A team of researchers has calculated that black holes cannot be formed from light due to quantum-mechanical effects causing too much energy loss through the Schwinger effect [1]. While general relativity suggests that light can curve spacetime and form a black hole, the necessary electromagnetic field strengths would generate an excessive amount of particle production [2]. These particles, in turn, would dissipate energy and prevent gravitational collapse [3][4]. The researchers’ findings put to rest debates about the possibility of creating microscopic black holes using intense lasers.
References:
[1] Álvarez-Domínguez et al., “No black holes from light,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 041401 (2024).
[2] Senovilla, J. M. M., “Black hole formation by incoming electromagnetic radiation,” Classical Quantum Gravity 32, 017001 (2014).
[3] Wheeler, J. A., “Geons,” Phys. Rev. 97, 511 (1955).
Source: https://physics.aps.org/articles/v17/119