Theoretical Study Suggests Fast-Spinning Black Holes May Split

A new theoretical study suggests that black holes spinning at extreme speeds might split into two, a phenomenon that would challenge current scientific understanding of black hole behavior.

Thermodynamic Obstacles

Black holes are typically expected to merge rather than divide. According to researchers, a primary obstacle to splitting is thermodynamics, specifically the concept of entropy, which describes the number of microscopic arrangements a system can have while appearing unchanged from the outside.

For a non-rotating black hole, dividing into two smaller black holes would reduce the total entropy, making the process "thermodynamically unfavorable," according to the University of Southern Denmark.

The Role of Extreme Rotation

The research, published in Physical Review D under the title "When Black Holes Admit Pair-of-pants Topologies," suggests that rapid rotation may create a loophole in these physical rules. The team's calculations indicate that a sufficiently fast-spinning black hole could potentially overcome usual thermodynamic restrictions.

However, Francesco Sannino, a co-author of the study and a professor of physics at the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Southern Denmark, noted a significant constraint regarding the resulting objects. "But the two resulting black holes must also be able to separate rather than immediately fall back together. When we include this requirement, the window largely closes again, except possibly for black holes rotating close to their maximum possible rate," Sannino said.

Extra Dimensions and Detection

The researchers also investigated scenarios involving theories of additional dimensions beyond the three experienced in everyday life. In some theoretical models involving extra dimensions, black-hole-like objects can become unstable and fragment. In these cases, splitting could become thermodynamically favorable, particularly if one resulting black hole is much smaller than the other.

While no black hole splitting has been confirmed, scientists suggest there may be ways to find indirect evidence. Sannino stated, "We may detect a split indirectly: gamma-ray telescopes such as Fermi-LAT can search for signals from tiny black-hole fragments that might form during mergers."

Why it matters

Determining whether black holes can split depends on how gravity behaves beyond Einstein's theory of general relativity. The researchers noted that small primordial black holes may be more prone to splitting than larger astrophysical black holes.

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Sources

• sciencedaily.com: Scientists just found a loophole that could let black holes split in two | ScienceDaily
• yahoo.com: Scientists find loophole that lets black holes split apart

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