Do black holes split into smaller black holes?
Black holes sometimes merge. But could 1 split into 2 or more? A new study explores the conditions that might allow it, including extremely rapid rotation. The post Do black holes split into smaller black holes? first appeared on EarthSky .
A new theoretical study by researchers at the University of Southern Denmark suggests that black holes could potentially split into smaller ones under specific conditions. However, this phenomenon is highly unlikely to occur naturally, as the conditions required would be extremely rare. The primary reason a black hole would not split is due to entropy, a property related to the number of microscopic arrangements that produce the same overall state.
In a black hole, splitting would decrease the system's total entropy, which contradicts the second law of thermodynamics that states the total entropy of an isolated system cannot decrease in a spontaneous process. Therefore, although the theoretical possibility exists, it is highly improbable for black holes to split into smaller black holes under normal circumstances.
Brief written by urgent.news from EarthSky's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
