Energy Extraction of Kerr Black Holes
T. Zheng
Department of Physics,
University of British Columbia
(Dated: December 5, 2016)
This paper covers two theoretical mechanisms that seeks to explain the possibility of extracting energy directly from Kerr black holes. This paper begins with a self-contained introduction to black holes, followed by a discussion on the space-time features of Kerr black holes. The unique space-time features of Kerr black holes will then be used to explain the two mechanisms for energy extraction: the Penrose process, and the Blandford-Znajek process.
The study of rotating astrophysical objects is an active area of research in general relativity. Rotating black holes (also known as Kerr black holes) provide much insight into the space-time physics of strong,…
Thermodynamics of Rotating Black Holes
By: Tao Steven Zheng (郑涛)In the past three decades, the thermodynamics of black holes has provided much insight into the fundamental nature of space-time, as well as the information theory of our universe. Black holes lack many physical features commonly associated with the thermodynamics of matter (i.e. stars). Unlike material objects, there are only three characteristics of a black hole: mass, angular momentum, and electric charge. In gravitational physics, this is known as the no-hair principle. Mass is intrinsic to all black holes. Electric charge is associated with the Reissner-Nordstrom and Kerr-Newman black holes. Angular momentum is associated with the Kerr and Kerr-Newman black holes. In this paper we will focus on the thermodynami…
GEN-IV Molten Salt Reactors
- 1 A New Hope for the Future of Nuclear Energy
- 2 Generation IV: The Nuclear Revolution
- 3 GEN-IV Molten Salt Reactors
- 4 Advantages of GEN-IV Molten Salt Reactors
- 5 Disadvantages of GEN-IV Molten Salt Reactors
- 6 Progress in GEN-IV molten salt reactor technology
'By: Tao Steven Zheng'Nuclear energy production in the 21st century has experienced a cold start. After the Fukushima Daiichi disaster of March 2011, confidence in nuclear energy slipped from an all-time high to a new low. Several European countries have turned away from nuclear energy, with France being the exception. However, as of 2016, there is a renewed interest of nuclear energy in developing countries across the globe. These industrializing economies have expressed greater optimism about ac…
Combinatorial Sets from East Asia
By: Tao Steven Zheng
This article introduces sets of abstract figures found in East Asia that are pictorial representations of combinatorics. These diagrams were probably conceived without the intent of being mathematical, but ended up being mathematical curiosities in modern times.
The 64 hexagrams of the I-Ching or Yijing (易經) is the foundation of an ancient Chinese form of divination that dates from the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1050 - 771 BCE). Each of the 64 hexagrams is a combination of six bars. The solid bar represents yang (陽), the positive force. The broken bars represent yin (陰), the negative force. Interestingly, the sixty-four hexagrams can represent the set of binary numbers from 0 to 63.
The math behind the I-Ching hexagrams is simple. …
Chinese Derivation of Pythagorean Triples?
By: Tao Steven Zheng
In the Chinese mathematical text Jiuzhang Suanshu, we find an interesting problem that requires the Pythagorean triples formula to solve.
Chapter 9: Gougu Problem 14
今有二人同所立。甲行率七，乙行率三。乙東行。甲南行十步而邪東北與乙會。問甲乙行各幾何？
[There are two persons standing at the same location. Person A moves at a speed of 7. Person B moves at a speed of 3. Person B moves east. Person A first moves 10 bu south, then diagonally northeast until he meets person B once more. How far did each man travel?]
- bu (步) literally means pace, a Chinese unit of length that measures roughly 1.6 meters long.
The units of the speed are not specified, but it is reasonable to assume that the speed is measured in bu per second, which measures 1.6 meters per second.
For calculati…