Scientists have proposed a groundbreaking theory indicating that black holes might play a role in the expansion of the universe. This research suggests that black holes could contain a form of energy linked to dark energy, which astronomers believe may be responsible for the universe's continued acceleration. The findings were presented in a paper published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics on October 28.
Dark energy is estimated to make up about 70 percent of the universe and was first hypothesised in the late 1990s when theorists and astronomers observed that the universe's expansion is accelerating. This observation led to the development of a new theory describing dark energy as an anti-gravitational force that causes galaxies to accelerate and move apart from one another. While significant research has been conducted on dark energy, its specifics and origins remain poorly understood.
A recent study by researchers from institutions including the University of Michigan and Arizona State University has proposed a novel concept known as cosmological coupling. The team argues that black holes are not merely passive entities; instead, they may actively engage in interactions related to dark energy. According to the researchers, their findings suggest that while black holes form from the remnants of massive stars, they could also generate dark energy, linking the creation of black holes to the expansion of the universe.
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey is monitoring millions of galaxies to analyse how dark energy density changes throughout the universe's evolution. Researchers have identified a rising trend in the formation of new black holes in relation to dark energy density. When massive stars, significantly larger than the Sun, shed their outer layers to create a black hole, they may release energy that influences dark energy while simultaneously being influenced by it.
By examining supermassive black holes in distant elliptical galaxies as they appeared billions of years ago and comparing them to those observed in the current universe, researchers have discovered that these black holes have gained mass over time. This observation lends support to the idea that black holes may harbor vacuum energy, which exerts an outward force and contributes to the expansion of the universe.
If this hypothesis is validated, it could transform existing understanding of black holes and dark energy. Gregory Tarle, one of the study's authors, emphasized that understanding the direction of the strongest gravitational forces at the centers of black holes could provide insights into conditions similar to those observed during the inflationary period at the universe's inception. The research suggests that processes occurring during inflation may be reversed during gravitational collapse, potentially converting matter back into dark energy.
While this hypothesis presents an intriguing perspective on the origin of dark energy, it has raised skepticism among scientists. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to establish a connection between black holes and dark energy. Nevertheless, researchers are optimistic that further observations using instruments like DESI will enhance understanding of this relationship in the future.
