Two physicists suspect traces of tiny black holes in old buildings
Speculation has been going on for decades on whether microscopic black holes formed shortly after Big Bang. Two scientists believe traces of them can be found.
Misleading illustration of primordial black holes – because they would not have such matter disks.
(Image: NASA)
If so-called primordial black holes exist, they could have hollowed out asteroids, moons or planetoids or left behind small tunnels in particularly old structures on Earth. Two researchers claim this in a recently published scientific study and believe that they have found a relatively inexpensive way to search for these traces. Although the probability of finding evidence of the small black holes from the time after the Big Bang in this way is small, the search requires few resources – with a potentially immense scientific gain.
Only one theory so far
Primordial black holes are tiny objects that are thought to have formed shortly after the Big Bang directly from the matter present at the time, rather than from the collapse of a star. The term is derived from the Latin word "primordium" ("first beginning"). So far, these PBHs (abbreviation of the English term) have only been described theoretically; it is unclear whether they really exist. Physicist Dejan Stojkovic from the University at Buffalo, together with his De-Chang Dai , now believes he has found a way of detecting traces. Proving their existence is time-consuming at best.
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Small primordial black holes could be captured by rocky planets or asteroids and completely engulf a liquid core, the researchers write. If the celestial bodies concerned are not too large and their shells are stable enough, they could even survive this, they claim. At least if their radius is no larger than a tenth of the radius of the Earth. This means that at most dwarf planets or planetoids could be hollowed out in this way, they write. If the PBH escapes through an asteroid impact, for example, such empty shells could be detected due to their unusual density.
No danger to humans
The two also believe it is possible that tiny PBHs leave small tunnels in massive objects when they race through them. For example, a primordial black hole with a mass of 1022 grams could cut a tunnel with a radius of 0.1 micrometers, "large enough to be detected with an optical telescope". After that, one could search in very old rocks, old glass or solid structures in very old buildings, they write. The probability of finding these would still be very small. But no expensive equipment would be needed and "the gain could be considerable".
The pair present their considerations and calculationsin the specialist journal Physics of the Dark Universe. They have also calculated that the probability of such a PBH passing through a person during their lifetime is low. But even if this were to happen, "you probably wouldn't even notice it". Although the objects are very fast, they cannot release the kinetic energy. In addition, tissue would not be torn because it has too little tension.
(mho)
