This is a cutting-edge basic science project related to mankind and the universe, from the "cosmic dark matter and dark energy research group of the National Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences", called the "Teana project".
The research team has built a 'radio' composed of an array of radio telescopes in the Gobi desert, Xinjiang, and has received 400tb of cosmic information, looking forward to solving the mystery of cosmic dark energy.
On September 7, 2019, the 'future science award' was announced in Beijing, and a total of four scientists received a total amount of US $3 million.
The announcement of the award once again aroused people's curiosity about future science. In fact, many people in China are doing cutting-edge basic science research related to it.
In 2014, a team of astronomers came to the vast Gobi desert in dahongliuxia Township, Balikun County, Xinjiang. Against the heat and cold, they built a 'radio' composed of an array of radio telescopes, looking forward to hearing the 'sound of nature' of the universe. The team is called the "cosmic dark matter and dark energy research group of the National Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences".
September 14, 2019, cover news' 70 years & middot; The interview group of "Tianlu Xing" came to the Hongliuxia observatory to talk to Wang Yougang, a researcher of the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Wang Yougang revealed that in the eyes of chief scientist Chen Xuelei, the radio telescope array is like a 'radio' listening to the sounds of the universe. At present, 400tb of cosmic information has been received. The preliminary analysis results are expected to be released globally in November this year.
Wang Yougang also believes that "there is a greater possibility of aliens in the universe." If I contact aliens, my first sentence should be & lsquo; Hello, alien;. Whether you understand or not is another matter. "
Observe what
Dark energy causing accelerated expansion of the universe
In September in Balikun, the sun is blazing. Located at the foot of Tianshan Mountain, more than half of the county is mountainous and Gobi.
Starting from the county seat, crossing the vast Gobi and no man's land along the provincial road, and arriving at dahongliuxia Township 180 kilometers later. Behind the township health center, there is a newly-built colored steel tile house, which is the Hongliuxia observation station of the National Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
There are small kitchens, meeting rooms, dormitories, digital computer rooms and analog computer rooms in the station, and all kinds of equipment are in operation. " The digital machine room and analog machine room are responsible for receiving the data collected by the detector. " Wang Yougang is a member of this research group. Recently, he and his colleagues are busy analyzing the information collected by the Observatory from the universe.
In the unmanned area 12 kilometers away from the observation station, a row of 'pot covers' similar to TV signal receivers and a row of large cylindrical' steel beds' are also installed to form a matrix and stand in the desert.
"These two devices are actually radio telescopes. They face the north pole and are used to receive cosmic dark matter and dark energy information. After collecting the signal, it will be sent back to the digital room of the observation station for processing. " Wang Yougang introduced that there is a kind of material in the universe that can't be seen or touched, but it accounts for 70% of the density of the universe and promotes the accelerated expansion of the universe. This material is called dark energy in astronomy.
But so far, human beings do not know what the root of this energy is. Wang Yougang and his team hope to solve the mystery through these two different radio telescopes in the Gobi desert.
"The current method of sky survey is to fix the telescope, and the radio telescope will scan the whole sky area under the action of the earth's rotation." Wang Yougang said.
Where is the station site
After four years' settlement 'in the Gobi desert of Xinjiang
Why is the observation base located in the vast Gobi desert? According to Wang Yougang, most radio signals in the universe are relatively weak, so the observation station should choose a place with less electromagnetic interference, stable geological structure and relatively convenient water, electricity and other supplies. " In order to select excellent stations, we started in 2009 and continued to 2013. We searched for four years and selected more than 200 candidate stations. " Finally, the research team located the observation station in Dahong Liuxia Township, Balikun County, Hami City.
The project to study dark energy and dark matter has also been given a beautiful name by the team of nine astronomical scientists - 'Teana project'. Chen Xuelei, chief scientist and project leader, once said that the word "sounds" generally refers to "sound", and "sounds of nature" is "the voice of the universe".
"If we make a vivid analogy, we put a radio in the Gobi desert in Xinjiang to listen to the voice from the universe." He said.
Are there aliens
Observers say 'there is a great possibility of existence'
When it comes to fast radio storms, some scientists believe that this is a signal sent by aliens to the earth.
Wang Yougang denied this claim.
"Fast radio storm is a strong signal in the universe, which appears and disappears rapidly. Scientists have a preliminary understanding of some of its properties through some observation means. Judging from various astronomical discoveries in history, it is almost impossible to say that it is a signal sent by aliens to the earth. "
"However, I personally believe that the possibility of aliens is great." Wang Yougang said that the universe is too big. It is possible to have extraterrestrial life, but now humans have not made contact with it.
'if I get in touch with aliens, my first sentence will be & lsquo; Hello, alien;. Whether you can understand is another matter. "
Popular science
Why study cosmic dark energy
Wang Yougang said that astronomical research is basic research and may not have economic benefits in a short time. But in the long run, its breakthrough will have a far-reaching impact on social and economic development. " For a simple example, WiFi we use now is actually a method taken by astronomers when extracting weak signals. It is widely used later to let people surf the Internet and enter the wireless era. "
What's the difference between the sounds of nature and the eyes of heaven
What is the difference between Hongliuxia radio telescope matrix 'Tianlai' and Guizhou 'Tianyan'?
Wang Yougang said that the 'heavenly eye' is the most sensitive telescope in the world for low-frequency measurement in the international radio field. However, a ruler is short and an inch is strong. Although the 'Teana' is not as sensitive as the 'heavenly eye', its biggest advantage is that it can be seen at one time. It is much larger than the heavenly eye, and the sky survey speed is also very fast. " And & lsquo; Sounds of nature & rsquo; And & lsquo; Heavenly eye & rsquo; Similarly, fast radio bursts can be detected. Just from the search for fast radio bursts, & lsquo; Heavenly eye & rsquo; The efficiency is not up to & lsquo; Sounds of nature & rsquo; Yes. "