Mar 12, 2025 09:10 PM
Black holes: not endings, but beginnings? New research could revolutionize our understanding of the universe
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1076680
KEY POINTS: New research suggests black holes may transition into ‘white holes’, ejecting matter and potentially even time back into the universe, defying our current understanding of these cosmic giants. The study by the University of Sheffield proposes a revolutionary link between time and dark energy, suggesting that the mysterious force driving the universe's expansion may be used to measure time. The research could pave the way for groundbreaking new fundamental theories and breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe
INTRO: Our understanding of black holes, time and the mysterious dark energy that dominates the universe could be revolutionised, as new University of Sheffield research helps unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.
Black holes – areas of space where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape – have long been objects of fascination, with astrophysicists, theoretical physicists and others dedicating their lives to revealing their secrets. This fascination with the unknown has inspired numerous writers and filmmakers, with novels and films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Martian and Interstellar exploring these enigmatic objects' hold on our collective imagination.
According to Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, anyone trapped inside a black hole would fall towards its centre and be destroyed by immense gravitational forces. This centre, known as a singularity, is the point where the matter of a giant star, which is believed to have collapsed to form the black hole, is crushed down into an infinitesimally tiny point. At this singularity, our understanding of physics and time breaks down.
Using the laws of quantum mechanics, a fundamental theory describing the nature of the universe at the level of atoms and even smaller particles, the new study proposes a radically different theoretical standpoint where, rather than a singularity signifying the end, it could represent a new beginning.
The new paper entitled ‘Black Hole Singularity Resolution in Unimodular Gravity from Unitarity’, published today in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters, aims to illustrate the point where our current grasp of physics and time falters... (MORE - details, no ads)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1076680
KEY POINTS: New research suggests black holes may transition into ‘white holes’, ejecting matter and potentially even time back into the universe, defying our current understanding of these cosmic giants. The study by the University of Sheffield proposes a revolutionary link between time and dark energy, suggesting that the mysterious force driving the universe's expansion may be used to measure time. The research could pave the way for groundbreaking new fundamental theories and breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe
INTRO: Our understanding of black holes, time and the mysterious dark energy that dominates the universe could be revolutionised, as new University of Sheffield research helps unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.
Black holes – areas of space where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape – have long been objects of fascination, with astrophysicists, theoretical physicists and others dedicating their lives to revealing their secrets. This fascination with the unknown has inspired numerous writers and filmmakers, with novels and films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Martian and Interstellar exploring these enigmatic objects' hold on our collective imagination.
According to Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, anyone trapped inside a black hole would fall towards its centre and be destroyed by immense gravitational forces. This centre, known as a singularity, is the point where the matter of a giant star, which is believed to have collapsed to form the black hole, is crushed down into an infinitesimally tiny point. At this singularity, our understanding of physics and time breaks down.
Using the laws of quantum mechanics, a fundamental theory describing the nature of the universe at the level of atoms and even smaller particles, the new study proposes a radically different theoretical standpoint where, rather than a singularity signifying the end, it could represent a new beginning.
The new paper entitled ‘Black Hole Singularity Resolution in Unimodular Gravity from Unitarity’, published today in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters, aims to illustrate the point where our current grasp of physics and time falters... (MORE - details, no ads)