“Hawking radiation” could erase black holes. Watching this happen could reveal new physics.

Primordial black holes (PBHs), thought to have formed just after the Big Bang, could heat up and explode throughout the universe.

These black hole explosions, powered by Hawking radiation – a quantum process in which black holes generate particles from a vacuum due to their intense gravitational fields – could be detected by upcoming telescopes, physicists suggest in a new study . And, once spotted, these exotic explosions could reveal whether our universe contains previously unknown particles.

Black holes since the dawn of time

There is already ample evidence for the existence of black holes ranging in size from several times the mass of the sun billions of times the mass of the sun. These black holes were directly detected thanks to the gravitational waves they emit during mergers that help them grow. Some black holes, like Sagittarius A* of the Milky Waywere even directly imaged as “shadows” by the Event Horizon Telescope.

PBHs, first proposed by Yakov Zeldovich and Igor Novikov in 1967, are thought to have formed in the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang and could have been as small as subatomic particles, according to NASA. Unlike their larger counterparts, which form from the collapse of massive stars and galaxies, PBHs may have emerged from the collapse of ultradense regions in the universe’s extremely hot “primitive soup” of particles. primitive.

If they exist, these compact objects could provide a natural explanation for dark matterthe invisible entity that represents approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. However, PBHs remain elusive. Their theoretical existence is supported by a combination of cosmological models, but they have not yet been directly observed.

The Hawking radiation effect

One of the most interesting aspects of PBHs is their connection to Hawking radiation. According to quantum theoryblack holes are not completely “black”; they can emit radiation and slowly lose mass through a process first theorized by Stephen Hawking. This emission, known as Hawking radiation, occurs when pairs of virtual particles enter and exit the vacuum of space near the edge of a black hole – its “event horizon”. While these pairs normally annihilate each other, if one falls into the black hole, the other particle can escape as radiation. Over time, this leads to the black hole gradually evaporating.

“For black holes with masses several times that of the Sun, Hawking radiation is almost undetectable.” Marco Calzatheoretical physicist at the University of Coimbra in Portugal and co-author of the study, told Live Science in an email. “But lighter black holes, like PBHs, would be much hotter and emit much more radiation, potentially allowing us to detect this process. This radiation can include a variety of particles, from photons to electrons to neutrinos.”

As the PBH evaporates, it loses mass, becomes hotter, and emits more radiation in a feedback loop. Eventually, the black hole is expected to explode in a powerful burst of radiation – a process that existing gamma-ray and neutrino telescopes actively seek. Although no definitive PBH explosion has yet been detected, the new study suggests that these rare events could be the key to unlocking new physics.

Illustration showing irregular white lines coming out of a black hole with a red halo

A conceptual illustration of Hawking radiation emitted by a black hole. (Image credit: VICTOR de SCHWANBERG/SCIENTIFIC PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)

Probing the final moments of a PBH

In their recent study, published in the Journal of High Energy PhysicsCalzà and study co-author João G. Rosa, also a theoretical physicist at the University of Coimbra, presented innovative methods for studying PBHs during their final stages of evaporation. By analyzing the properties of their Hawking radiation, the duo developed tools to estimate the mass and rotation of a PBH.

“Tracking the mass and rotation of a PBH as it evaporates could provide valuable clues about its formation and evolution,” Rosa told Live Science in an email.

Their work has significant implications for fundamental physics. In a previous study, Rosa, Calzà and their collaborator John March-Russell of the University of Oxford explored how string theory – an attempt to unify the fundamental forces of nature within a single quantum theory – could affect an evaporating PBH. String theory predicts the existence of many low-mass particles called axions, which have no intrinsic spin. Their research suggests that axion emission could actually generate a PBH, contrary to Hawking’s predictions.

“A rotating PBH would provide compelling evidence for these exotic axions, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of particle physics,” Calzà said.

Furthermore, the study suggests that analyzing the evolution of the mass and spin of a PBH in its final moments could reveal the existence of other new particles. By tracking the spectrum of Hawking radiation, scientists may be able to distinguish patterns of high-energy particle physics. Neutrino telescopes, like IceCube, could even help discover these new particles as PBHs explode in space.

“If we can capture a single exploding PBH and measure its Hawking radiation, we could learn a huge amount about the new particles and potentially guide the design of future particle accelerators,” Rosa said.

Although no PBH explosions have yet been detected, the tools and methods developed by Calzà and Rosa’s team could pave the way for future discoveries. The researchers pointed out that dedicated experiments may not be necessary, as several new gamma-ray and neutrino telescopes of unprecedented sensitivity are already in development.

“Upcoming telescopes could easily spot one if it explodes nearby. If we’re lucky enough to detect a PBH explosion, it could change everything we know about the fundamental laws of nature,” Rosa said.

Apre-salomemanzo

Apre-salomemanzo

“Hawking radiation” could erase black holes. Watching this happen could reveal new physics.

Black holes since the dawn of time

Umito

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“Hawking radiation” could erase black holes. Watching this happen could reveal new physics.

Black holes since the dawn of time

Umito

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