How cosmic rays help us understand the universe - Veronica Bindi

Kako nam kosmički zraci pomažu da razumemo svemir? - Veronika Bindi (Veronica Bindi)

Prevodilac: Tijana Mihajlović Lektor: Mile Živković

How much can we really know about the universe beyond our galaxy?

Koliko zaista možemo znati o svemiru izvan naše galaksije?

The Hubble Telescope has enabled us to see

Teleskop Habl nam je omogućio da vidimo

objects in space as far 13,000,000,000 light years away.

objekte u svemiru koji su udaljeni čak 13 000 000 000 svetlosnih godina,

But this still doesn't give us the answers to all our questions,

ali nam ovo i dalje ne daje odgovore na sva naša pitanja,

questions like, "What is the universe made of?"

kao što su: „Od čega se svemir sastoji?”

"Which elements are the most abundant?"

„Kojih elemenata ima najviše?”

"Does space contain undiscovered forms of matter?"

„Da li svemir ima neotkrivene oblike materije?”

"Could there be antimatter stars or galaxies?"

„Da li možda postoji antimaterija zvezda i galaksija?”

Some of these questions cannot be answered solely from visual images,

Na neka od ovih pitanja ne može se odgovoriti

samo na osnovu vizuelnih slika,

but what if we had messengers bringing us physical data

ali šta bi bilo ako bismo imali glasnike

koji nam donose fizičke podatke

from distant parts of the cosmos,

iz udaljenih delova kosmosa,

beyond the reach of explorers or satellites?

van dometa istraživača ili satelita?

In a way, we do, and these "space messengers" are called cosmic rays.

Na neki način imamo,

a ovi „svemirski glasnici” zovu se kosmički zraci.

Cosmic rays were first discovered in 1912 by Victor Hess

Kosmičke zrake je prvi otkrio Viktor Hes 1912. godine,

when he set out to explore variations in the atmosphere's level of radiation,

kada je krenuo da istražuje varijacije atmosferskog nivoa radijacije,

which had been thought to emanate from the Earth's crust.

za koju se mislilo da proističe iz Zemljine kore.

By taking measurements on board a flying balloon during an eclipse,

Kroz merenja koja je radio na letećem balonu tokom pomračenja Sunca,

Hess demonstrated both that the radiation actually increased

Hes je demonstrirao i da se radijacija zapravo povećala

at greater altitudes and that the sun could not be its source.

na većim visinama, i da Sunce ne može biti njen izvor.

The startling conclusion was that it wasn't coming from anywhere

Zapanjujući zaključak bio je

within the Earth's atmosphere but from outer space.

da ne dolazi iz Zemljine atmosfere, već iz dubokog svemira.

Our universe is composed of many astronomical objects.

Naš svemir se sastoji od mnogih astronomskih objekata -

BIllions of stars of all sizes, black holes, active galactic nuclei,

milijardi zvezda svih veličina, crnih rupa, aktivnih galaktičkih jezgra,

astroids, planets and more.

asteroida, planeta i još mnogo toga.

During violent disturbances, such as a large star exploding into a supernova,

Tokom silovitih potresa, kao što je eksplozija ogromne zvezde u supernovi,

billions of particles are emitted into space.

na milijarde čestica emituje se u svemir.

Although they are called rays,

Iako se nazivaju zracima,

cosmic rays consist of these high energy particles

kosmički zraci se sastoje od čestica velike energije,

rather than the photons that make up light rays.

a ne od fotona koji čine svetlosne zrake.

While the light from an explosion travels in a straight line

Dok svetlo iz eksplozije putuje pravolinijski

at its famous constant speed,

po čuvenoj konstantnoj brzini,

the particles are trapped in extraordinary loops

čestice su zarobljene u neobičnim krugovima

by magnetic shockwaves generated by the explosion.

udarnim talasima stvorenim eksplozijom.

Crossing back and forth through these magnetic field lines

Prelaženje napred-nazad kroz linije magnetnog polja

accelerates them to almost the speed of light before they escape.

ubrzava ih skoro do brzine svetlosti pre nego što pobegnu.

There are lots of cosmic rays in space, and some of these particles have traveled

Postoji puno kosmičkih zrakova u svemiru, a neke od ovih čestica putovale su

for billions of years before reaching Earth.

milijardama godina pre nego što su stigle na Zemlju.

When they enter our atmosphere, they collide with the molecules there,

Kada uđu u našu atmosferu, sudare se sa molekulima u njoj,

generating secondary cosmic rays,

stvarajući sekundarne kosmičke zrake,

lighter particles with less energy than the original.

lakše čestice sa manje energije u odnosu na original.

Most of these are absorbed into the atmosphere,

Većina njih se apsorbuje u atmosferu,

but some are able to reach the ground, even passing through our bodies.

ali neke od njih mogu da stignu do tla, čak prolazeći kroz naša tela.

At sea level, this radiation is fairly low.

Na nivou mora, ova radijacija je prilično niska,

But people who spend a lot of time at higher altitudes,

ali ljudi koji provedu puno vremena na većim visinama,

such as airline crews, are exposed to much more.

kao što su posade aviokompanija, izloženi su mnogo više.

What makes cosmic rays useful as messengers

Ono što kosmičke zrake čini korisnima kao glasnike je

is that they carry the traces of their origins.

da nose tragove svog porekla.

By studying the frequency with which different particles occur,

Proučavanjem frekvencije sa kojom se javljaju različite čestice,

scientists are able to determine the relative abundance of elements,

naučnici mogu da odrede relativno izobilje elemenata,

such as hydrogen and helium, within the universe.

kao što su vodonik i helijum, u svemiru.

But cosmic rays may provide even more fascinating information

Međutim, kosmički zraci mogu da obezbede i fascinantnije podatke

about the fabric of the universe itself.

o materijalu samog svemira.

An experiment called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, A.M.S.,

Eksperiment nazvan Alfa magnetski spektrometar, A.M.S.,

has recently been installed on board the International Space Station,

skoro je ugrađen na Internacionalnu svemirsku stanicu,

containing several detectors that can separately measure

a sadrži nekoliko detektora koji mogu odvojeno da mere

a cosmic ray particle's velocity, trajectory, radiation, mass and energy,

brzinu, putanju, radijaciju, masu i energiju čestice kosmičkog zraka,

as well as whether the particle is matter or antimatter.

kao i to da li je čestica materija ili antimaterija.

Dok se ova dva obično ne mogu razgraničiti,

While the two are normally indistinguishable,

their opposite charges enable them to be detected with the help of a magnet.

njihova suprotna naelektrisanost omogućava da se detektuju uz pomoć magneta.

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is currently measuring 50 million particles per day

Alfa magnetski spektometar trenutno meri 50 miliona čestica na dan,

with information about each particle being sent in real time from the space station

a informacije o svakoj čestici šalju se pravovremeno iz svemirske stanice

to the A.M.S. control room at CERN.

u A.M.S. kontrolnu sobu u CERN-u.

Over the upcoming months and years,

Tokom dolazećih meseci i godina,

it's expected to yield both amazing and useful information about antimatter,

očekuje se da donese neverovatne i korisne informacije o antimateriji,

the possible existence of dark matter,

mogućem postojanju tamne materije,

and even possible ways to mitigate the effects

čak i mogućim načinima da se umanje efekti

of cosmic radiation on space travel.

kosmičke radijacije na putovanje svemirom.

As we stay tuned for new discoveries, look to the sky on a clear night,

Dok pratimo nova otkrića, pogledajte u nebo tokom jasne večeri

and you may see the International Space Station,

i možda ćete videti Internacionalnu svemirsku stanicu

where the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer receives the tiny messengers

gde Alfa magnetski spektometar prima sićušne glasnike

that carry cosmic secrets.

koji donose kosmičke tajne.