Could tiny black holes,remnants from teh universe’s birth,be hiding in plain sight,even within us? A new study suggests these minuscule objects,known as primordial black holes (PBHs),might be tunneling through everyday objects on Earth,leaving behind microscopic traces of their passage.
pbhs are hypothetical objects thought to have formed in the fiery aftermath of the Big Bang. Scientists believe they could be a leading candidate for dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up a staggering 85% of the universe’s matter. Despite their potential significance, these tiny black holes have remained elusive, with no direct evidence of their existence.
Now, a team of physicists proposes a novel approach to hunting for these elusive objects. In a paper published in the December issue of the journal Physics of the Dark Universe, they suggest that PBHs might be leaving behind telltale signs as they traverse matter. “The chances of finding these signatures are small, but searching for them would not require much resources and the potential payoff, the first evidence of a primordial black hole, would be immense,” said co-author Dejan Stojkovic, a professor of physics at the University at Buffalo.
“We have to think outside of the box because what has been done to find primordial black holes previously hasn’t worked,” Stojkovic added in a statement.
Traditional black holes, the kind we typically associate with collapsed stars, are incredibly dense objects with immense gravitational pull. PBHs, on the other hand, are theorized to be much smaller, possibly even smaller than an atom. Their minuscule size makes them incredibly arduous to detect.
The researchers propose that as PBHs pass through matter, they could leave behind tiny, but detectable, disruptions. These disruptions could manifest as minute changes in the structure of atoms or even subtle alterations in the properties of materials.
While the likelihood of finding these signatures is low, the potential reward is enormous. Discovering even a single PBH would provide groundbreaking evidence for the existence of dark matter and revolutionize our understanding of the universe.
the study’s authors believe that searching for these subtle traces in everyday objects could be a cost-effective way to finally unlock the secrets of these elusive cosmic entities.
The universe is a vast and mysterious place, teeming with objects both familiar and utterly bizarre. Among the most enigmatic are primordial black holes,hypothetical entities thought to have formed in the universe’s infancy.These cosmic oddities, if they exist, are incredibly dense, packing the mass of a mountain into a space smaller than an atom. Now, a new study suggests that these elusive objects might be detectable through their interactions with planets and asteroids, or even by the tiny tunnels they could carve through Earth itself.
Unlike the supermassive black holes that lurk at the centers of galaxies, devouring matter and growing to colossal sizes, primordial black holes are thought to have formed from dense clumps of subatomic matter in the first fleeting moments after the Big Bang. Their existence remains purely theoretical, making them a tantalizing target for astronomers and physicists alike.
“If the object has a liquid central core, then a captured PBH can absorb the liquid core, whose density is higher than the density of the outer solid layer,” says Dejan Stojkovic, a physicist at the University of Buffalo and lead author of the study.
Stojkovic and his team propose that primordial black holes could be detected by looking for planets and asteroids that have been “hollowed out” by these mini black holes.The researchers suggest that a primordial black hole, if captured by a celestial body with a liquid core, could consume the denser core material, leaving behind a hollow shell.
“After sucking up the insides of a planetoid, the tiny black holes could then escape from the planetary shell after an impact from another space rock jolts it free,” Stojkovic explains.
The researchers calculated that if this hollowed-out rock is relatively small — roughly one-tenth the size of Earth — it could survive as a shell for astronomers to spot. Anything larger, they predict, would collapse under its own gravity.
But the hunt for primordial black holes might not require venturing into the depths of space. The study also explored what would happen if one of these mini black holes where to pass through Earth. Their calculations show that a primordial black hole with a mass of 1.12 tons (1,019 kilograms) traveling at high speed would carve a tunnel 700 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Fortunately, the researchers say, this wouldn’t pose a significant threat to human life. “If a projectile is moving through a medium faster than the speed of sound, the medium’s molecular structure doesn’t have time to respond,” Stojkovic says. “Throw a rock through a window, it’s likely going to shatter. Shoot a window with a gun, it’s likely going to make a clean hole.”
The search for primordial black holes is a challenging one, but the potential rewards are immense. These enigmatic objects could provide crucial insights into the early universe and the fundamental laws of physics.
Could a tiny, ancient black hole be lurking inside a seemingly ordinary rock? while it sounds like something out of science fiction, a team of researchers suggests that primordial black holes, remnants from the universe’s earliest moments, might be hiding in plain sight within Earth’s oldest structures.
These hypothetical black holes, theorized to have formed shortly after the Big Bang, are thought to be incredibly small, potentially even smaller than an atom. While their existence remains unconfirmed, the researchers propose that these elusive objects could have become embedded in celestial bodies during the early universe, eventually finding their way to Earth.
“If a primordial black hole were to pass through a billion-year-old boulder, it would likely leave a hole,” explained Dejan Stojkovic, a theoretical physicist at the University of Buffalo. “But the odds of this happening to anyone or anything are also incredibly slim — with our calculations showing the probability of a primordial black hole passing through a billion-year-old boulder to be 0.0001%.”
This means that, if we are to search for evidence of PBHs, we should focus on materials and buildings that are already very old, the scientists noted.
The idea of searching for objects that haven’t even been proven to exist might seem far-fetched. However, the researchers argue that unconventional thinking could be crucial in tackling some of physics’ most enduring mysteries, such as the nature of dark matter.
“The smartest people on the planet have been working on these problems for 80 years and have not solved them yet,” Stojkovic said. “We don’t need a straightforward extension of the existing models. We probably need a completely new framework altogether.”
The search for primordial black holes within Earth’s ancient structures may seem like a long shot, but it represents a bold and innovative approach to understanding the universe’s most fundamental building blocks.
## Could tiny Black Holes Be Hiding In Plain Sight?
**World Today News** interviews Dr. Dejan Stojkovic,a leading physicist from the university at buffalo,about his groundbreaking research on primordial black holes (PBHs).
**WTN:** Dr. Stojkovic, your recent study proposes a fascinating new approach to hunting for primordial black holes. Could you explain what PBHs are and why they are so elusive?
**DS:** Primordial black holes are hypothetical objects thoght to have formed in the chaotic aftermath of the Big Bang. Unlike the massive black holes we see at the centers of galaxies, these could be incredibly tiny, perhaps even smaller than an atom. This makes them incredibly difficult to detect through conventional methods.
**WTN:** So,how does your research suggest we might find them?
**DS:** We propose looking for subtle traces they might leave behind as they interact with matter. Imagine a tiny black hole passing through a planet or asteroid. If it encounters a liquid core, it could consume that denser material, leaving behind a hollow shell.
**WTN:** That’s incredible! Would this hollowed-out celestial body be visible to us?
**DS:** Perhaps. Our calculations suggest that if the object is relatively small – about one-tenth the size of Earth – it could remain stable as a shell.
**WTN:** What about the possibility of PBHs passing through Earth itself?
**DS:** We believe a PBH with a specific mass travelling at high speed could carve a microscopic tunnel through our planet. While it sounds daunting, the tunnel would be incredibly small, posing no threat to us.
**WTN:** This sounds like science fiction! What are the chances of actually finding these signatures?
**DS:** The chances are admittedly small, but the potential reward is enormous. Discovering even a single PBH would revolutionize our understanding of the universe and provide crucial evidence for the existence of dark matter.
**WTN:** This research seems to challenge conventional thinking. What inspired you to explore this unconventional approach?
**DS:** We need to think outside the box because traditional methods have not yielded results. The universe is full of mysteries, and sometimes you have to get creative to unlock them.
**WTN:** Thank you for sharing your fascinating research with us, Dr. Stojkovic. Could you leave our readers with a final thought?
**DS:** The universe is full of wonders waiting to be discovered. By embracing unconventional ideas and pushing the boundaries of our knowledge, we may uncover profound secrets about the cosmos and our place within it.
