The Black Hole

"All done?" Shen Qi patted Yang Ding Tian on the shoulder and praised him, "Your recent performance has improved a lot, I'm very satisfied. Let's go, let's get something good to eat first, then go back to the center, I'll discuss the follow-up project plans with you."

The next plan is to complete the second paper for the 973 Program, "Expanding the Application of Defect Topology Research in Condensed Matter." Shen Qi said that once the second paper is finished, the project will be successfully completed. "Dingtian, you will be the lead writer for the second paper, and I will review it."

After a moment's hesitation Yang Ding Tian replied, "O... OK."

"OK? Why do you seem so unsure?"

"OK, I'll be the lead writer, Director Shen, you can oversee it."

"That's right. When I was a doctoral student, I was already leading a research project on the Riemann Hypothesis. You should have confidence; you're the best."

"The second paper is actually a new topic, and it's quite challenging. I'll do my best." Yang Ding Tian picked up his orange cat and gently petted it.

The orange cat kept rubbing against Yang Ding Tian's thigh, clearly itchy.

Shen Qi noticed something amiss. "It wasn't spayed/neutered, was it?"

Yang Ding Tian shook his head. "No."

Shen Qi suggested, "Let's just cut it up."

"We cannot deprive Laplace of her mating rights." Yang Ding Tian disagreed with spaying the cat.

"Meow!" the orange cat cried, eager to mate.

Shen Qi slapped the orange cat and scolded, "We feed you, house you, and even take care of your mating, and what have you done for our 973 Program? Have you made any valuable contribution whatsoever?"

The orange cat in heat was fearless; it retaliated against Shen Qi with a swipe of its paw.

Shen Qi slapped him again. "Cut it off, cut it off now, I'm taking you to the vet."

Yang Ding Tian tried to dissuade him, saying, "Don't do that, Director Shen. I'll be in charge of Laplace's breeding. We should follow the laws of nature and let the male and female cats reproduce. Cats only go into heat a few times a year, while humans go into heat every day."

"That makes a lot of sense." Shen Qi couldn't refute this natural law, so he let Yang Ding Tian arrange the breeding of the orange cats himself.

Some people are indeed in heat every single day.

After revising his math paper, Xiao Junlong went out every day to date girls and didn't come to the center for a week.

That's the rule set by Shen Qi: once you've achieved your academic goals, you can do whatever you want.

After reviewing his academic points, Shen Qi had less than 30 million points remaining. To advance to level 15 in mathematics, he needed 60 million academic points, provided the system's conditions were met.

It takes 20 million academic points to advance to level 14 in physics.

"I need to rack up some achievements and accumulate points." Shen Qi's achievement-farming speed is not slow. In more than five years, he has solved several mathematical problems, won ten major mathematics awards and various honorary titles, published eight papers in the four major mathematics journals, published a mathematics monograph, and also published three PRL papers and one Science paper in physics.

Because of the nature of Shen Qi's work, the output of research results is cyclical. He produces two or three major research results a year, which is like a rocket in the academic world. Many experts and scholars can only produce one research result every few years.

Now that he needs over 50 million academic points to level up, Shen Qi has no choice but to do the hard work: publish articles, increase the quantity, and publish in journals with high impact factors.

Science and Nature are good choices; they are both weekly publications with fast publication speeds and high impact factors.

When writing articles for Science and Nature, Shen Qi needs to change his style, focusing on popular science and avoiding overly profound theories.

Ordinary popular science articles are difficult to be included in journals such as Science and Nature. Shen Qi needs to improve the quality and level of popular science.

Therefore, Shen Qi went to Nangang University of Technology to begin preparing his first popular science article after returning to China.

Nangang University of Technology possesses the most advanced astronomical observation and data processing equipment in South China. Shen Qi also holds the title of specially appointed physics professor at Nangang University of Technology, and his research topic is... black holes.

Not everyone has heard of the Riemann Hypothesis or the Hodge conjecture. No matter how popularized the mechanisms and rules in Condensed Matter Physics are, most ordinary readers will not understand them or be interested in them.

Black holes are something that everyone knows about, yet few truly understand.

Shen Qi entered the Nangang University of Technology Astronomical Observatory without any problems.

Station Master Professor Lu received Shen Qi and asked him what he needed.

Shen Qi said, "I need data samples from our station regarding black hole mass, redshift, X-ray luminosity, and radio luminosity. If possible, I would like to personally operate our station's Radio Telescope under your guidance."

Professor Lu nodded. "Okay, then what I'd like to know is, what research project does Professor Shen want to advance?"

"Writing a popular science article about black holes would probably establish a new fundamental relationship of black hole activity, or a correction of black hole entropy, or something like that," Shen Qi said.

Upon hearing this, Professor Lu waved his hand repeatedly. "Then our station's data sample size is insufficient. You'll have to go to the National Astronomical Observatories or NASA."

"No need to trouble the National Astronomical Observatories and NASA. This project is just a hobby of mine, an independent research project, and there's no need to alarm the national or American scientific communities. It's just a popular science article, and our site has enough in stock. I'm not a professional astronomical researcher."

"Professor Shen, you've already covered black hole entropy, isn't that professional enough?"

"This field is very specialized, so I'll try to write it in a more accessible way. Lao Lu, could you do me a favor?"

"Professor Shen, with your vast knowledge of astronomy and geography, is there any subject on Earth that you don't understand?" Professor Lu led Shen Qi into a laboratory to examine the data.

"Of course there are, plenty." Shen Qi quickly got to work after seeing the data.

Black holes are invisible to the human eye because they swallow all the light.

Black holes are considered by physicists to be a special type of celestial body, and humans collect data on black holes through radio signals and X-ray signals.

Over the years, the Nangang University of Technology Astronomical Observatory has collected a total of 255 RLQ data samples. While reviewing the data Shen Qi said, "A renowned American physicist concluded through mathematical calculations that black holes simply do not exist. This article was published in PRL, and it shocked the Physics Community at the time."

Professor Lu recalled vividly, "Yes, I was shocked too; I had just started working back then."

Shen Qi added, "Not long after, Hawking proved the American physicist Hawking, also proving the existence of black holes through theoretical calculations."

Professor Lu nodded. "Hawking is right, black holes do exist."

Shen Qi fell into deep thought, "The clash between Hawking and the famous American physicist is a clash of Mathematical Physics formulas and models, but the problem is, neither of them has ever seen a real black hole."

Professor Lu countered, "May I ask, has anyone on Earth ever seen a black hole?"

"Radio signals can only describe phenomena but cannot reveal the essence, so what exactly is the operating mechanism inside a black hole?" Shen Qi asked.

"Professor Shen, is this what you came for, a little hobby?" Professor Lu always felt that Shen Qi was acting strangely.