Researchers have been building simple models of black holes in the lab. But can they really tell us anything reliable about how these monsters work?
owns what looks like a very long and very narrow fish tank, minus the fish. At the bottom, in the middle, is a plastic ramp. When he switches on the apparatus, waves sweep along the tank and pass over the ramp, speeding up as they do so. This, he says, is aWell, not a black hole in the common sense. Not a star-gobbling pit in the fabric of space-time.
It is what is known in the trade as a “gravity analogue”, and it is far from the only one. Over the past 15 years, researchers have created dozens of these tabletop models – despite the mutterings of many theorists, who are sceptical that such simple experiments can tell us anything about the universe’s most darkly mysterious objects.
Yet some researchers have begun to simulate more and more aspects of the universe, including even the entire infant cosmos. Now, some of them believe the models are giving us insights into the deepest nature of reality. There is even a suggestion that the speed of light, that hallowed constant of physics, might not be fixed after all. “Applying insights from these models would imply a radical shift in view,” says Rousseaux.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Researchers Locate Signals in Brain Related to Chronic PainUsing surgical implants inside the brain, scientists have recorded for the first time electrical patterns that occur when a person is feeling chronic pain, a new study in Nature Neuroscience concludes.
Read more »
A Toast to Science: Researchers Unveil the Mystery Behind Champagne’s Elegant BubblesFluid mechanics researchers found that surfactants give the celebratory drink its stable and signature straight rise of bubbles. Researchers from Brown University and the University of Toulouse discovered that surfactants, soap-like compounds, are responsible for the straight rise of bubbles in c
Read more »
Simple Risk Score Predicts VT in Nonischemic CardiomyopathyA scorecard of four risk factors can help clinicians determine which patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy would benefit from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, researchers have found. ACPIM2023
Read more »
China Hacks US Critical Networks in Guam, Raising Cyberwar FearsA likely state-sponsored Chinese hacker group, Volt Typhoon has been targeting critical infrastructure systems in US states and the US territory of Guam. Experts warn that this campaign could lay the groundwork for cyberwar escalations in the future
Read more »
Watch Video: The Science of California MegafiresThe Thomas Fire, which ranks as one of the largest wildfires🔥 in California history, was a sign of things to come. Sparked by power lines, the conflagration burned some 281,800 acres in December 2017, a month that normally lies outside of wildfire season.
Read more »