A black hole bomb is the name given to a physical effect utilizing how a
bosonic field
In quantum field theory, a bosonic field is a quantum field whose quanta are bosons; that is, they obey Bose–Einstein statistics. Bosonic fields obey canonical commutation relations, as distinct from the canonical anticommutation relations obe ...
impinging on a
rotating black hole
A rotating black hole is a black hole that possesses angular momentum. In particular, it rotates about one of its axes of symmetry.
All celestial objects – planets, stars (Sun), galaxies, black holes – spin.
Types of black holes
Ther ...
can be amplified through
superradiant scattering. If the amplified field is reflected back towards the black hole, the amplification can be repeated, leading to a run-away growth of the field, i.e. an explosion. One way this reflection could be realized in nature is if the bosonic field has mass. The mass of the field can then cause the amplified modes to be trapped around the black hole, leading to an endless cycle of self-amplification. The mechanism by which the black hole bomb functions is called superradiant instability. It can also refer to one such method of creating such a runaway effect, a
Penrose sphere with no means for energy to passively escape.
History
The idea that angular momentum and energy may be transferred from a rotating black hole to a particle being scattered by it was proposed by
Roger Penrose
Sir Roger Penrose (born 8 August 1931) is an English mathematician, mathematical physicist, philosopher of science and Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics in the University of Oxford, an emeritus fello ...
in 1971. The first discussion of a runaway effect, the black hole bomb, was explored by W. H. Press and S. A. Teukolsky in 1972.
[ ] If such an effect were to spontaneously occur, it may point to new physics beyond the Standard Model, and showing that black holes have "hair", as pointed out by a paper from 2017, by William E. East and Frans Pretorius.
[ ]
See also
*
Superradiance
In physics, superradiance is the radiation enhancement effects in several contexts including quantum mechanics, astrophysics and relativity.
Quantum optics
In quantum optics, superradiance is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of ''N'' emit ...
*
Penrose process
The Penrose process (also called Penrose mechanism) is theorised by Sir Roger Penrose as a means whereby energy can be extracted from a rotating black hole. The process takes advantage of the ergosphere --- a region of spacetime around the black ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
* Helvi Witek, , Ole Miss News, University of Mississippi (12 October 2012)
*
Black holes
Energy sources
{{energy-stub