Physicists propose that the detection of exploding primordial black holes may revolutionize current understanding of fundamental laws of nature. These black holes, believed to have formed within the first moments after the Big Bang, could be detonating across the universe due to Hawking radiation.
Hawking radiation is a quantum process that creates particle pairs from the vacuum of space, leading to the evaporation of black holes. A recent study published in the Journal of High Energy Physics suggests that finding an exploding primordial black hole could unveil new physics.
Primordial black holes are theorized to have formed from gravitational collapse in a hot, dense environment shortly after the Big Bang. They are expected to be extremely small, potentially no larger than subatomic particles, and possess relatively low mass. While none have been directly observed, various cosmological models indicate their existence.
According to quantum theory, black holes emit radiation, now known as Hawking radiation, when particle pairs appear near their event horizons. Typically, these particles annihilate each other; however, if one falls into the black hole, the other can escape as radiation. Over time, this process results in the black hole's evaporation.
The researchers believe that very light primordial black holes would emit significantly more Hawking radiation than their more massive counterparts. While detecting Hawking radiation from massive black holes is nearly impossible, primordial black holes could be observed through gamma-ray and neutrino observatories, revealing various particles, including photons, electrons, and neutrinos.
As these primordial black holes gradually evaporate, they are expected to explode, releasing a substantial amount of radiation that could contain previously unknown particles, potentially offering insights into new physics.
Additionally, scientists speculate that primordial black holes could produce hypothetical particles known as axions, which are leading candidates for dark matter—an elusive substance that constitutes approximately 85% of the universe's mass.
The authors assert that discovering even one exploding primordial black hole and analyzing its Hawking radiation could lead to the identification of entirely new particles and provide explanations for dark matter.
Observatories necessary for this research are currently under development. Physicists emphasize that if an exploding primordial black hole is detected relatively close to Earth, it could fundamentally alter perceptions of natural laws.