New theoretical work indicates that dark matter could directly produce primordial black holes. These black holes might be ripening out of sight inside stars for billions of years. These cosmic phenomena might stay buried inside their stellar progenitors, prompting fascinating inquiries regarding their formation and development. Chandrachur Chakraborty is a postdoctoral researcher whose work is broadly defined by General Relativity and its applications to astrophysics. He has been deeply probing the forbidding reality of the stellar–black-hole tango, making original contributions to a confusing field.
The creation of black holes is most commonly associated with dying massive stars collapsing. When a star runs out of its nuclear fuel, it has nothing left to support itself against gravity. Depending on various factors, including the star’s spin, three distinct end states can emerge: a black hole, a naked singularity, or a long-lived hybrid object. Chakraborty’s research involves understanding how black holes would evolve as they eat the matter around them.
The Role of Spin in Black Hole Formation
The spin of a star is an important factor in deciding if it will go on to become a black hole. As a star rotates more slowly, gravity acts to squeeze in its center. This implosion allows material from overlying layers to sink easily toward the center. This process is especially conducive to black hole formation. A very rapidly spinning star can end in a variety of states thanks to opposing centrifugal forces.
Chakraborty is quick to underscore that the dynamics of this collapse isn’t terribly simple. There are several alternative proposed results, such as stopped accretion with conical outflows or polar jets. These phenomena could influence how effectively matter is accreted by the core, ultimately impacting whether a black hole forms or not.
Remnants of supernova explosions, neutron stars have a critical part to play in this story. With masses greater than that of their home star and radii of about ten kilometers, neutron stars are the densest objects known. A single teaspoon of neutron star material can weigh about as much as all of humanity combined. Under certain circumstances, neutron stars can become black holes. This transformation requires us to COMPLETELY change how we study stellar evolution!
Endoparasitic Black Holes and Their Formation
One of the most interesting aspects of black hole formation are endoparasitic black holes (EBH) inside white dwarfs. These stellar remnants might give birth to black holes if certain conditions about their mass and spin period are met. The particulars of this process are still a subject of intense research.
The birth of an EBH is the result of a complex interplay between the white dwarf core and outer layers. If enough pressure and temperature to induce nucleosynthesis are achieved, the core can collapse into a black hole but still be embedded in the white dwarf. This theoretical framework allows for so-called “dark” black holes to exist. Unsurprisingly, they can only grow so much as they pull in matter from their surroundings.
Chakraborty’s research indicates the development of these black holes may be able to happen under the radar for billions of years. Their quiet evolution raises questions about what the overall population of black holes in the universe looks like. It pushes us to think about how they can shape the future architecture of the universe.
Implications for Astrophysics
The central notion that black holes can grow silently and inescapably within stars poses a significant test to current theoretical predictions of stellar evolution. It challenges astronomers to rethink how they study and classify black holes found throughout the universe. If numerous black holes exist within stars throughout their lifetimes, it could change the understanding of their distribution and behavior.
Additionally, research of these hidden giants can shed light on dark matter’s part in cosmic evolution. The relationship between dark matter and black hole formation offers one of the most promising new frontier for researchers such as Chakraborty. Figuring out how these two processes are related could shed light on some of the most basic questions about the universe itself.