This strange “spacetime crystal” can suddenly become a black hole
Physicists have mathematically captured a bizarre “spacetime crystal” that can either dissolve or collapse into a microscopic black hole after only a tiny change in energy. Their breakthrough came from an unusual trick involving infinitely many dimensions, potentially giving researchers a new tool for studying primordial and microscopic black holes.
A peculiar "spacetime crystal" may suddenly transform into a black hole, according to physicists at Goethe University Frankfurt and TU Wien. This unusual phenomenon occurs when spacetime enters a critical state and forms a repeating, crystal-like pattern. The researchers discovered a mathematical formula to describe this process by using an unconventional approach involving an infinite number of dimensions.
In the early universe, shortly after the Big Bang, matter and energy were packed into an intensely chaotic environment. This could have produced primordial black holes through critical collapse. Computer simulations had previously suggested the possibility of such structures, but deriving a mathematical description had proven challenging until now.
When matter influences the geometry of spacetime, changes in the distribution of particles can alter its curvature. Under critical conditions, spacetime curvature can arrange itself into a repeating pattern across space and time, forming a spacetime crystal. This intermediate state is unstable and may dissolve back into ordinary spacetime or evolve into a black hole if a tiny amount of energy is added.
The researchers found that solving the problem in a higher-dimensional space with an infinite number of dimensions made the calculations easier. They then investigated whether the solution could be translated back to our four-dimensional spacetime. This method allows for the study of black-hole-related phenomena without relying solely on numerical computer simulations.
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