A new Johns Hopkins study suggests that supermassive black holes could be a cheaper alternative to expensive research facilities like the Large Hadron Collider. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, propose using black holes to generate high-energy particles that could reveal clues about dark matter.
Dark matter, a ghostly component of the universe, has yet to be detected despite decades of research and multi-billion-dollar expenses. Scientists are now exploring alternative methods to uncover its secrets.
Rapidly spinning massive black holes at galaxy centers release enormous outbursts of plasma, potentially generating high-energy particles similar to those produced by human-made supercolliders. These particles could provide evidence for dark matter, which is a significant leap but possible.
The new study reveals that plunging “gas flows” near a black hole can draw energy from its spin, becoming more violent than scientists thought. The process involves chaotic collisions of particles, similar to those created using intense magnetic fields in high-energy particle colliders.
Some particles from these collisions are accelerated to unprecedentedly high energies and could be detected by observatories tracking cosmic events like supernovae and massive black hole eruptions. Detectors like the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and Kilometer Cube Neutrino Telescope, which recently detected the most energetic neutrino ever recorded, could potentially provide complementary results.
While the difference between a supercollider and a black hole is that black holes are far away, these particles will still reach scientists on Earth. The study’s authors hope that this alternative method could provide evidence for dark matter without requiring significant investments or waiting periods.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1085703