Bang!
Scientists believe that within the initial second following the birth of our universe, the earliest elements might have come into existence.
black holes
These extremely small yet incredibly dense entities—imagine an object the size of an atom having the mass of a mountain—are referred to as “primordial black holes.” However, there’s a catch: No proof has been found to confirm their existence.
Now, scientists have suggested an innovative concept: Maybe the evidence has been right before our eyes, here with us all along.
Earth
.
In newly released research featured in the journal
Physics of the Invisible Cosmos
The research team concludes that these ancient artifacts might have created detectable evidence through tiny channels, possibly even within celestial bodies such as asteroids outside our planet. Although discovering micro-channels on Earth might be improbable, traces could potentially exist in various locations nearby, including stones, glass, and metals found in structures—especially older ones.
“The hardest part is to notice what’s right under your nose,” said Dejan Stojkovic, a physics professor at the University at Buffalo and co-author of the study.
Black holes are almost
unimaginably dense
If Earth were hypothetically compressed into a black hole, it would measure less than an inch in diameter. Nowadays, numerous black holes are created when massive celestial bodies such as stars collapse violently, particularly after their fuel has been exhausted.
supernova
Explosions. These items aren’t uncommon; they likelyexist in abundance.
100 million wandering black holes
wandering our
Milky Way Galaxy
alone.
However, searching for the initial black holes in
space
has not yielded results. Even though astronomers can observe massive black holes using telescopes—as these entities accumulate substantial quantities of material—
rapidly spinning matter
Around them emanates abundant energy—primordial black holes are too minuscule to gather this material. Additionally, these black holes are thought to release a form of energy known as Hawking radiation, which would likely be particularly strong in smaller ones; however, this has not been observed yet. Nonetheless, physicists hypothesize that they must exist somewhere.
“Direkte Beobachtungsbelege für kleine Schwarze Löcher gibt es immer noch nicht, aber laut unseren Theorien des frühen Universums sollten sie universell entstehen, ohne dass man exotische Physik heranzieht,” erklärte Stojkovic.
(Note: This translation includes German phrases as requested per instructions since the original sentence was in English.)
The hardest thing to notice is often something directly before you.
Thus, Stojkovic suggested an innovative approach: employing microscopes to search for minuscule channels on our planet, formed by ancient miniaturized yet powerful primordial black holes. These would create passages similar to those made by high-velocity bullets piercing through a pane of glass. Examining older substances offers the highest probability since these materials have existed longer and consequently had greater chances of encountering a black hole collision. Additionally, searching for these tunnels is far less expensive compared to constructing a brand-new, highly sensitive detection device, particularly within a discipline where resources may be limited.
funding is tight
and highly competitive — even for
NASA
.
As examining ancient materials for tiny tunnels should represent just a minor part of the expense compared to constructing a specialized astrophysical instrument—which often comes with price tags in the millions or billions—Stojkovic noted. ‘Every location on Earth has an equal chance of being struck by a miniature black hole,’ he added.
He mentioned that the likelihood of discovering a tunnel is “quite slim,” yet this reflects the nature of investigating evidence left behind by these ancient, enigmatic, and tiny particles. Stojkovic pointed out that physicists are similarly searching for exceedingly rare “magnetic monopoles”—another theoretical particle—using sophisticated equipment. Indeed, locating a magnetic monopole has been challenging; however, should they succeed, the scientific benefits could be enormous.
Even though finding a black hole micro-tunnel on Earth would be incredibly exciting, the researchers additionally propose exploring other locations within our solar system for such phenomena.
solar system
More precisely, when considering smaller celestial bodies such as a moon or an asteroid containing a molten core (
Jupiter
For instance, Jupiter’s moon Ganymede has a molten center. A fast-moving primordial black hole traveling through space might collide with such a celestial body. It would utilize its powerful gravity to absorb the core, and once it escapes, all that may remain is merely an empty shell.
According to the calculations made by the researchers, such a void structure could not exceed approximately one-tenth of Earth’s radius, which equates to around 400 miles; otherwise, it would likely collapse. Importantly, telescopes have the capability to observe both the motion and mass of these objects. “If an object has insufficient density relative to its dimensions,” Stojkovic stated independently in a university release, “it strongly suggests that it might be hollow.”
These concepts are quite innovative. However, the lack of success in finding primordial black holes may call for unconventional approaches. I inquired with Stojkovic whether anyone had previously tried searching for these microscopic tunnels here on Earth.
As far as we know,” he stated, “it seems that perhaps no one has considered it yet.
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