Despite the significant evolution of space technology, black holes remain the most mysterious objects in the Universe. Scientists are still struggling to understand how these vortices work. Now, however, scientists are reproducing black holes in the lab using some very straightforward techniques, trying to learn more about them.
To shed more light on the real black holes in the Universe, researchers at the Black Hole Laboratory at the University of Nottingham in the UK recreated black holes using a rippling tank full of water colored in green and a sinkhole. The lab-made “black holes” are not as exciting as the real deal in the Universe but they can help scientists learn some more about them.
When black holes merge in the Universe, they give birth to oscillations. The ripples produced by such a space event, travel through space and generate a tune known as the quasinormal mode. That’s what the UK researchers are trying to recreate in their lab to learn more about those ripples and black holes.
Black Holes Are Reproduced In The Lab Using Water
It might sound odd to use water to learn more about black holes, black holes mergers, and the ripples they produce when colliding, but the fundamentals work excellently using water.
“Fluid velocity is much higher than wave velocity, so the waves are dragged down by the water flow even when they’re propagating in the opposite direction,” said physicist Mauricio Richartz for FAPESP new agency.
When the scientists calculated the oscillations in their lab-made “black hole,” they noticed that the patterns persist for some time near the edge of the vortex formed by the water flowing down the sinkhole, which mimics the event horizon. “These oscillations were no longer quasinormal modes, but a different pattern known as quasi-bound states,” Richartz added. Next, the UK physicists plan to recreate more such ripples to study their involvement in real black holes in the Universe.
Vadim is a passionate writer on various topics but especially on stuff related to health, technology, and science. Therefore, for Great Lakes Ledger, Vadim will cover health and Sci&Tech news.