Black holes have long puzzled scientists, especially because of a problem known as the black hole information paradox.
Now, a new study suggests that the answer to this mystery—and even the origin of the mass of fundamental particles—might lie in a hidden, seven-dimensional structure of the universe.
The research was published in the journal General Relativity and Gravitation.
The paradox dates back to the 1970s, when Stephen Hawking showed that black holes are not completely black.
Instead, they slowly emit energy, now called Hawking radiation, and eventually shrink and disappear.
The problem is that this process seems to destroy information about everything that fell into the black hole, which contradicts the laws of quantum physics. According to those laws, information should never be lost.
In the new study, scientists propose a solution using a more complex view of space. Instead of the usual four dimensions—three of space and one of time—they explore a seven-dimensional geometry.
This model is based on a theory called Einstein-Cartan gravity, which allows space not only to bend, as in Einstein’s general relativity, but also to twist.
This twisting, known as torsion, turns out to be crucial. At extremely high densities, such as those inside black holes, torsion can create a kind of repulsive force.
This force counteracts gravity and stops the black hole from completely collapsing or evaporating away. Instead of vanishing, the black hole leaves behind a tiny, stable object called a remnant.
This remnant may act like a kind of cosmic storage device. The researchers suggest that all the information that fell into the black hole is preserved within this leftover object.
The information is stored in subtle vibrations, known as quasi-normal modes, inside the structure created by torsion. For a black hole as massive as our Sun, this remnant could theoretically store an enormous amount of information—enough to resolve the paradox.
What makes this idea even more exciting is its connection to particle physics. The same seven-dimensional geometry may also explain why particles have mass. In particular, it could naturally produce the energy scale linked to the Higgs field, which gives particles their mass. This means the same underlying structure that preserves information in black holes could also explain one of the most fundamental properties of matter.
Although these extra dimensions are far beyond the reach of current experiments, the theory still makes testable predictions. For example, these tiny black hole remnants could contribute to dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up much of the universe. Scientists might also find hints of this theory in ancient signals from the early universe, such as patterns in the cosmic microwave background or gravitational waves.
This research offers a bold new way to connect some of the biggest questions in physics. Instead of rewriting the rules of quantum mechanics, it suggests that we may need to look deeper—into hidden dimensions—to fully understand how the universe works.
Source: KSR.
