The term quantum singularity is used to refer to many different phenomena in fiction. They often only approximate a

gravitational singularity A gravitational singularity, spacetime singularity or simply singularity is a condition in which gravitational field, gravity is so intense that spacetime itself breaks down catastrophically. As such, a singularity is by definition no longer p ...

in the scientific sense in that they are massive, localized distortions of space and time. The name invokes one of the most fundamental problems remaining in modern physics: the difficulty in uniting Einstein's

theory of relativity The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in ...

, which includes singularities within its models of

black hole A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...

s, and

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...

. In fact, since according to relativity, singularities, by definition, are infinitely small, and expected to be quantum mechanical by nature, a theory of

quantum gravity Quantum gravity (QG) is a field of theoretical physics that seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics; it deals with environments in which neither gravitational nor quantum effects can be ignored, such as in the vi ...

would be required to describe their behaviour. No such theory has yet been formulated.

''Star Trek''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

quantum singularity is a phenomenon of multiple varieties. One such variety appears in the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode "

Parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...

" which creates a mirror image along with a temporal distortion. Voyager flies into the singularity after seeing an image of itself inside, and becomes trapped. To escape, the crew uses a shuttle to fire a

tachyon A tachyon () or tachyonic particle is a hypothetical particle that always travels faster than light. Physicists believe that faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics. If such partic ...

beam at the entry. In the ''Voyager'' episode "

Hunters Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, et ...

", the crew discover a

Hirogen ''Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinoff series. A major motif of the ...

relay station almost 100,000 years old, powered by a quantum singularity, also referred to by Tom Paris as a

. The word "tiny" being used to describe a quantum singularity, about "a centimeter" in diameter, making it relatively large, although it is more likely that the stated diameter instead refers to the singularity's

event horizon In astrophysics, an event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Wolfgang Rindler coined the term in the 1950s. In 1784, John Michell proposed that gravity can be strong enough in the vicinity of massive compact obj ...

. In the episode "

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

Species 8472 Species 8472 is a fictional extraterrestrial species in the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager''. Species 8472 is a designation given to them by the Borg. The multiplayer game '' Star Trek Online'' gives their proper name ...

and the

Borg The Borg are an alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the ''Star Trek'' fictional universe. The Borg are cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a hive mind called "the Collective". The Borg co-opt the technology and knowledge ...

, make use of quantum singularities to travel to and from fluidic space. Artificial quantum singularities are also used to power

Romulan Warbird The Romulans () are an extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They first appeared in the series ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared ...

s as first described in the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " Face of the Enemy". Additionally, in the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "

Visionary A visionary, defined broadly, is one who can envision the future. For some groups, this can involve the supernatural. The visionary state is achieved via meditation, lucid dreams, daydreams, or art. One example is Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-c ...

", the side effects from quantum singularities cause Miles O'Brien to shift through time.

''Futurama''

In the ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...

'' episode "

Love and Rocket "Love and Rocket" is the third episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series '' Futurama''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 10, 2002. The episode is a Valentine's Day-themed episode tha ...

", after Bender breaks up with the ''Planet Express Ship'', whom he only dated during this episode, the ship, which took the break-up pretty hard, threatens to fly into a giant

quasar A quasar is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is pronounced , and sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. This emission from a galaxy nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole with a m ...

. Thus "the power of 10 billion black holes will smush me and Bender together into a beautiful eternal quantum singularity." Bender gets the crew out of the situation by professing his love for the ship, albeit sarcastically, which distracts her long enough for Fry and Leela to disable the ship's logical processes and restore

life support system A life-support system is the combination of equipment that allows survival in an environment or situation that would not support that life in its absence. It is generally applied to systems supporting human life in situations where the outsid ...

''Megas XLR''

In the

Megas XLR ''Megas XLR'' is an American animated television series created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic for Cartoon Network. The series revolves around two teenage slackers: mechanic Coop and his best friend Jamie, who find a mecha robot from the fut ...

episode "Battle Royale", the villain Magnanimous threatens to drop Kiva and Jamie into a quantum singularity, which he says is "like a black hole, only portable, and with a cooler name."

''Farscape''

In the

Farscape ''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was c ...

episode "Back and Back and Back to the Future", a scientist belonging to the Ilanic race develops a quantum singularity ultimate weapon, described essentially as a portable black hole, to be used against their enemies.

''Stargate SG-1''

The Supergate, a gigantic

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

designed by the Ori to allow the intergalactic transport of starships, is made up of 90 smaller pieces assembled using a regular Stargate. Once interconnected, a nearby planet is collapsed into a quantum singularity using a special force field to provide the massive power needed to open a

wormhole A wormhole (Einstein-Rosen bridge) is a hypothetical structure connecting disparate points in spacetime, and is based on a special Solutions of the Einstein field equations, solution of the Einstein field equations. A wormhole can be visualize ...

to the Ori galaxy.

Samantha Carter Samantha "Sam" Carter, United States Air Force, USAF is a Character (arts), fictional character in the Canadian–American military science fiction ''Stargate'' franchise. Played by Amanda Tapping, she appears in all three shows in the franchise ...

theorizes that the singularity allows a connection to be maintained indefinitely. The first Ori attempt to create a Supergate in the Milky Way fails, when

Vala Mal Doran Vala Mal Doran is a fictional character in the American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'', a science fiction show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by former ...

inserts her Tel'tak into the incomplete ring and prevents the segments from connecting completely. The shockwave from the forming singularity blasts the gate into oblivion. A second Supergate is later successfully built allowing a fleet of Ori motherships passage into the Milky Way. The SGC eventually blocks Ori access to the Supergate by opening a connection from a Pegasus gate powered by a "natural" black hole.

''City of Heroes''

In the

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

City of Heroes ''City of Heroes'' (''CoH'') was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game which was developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSOFT. The game was launched in North America on April 28, 2004, and in Europe by NCsoft Europe on Febru ...

'', the quantum singularity is the "pet" power a gravity controller attains at level 32. The singularity takes the form of a portable human sized ball of light surrounded by waves of coloured energy that follows its summoner. The singularity has a variety of gravity based attacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quantum Singularity Physics in fiction