this stuff is.
A shot glass filled with neutron star matter would weigh as much as Mount Everest!
A SHOT GLASS.
Needless to say, these objects are extreme.
Stars, just like planets and, well, everything in space, are spinning.
Neutron stars retain the spin and magnetic field of their parent star, and often turn
into pulsars -- which are basically rapidly spinning uber magnets!
Powerful radiation blasts into space from the magnetic poles of the neutron stars, and
if, by chance, those poles sweep past Earth as the pulsar spins, we see an intense pulse
of radiation occurring at very precise intervals (even though we're many millions of miles
away).
The pulses are so regular, that some astronomers think these pulsars are better time keepers
than the most precise atomic clocks on Earth.
However, research published in the Astrophysical Journal suggests that there’s something
slowing the spin of these pulsars...
And now we're back to friction in space!
You see, the thing with “empty space” is that it’s not actually “empty”.
Even if you could grab a volume of space-time and completely suck out all the particles
of gas and dust, the vacuum still wouldn’t be empty; it’s buzzing with particles appearing
and disappearing from our universe.
This is known as the “quantum vacuum” and after decades of quantum physics theories,
scientists have finally realized the quantum vacuum is brimming with what they call “virtual
particles.”
Virtual particles are like ghostly apparitions that pop into existence from the vacuum but
then immediately vanish.
It's kinda freaky.
It sounds like this should break some kind of sacred law of physics, right?
Well, it turns out these virtual particles appear and disappear so fast that they do
nothing wrong in the eyes of the law.
Quantum law, that is.
Damn.
I wish that was a late-night science fiction show.
I would totally watch that.
Though these particles are technically called "ghosts," they have a very real impact on
spacetime and the objects in it.
A good example is Hawking radiation.
Hawking Radiation is a phenomenon which causes black holes to evaporate because these virtual
particles pulls mass from the black hole.
Don’t take my word for it, my bae Stephen Hawking says so.
And, if they can do that, it doesn't seem too large a stretch to think these virtual
particles may also create friction in the vacuum of space, making pulsars slow their
spin as they sap them of energy.
This happens because the virtual particles may have their own tiny magnetic fields, which
could interact with the pulsar's magnetic field, slowing it down.
So, it's not like friction as WE understand it, but it's definitely out there, they think.
Another question is: can this quantum friction be measured?
According to critics of this theory, the friction would be so slight that it probably can’t
be detected, and other slowing mechanisms might be at play, such as magnetic radiation
that would totally have a stronger slowing effect.
But still, it’s cool to think that even in the vacuum of space there may cause friction
on objects, proving, once again, just how strange our universe is.
Don't take assumptions for granted.
When I want to have OTHER people tell me more about space, I like to binge on How The Universe
Works and Through the Wormhole.
I do so right on my phone and you can too with ScienceGo!
Watch your favorite Science Channel shows anywhere, anytime.
Download for free at your app store now.
But what about if YOU were thrown into the vacuum of space?
What would happen to your body?
Good news - i looked into that here.
Did this blow your mind a little bit?
Too much?
Should we do more of these complex higher-level DNewses?
Let me know in the comments, make sure you subscribe
so you get more DNews. We'll see you next time.