Physicists simulated a black hole, and once it started glowing, it provided hope for unifying gravity and quantum mechanics. By testing out one late scientist, Stephen Hawking’s theory, they proved it behaved as he predicted.
Hawking’s predictions
In 1974, Stephen Hawking created a theory that pushed two irreconcilable theories: Einstein’s theory of general relativity and quantum mechanics. In an effort to make a black hole, physicists used Hawking radiation to simulate extreme conditions.
The black hole is one of the strangest, most unknown objects with such density that not even light speed can pass through it. The black hole is highly unstable, making the process of creating it in a lab much more challenging. However, lead scientist Lotte Mertens, a Ph.D. researcher at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and his team used a single-file chain of atoms with elections that “hop,” making it easier to be manipulated.
It is still a theory
According to LiveScience, “The finding suggests that Hawking radiation could emerge as an effect of quantum entanglement between particles positioned on either side of an event horizon.” It was revealed that Hawking radiation could only be thermal within a range of situations.
Though what this means for quantum gravity is still unknown, the simulation proved to be a success, giving more information needed for future research. The study’s team wrote, “This can open a venue for exploring fundamental quantum-mechanical aspects alongside gravity and curved spacetimes in various condensed matter settings.”
This was not the first lab-made black hole
Following the famed British scientist’s theory, many expressed a desire to prove that a black hole could emanate light. In 2010, Franco Belgiorno of the University of Milan and associates said they saw something like radiation in experiments with a laser and a glass block.
Though different methods were used, the 2010 study, inspired by physicist Ulf Leonhardt of the University of Saint Andrews in the United Kingdom, further pushed scientists into creating a lab-grown black hole. The 2010 experiment proved “very strong indications” of Hawking’s theory being provable.
People are confused
On Reddit, the topics raised many questions and concerns, with a person saying, “We’re still trying to get the idea across that they aren’t holes. Baby steps.” Another pleaded, “Can we just not try to make a black hole on Earth? Please?” In response, someone explained, “If black holes work like physics theories suggest, then even if a black hole were made in a lab, it would be harmless and dissipate nearly instantly.”
Many expressed worries about the future, with some stating, “This sounds like a bad idea,” and others echoing the statement and adding, “I can see the reasoning behind the fusion studies – trying to create the next generation of power to help wean us off fossil fuels. Right now, few see how this benefits us in the long-term, but who knows what practical applications this might have in the future?”