New Research Suggests Black Holes and Dark Matter May Be Linked
Dark matter and black holes are two of the most mysterious phenomena in the universe, but a new research paper suggests they may be more closely connected than previously thought. The paper, featured in The Astrophysical Journal, proposes that black holes may be living inside stars throughout the universe, slowly devouring them from the inside.
While the concept may sound terrifying, it raises the possibility that black holes could be the cause of dark matter in the universe. According to the theory, black holes that formed within the first second after the Big Bang, known as “primordial” black holes, could have ended up inside neutron stars, where they are slowly siphoning energy from the stars’ cores.
The hypothesis, first developed by Stephen Hawking in the 1970s, suggests that these tiny black holes could have a significant impact on the stars they inhabit. The researchers propose that if a black hole the size of a dwarf planet were to exist in a star, it would consume the star at an unprecedented rate. Within a billion years, the star would no longer be powered by fusion but by the black hole itself, creating what the researchers term a “Hawking Star.”
However, proving the existence of these parasitic black holes is a significant challenge. The next step for scientists is to study stars that could potentially harbor such black holes and search for the signatures of a black hole engine. While the theory is still speculative, it raises intriguing questions about the potential links between black holes and dark matter in the universe.