Intriguing realm of extremal Kerr black holes could amplify new physics

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Black holes continue to intrigue scientists with their enigmatic presence and mysterious properties.

Recent research from the University of California–Santa Barbara, University of Warsaw, and University of Cambridge has focused on extremal Kerr black holes, a class distinguished by their stationary and uncharged nature and coinciding inner and outer horizons.

The research published in Physical Review Letters posits that these black holes could serve as unique “amplifiers” of new and undiscovered physics due to their specific characteristics.

The researchers, including Maciej Kolanowski, Gary Horowitz, and Jorge Santos, among others, found that extremal black holes, when subject to infinite tidal forces, reveal an unforeseen singularity at their horizon.

Surprisingly, this singularity is in alignment with the values of the Effective Field Theory (EFT) coefficients dictated by the Standard Model of particle physics, suggesting a convergence of low-energy descriptions of physics with higher-energy, short-distance phenomena.

This theoretical study commenced with contemplations around very cold, extremal black holes and evolved into explorations of the Einstein gravity coupled with its leading quantum corrections, leading to discoveries of unexpected singularities in the horizons of extremal black holes.

This is significant as typically, black holes exhibit finite tidal forces, becoming infinite only at their centers.

The revelations from this research indicate that these singularities might be crucial in exploring and understanding new physical phenomena, revealing the intricate interplay between different energy and distance scales in the universe.

The researchers are motivated to delve deeper into these findings, questioning whether the sensitivity of the horizon to new physics persists to the Planck scale, and exploring other instances where short distance effects might manifest unexpectedly at large distances.

Highlights:

Extremal Kerr black holes, known for their uncharged and stationary properties, are at the center of new research, serving as potential amplifiers of undiscovered physics.

These black holes exhibit unexpected singularities at their horizon, hinting at the breakdown of the low-energy description of physics in areas previously thought to be unrelated.

This research, melding Einstein gravity and quantum corrections, hints at the presence of unknown physics, manifesting through the singularities in extremal black holes.

The results imply that extremal Kerr black holes may be a gateway to understanding new, unknown physics, bridging the understanding between different energy and distance scales.

This groundbreaking research, revealing the interconnectedness of varying physical realms and energy scales, opens up new pathways to understanding the cosmos’s uncharted territories, bringing the scientific community a step closer to unraveling the myriad mysteries of the universe.

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