An international team of astrophysicists has proposed a new way to search for so-called “primordial black holes” that may have formed in the early Universe. They can leave unique traces in planets, asteroids and even ancient structures on Earth.
As Day.Az reports, the work was published in the journal Physics of the Dark Universe (PDU).
Primordial black holes are hypothetical objects that could have appeared shortly after the Big Bang. They are considered one of the potential candidates for the role of dark matter, and may also be sources of gravitational waves and the key to unraveling many cosmological mysteries.
Once inside planets or asteroids, black holes can absorb their liquid cores. As a result, hollow shells remain, which, if their size does not exceed 10% of the Earth’s radius, can retain their shape.
“Such shells can be detected by modern telescopes: their low density relative to their size would indicate a hollow structure and the result of interaction with the primordial black hole,” said Professor Dejan Stojkovic, leader of the study.
However, so far not a single primordial black hole has been detected using this method. If a black hole passes through a solid body, such as a rock, it can leave behind a microtunnel – a narrow, straight channel with a diameter of about 0.1 microns. Scientists suggest that these tunnels can be found in objects over a million years old: in ancient rocks or buildings.
The new method of searching for primordial black holes is not highly effective.
“The probability that a black hole will pass through a stone in a billion years is 0.000001,” the professor added.
However, despite the low chances of detection, scientists believe that such experiments make sense because they do not require significant resources. The discovery could be the first step in proving the existence of primordial black holes and, in the future, shed light on their role in the development of the Universe.