Evaporating Black Hole ‘Morsels’ Could Reveal the Nature of Spacetime

A new study in the scientific journal Nuclear Physics B proposes that tiny black hole “morsels” may bud from some of the most violent collisions in the universe. More importantly, researchers predict that these events should be detectable. These miniature black holes essentially evaporate away very soon after birth—and in so doing, they could provide important insight into the nature of the universe itself.

Steven Hawking was the first to propose that black holes might actually release detectable radiation in certain circumstances. Dubbed Hawking radiation, these emissions are created by quantum interactions at the threshold of the black hole’s event horizon. They emit radiation away from the black hole, thus reducing its mass.

For very large black holes, this process occurs at very low levels and does not provide a bright enough source to look for. However, smaller black holes should be much “hotter” and produce more Hawking radiation. This would not only be a detectable amount of energy, but the loss of mass would be quick enough that a small singularity would eventually disappear. The researchers propose that this would take anywhere from a few milliseconds to a whole year, depending on the starting mass.

Artist concept of a growing black hole at the center of a galaxy.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

However, this insight is only so good on its own since astronomers still need to find these emissions. This is difficult because small black holes are inherently elusive and, as mentioned, only survive for a short time.

That’s why it’s important that these researchers have presented evidence that binary black hole systems, which are becoming better characterized by the year, could be a reliable source of these small black holes. They argue that these collision-born “morsels” would emit detectable levels of Hawking radiation and do so at a time and place that astronomers could predict. Thanks to gravitational wave detectors, we now have the ability to pinpoint binary black hole systems, providing the targets for these investigations.

This is important because the radiation produced as these black hole morsels disappear would be unique. So-called Very High Energy Gamma Rays would be released, a form of energy so intense that it can help reveal the fundamental nature of spacetime.

Is spacetime actually composed of discrete units in a “foamy” structure, on a quantum scale? How does spacetime curvature hold up for the most extreme energies in the most extreme gravitational fields? Only the most intense particle energies, well in excess of those created in the Large Hadron Collider, could produce the answer.

Credit: NASA; DANA BERRY, SKYWORKS DIGITAL, INC.

Hawking radiation is inherently linked to the quest for a “grand unified theory” in physics because it represents a break point between quantum mechanics and relativity. The so-called “black hole information paradox” notes that, while relativity says that black holes should irreversibly eat information (thus functionally destroying it), quantum mechanics predicts that information can never be destroyed. One long-standing idea is that Hawking radiation “encodes” information about anything that enters a black hole, carrying information away and preserving the quantum expectation for how the universe functions.

Because of this, emissions of Hawking radiation have been some of the most sought-after by theoretical physicists. These physicists are also eager to hunt down small black holes, the most plausible sources of detectable Hawking radiation. A relatively abundant and predictable source of them would be quite an upgrade for astrophysics.

These researchers went so far as to calculate upper thresholds for the mass of a morsel, helping to speed the transition from a pure mathematical proof to a testable astronomical experiment. If their ideas are correct, it could provide the deeply insightful data about fundamental physics that scientists have craved for generations.

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