Monday, June 10, 2024

What’s Schwarzschild radius? (ChatGPT, 2024-6-10)

The Schwarzschild radius, named after the German physicist Karl Schwarzschild, is the radius of the event horizon of a black hole. It defines the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the gravitational pull of the black hole. The Schwarzschild radius is given by the formula:


\[ R_s = \frac{2GM}{c^2} \]


where:

- \( R_s \) is the Schwarzschild radius,

- \( G \) is the gravitational constant (\(6.67430 \times 10^{-11} \, \text{m}^3 \text{kg}^{-1} \text{s}^{-2}\)),

- \( M \) is the mass of the object,

- \( c \) is the speed of light in a vacuum (\(2.998 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}\)).


### Key Points About the Schwarzschild Radius:


1. **Event Horizon**:

   - The Schwarzschild radius represents the radius of the event horizon of a non-rotating black hole. The event horizon is the "point of no return," beyond which the escape velocity exceeds the speed of light.


2. **Proportionality to Mass**:

   - The Schwarzschild radius is directly proportional to the mass of the black hole. Doubling the mass of the black hole would double the Schwarzschild radius.


3. **Black Hole Formation**:

   - When an object's physical radius becomes smaller than its Schwarzschild radius, it collapses into a black hole. This condition means that the escape velocity at the surface exceeds the speed of light.


4. **Example Calculations**:

   - For a black hole with a mass equal to that of the Sun (\( M_{\odot} \approx 1.989 \times 10^{30} \, \text{kg} \)), the Schwarzschild radius is approximately 3 kilometers.

   - For Earth, if it were to collapse into a black hole, its Schwarzschild radius would be about 9 millimeters.


5. **Applications**:

   - The concept of the Schwarzschild radius is crucial in understanding black holes, their properties, and the regions of space around them. It also plays a significant role in general relativity and astrophysics.


Understanding the Schwarzschild radius helps in comprehending the nature of black holes and the extreme gravitational effects associated with them.


意思是說,來到一個沒有光的所在,來到一個光無法脫逃的所在,