A recent study conducted by an international team of 17 researchers has proposed that black holes could be the source of dark energy, the force behind the accelerating expansion of the universe. The researchers compared the growth rates of black holes in different galaxies and concluded that the observed spread of masses could be explained by black holes bearing cores of dark energy. International Space Station Reports Unexplained Pressure in Russian Spacecraft
How Black Holes Create Dark Energy
The researchers found that black holes expand in mass across most of cosmic history. They suggest that black holes grow as the universe expands, and that the gravitating mass of a black hole can increase with the expansion of the universe, independently of accretion or mergers. The researchers also believe that dark energy is produced during the death and collapse of large stars when normal matter is compressed.
The Findings
The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal and The Astrophysical Journal Letters, compared black hole masses in young galaxies with black hole masses in giant but dormant galaxies. The researchers found that black holes in dormant galaxies were seven to 20 times more massive than expected, suggesting that there is another process by which the black holes are growing.
Chris Pearson, a co-author of the study and Astronomy Group Leader at STFC RAL Space in Oxfordshire, said, “The importance of this work is that it’s taken the theories about black holes with dark energy cores and linked them for the first time to tangible observations of the universe.”
Opposing Views
Despite the study’s claims, some experts have expressed their disapproval. Vitor Cardoso, a professor of physics at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, believes that there are many counter-arguments and facts that need to be understood if this claim is going to live more than a few months. Cardoso added that it was too early to think black holes are related to dark energy in any way.
The study’s findings could have a significant impact on the scientific community’s understanding of the universe’s expansion and the role black holes play in it. However, further research is needed to validate the researchers’ claims and fully understand the complexities of this phenomenon.