The Universe Is Not Locally Real, and the Physics Nobel Prize Winners Proved It

In 2022, Nobel Prize winners confirmed that objects lack definite properties until observed.

In a groundbreaking development, the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clauser, Alain Aspect, and Anton Zeilinger for their pioneering experiments on quantum entanglement, a phenomenon that challenges the idea of local realism. Local realism, a concept rooted in classical physics, assumes that objects have specific properties regardless of observation and can only be influenced by their immediate surroundings. However, the work of these Nobel laureates confirms that this is not the case: the universe is not locally real, and quantum particles exhibit strange behaviors that defy everyday experience.

The Challenge to Local Realism

The idea that the universe isn’t locally real stems from the discovery of quantum entanglement, where pairs of particles remain interconnected, affecting each other regardless of the distance between them. Even when separated by vast distances, measurements on one particle instantly determine the state of its pair. This behavior was predicted by quantum mechanics but seemed absurd to many, including Albert Einstein, who famously questioned whether objects exist when not being observed.

In the 1960s, physicist John Bell developed a testable inequality, known as Bell’s Theorem, that showed how quantum mechanics could differ from local hidden variable theories, which assume particles have pre-set properties. If experiments violated Bell’s inequality, it would prove quantum mechanics’ strange predictions true and reject local realism. However, proving this experimentally was a massive challenge.

Alain Aspect
Alain Aspect (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Nobel-Winning Experiments

John Clauser was the first to conduct an experimental test of Bell’s Theorem in the 1970s. His experiment demonstrated that quantum particles violated Bell’s inequality, implying that they do not have predetermined states, thus supporting quantum mechanics over hidden variable theories. But Clauser’s work still left open loopholes that could explain the results without dismissing local realism completely.

Years later, Alain Aspect made significant improvements to these experiments. His work in the 1980s provided stronger evidence against local hidden variables by making the experimental conditions even more precise. Yet, the loophole problem persisted.

Finally, Anton Zeilinger pushed the boundaries further by conducting experiments over large distances, including one in 2013 that closed multiple loopholes simultaneously. His team’s 2015 results reinforced the conclusion that quantum entanglement is real and unexplainable by classical physics.

John Stewart Bell
John Clauser (Photo credit: Nobel Prize (https://www.nobelprize.org/)

Quantum Mechanics and Reality

These Nobel-winning experiments have far-reaching implications, not only for our understanding of reality but also for technological advancements. Quantum information science, including quantum computing and quantum sensors, relies on the very principles of entanglement that these physicists helped prove. Their work has brought quantum mechanics from the fringes of scientific inquiry to the forefront of modern physics.

In short, the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics highlights how the once-controversial idea that the universe isn’t locally real has now become a well-established truth in quantum science, reshaping our understanding of reality itself.

The Expansion Of The Universe May Be An Illusion, A Researcher Says

The universe may not be expanding—it’s particle masses that could be changing over time.

A new study challenges one of the core beliefs in cosmology: that the universe is expanding. According to University of Geneva professor Lucas Lombriser, the apparent expansion of the universe could be an illusion caused by the changing masses of particles over time. This idea, detailed in Classical and Quantum Gravity, also offers fresh solutions to the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.

Rethinking Cosmic Expansion

Scientists have long believed that the universe is expanding, supported by redshift—the observation that light from distant galaxies stretches toward the red end of the spectrum as these galaxies move away from Earth. More surprisingly, recent evidence shows that this expansion is accelerating. The rate of this acceleration is described by the cosmological constant, or lambda. However, lambda has been a puzzle for physicists, as its predicted value, based on particle physics, differs from observed values by a staggering 120 orders of magnitude, leading to it being dubbed “the worst prediction in the history of physics.”

Lombriser’s approach doesn’t involve proposing new particles or forces to explain this discrepancy. Instead, he offers a different view of what is already known. By reinterpreting the physical laws governing the universe, he suggests that the universe is actually flat and static—just as Einstein once believed. In this model, the observed effects of expansion are due to changes in the masses of particles, such as protons and electrons, rather than the universe itself expanding.

A New Explanation for Dark Matter and Dark Energy

In Lombriser’s model, these particles come from a field that permeates space-time. The masses of these particles fluctuate over time as this field changes. In this view, the cosmological constant still changes over time, but it’s tied to the evolution of particle masses instead of the expansion of space.

This new interpretation also offers insights into dark matter and dark energy, two of the most mysterious components of the universe. Dark matter is an invisible substance that makes up 85% of the universe’s matter but does not interact with light, making it undetectable by conventional means. Lombriser suggests that the fluctuations in the field could act like an axion field, which is a hypothetical candidate for dark matter.

Astronomers use the light from distant stars, such as the Helix Nebula seen here, to measure the apparent expansion of the universe. New research suggests there may be more to the pictue that we’re not seeing. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC)

Additionally, Lombriser’s model eliminates the need for dark energy, the mysterious force believed to be driving the accelerating expansion of the universe. Instead, he proposes that the changing mass of particles over time is responsible for this phenomenon, effectively replacing dark energy in explaining why galaxies are moving farther apart.

Caution and Future Testing

While Lombriser’s theory is intriguing, it has drawn cautious responses from the scientific community. Luz Ángela García, a postdoctoral researcher at the Universidad ECCI in Bogotá, finds the theory innovative and compelling, but she emphasizes that its elements may be difficult to test with current observational tools.

Despite the challenges, Lombriser’s novel interpretation offers a fresh perspective on the universe’s biggest mysteries, providing potential solutions to the long-standing problems of dark matter, dark energy, and the cosmological constant. Whether or not his ideas will hold up under scrutiny, they open the door to new ways of thinking about the cosmos.

Scientists Bring Us Closer to a Real, Working Warp Drive

A warp drive for faster-than-light travel may no longer need exotic matter.

The concept of a warp drive, long considered a science fiction fantasy, has taken a significant step closer to reality. A new theoretical model for faster-than-light (FTL) travel has been proposed by Erik Lentz, an astrophysicist at Göttingen University. His groundbreaking work, published in Classical and Quantum Gravity, introduces a warp drive design based on conventional physics, eliminating the need for exotic matter, a key obstacle in previous models.

The Physics Behind Warp Drives

Warp drive, a term popularized by Star Trek, refers to faster-than-light travel by bending or warping the fabric of space-time. Without this technology, reaching distant stars like Alpha Centauri, over 4 light-years away, would take more than 100,000 years using current chemical rocket technology. Even traveling at light speed, a one-way journey would take four years.

The first serious scientific proposal for warp travel came in 1994, when physicist Miguel Alcubierre introduced the idea of the Alcubierre drive. This drive would contract space-time in front of a spaceship and expand it behind, creating a “bubble” in which the ship could move at superluminal speeds. However, the Alcubierre drive required exotic matter with negative energy to bend space-time—a form of matter that does not exist according to current particle physics.

two dimensional visualization of an alcubierre drive
2D visualization of an Alcubierre drive. (Credit: AllenMcC/Creative Commons)

 

Lentz’s New Warp Drive Design

Lentz’s new warp drive model overcomes this limitation by using solitons, which are compact, self-sustaining waves that can travel without changing shape. After reexamining Einstein’s equations for soliton configurations, Lentz found a solution that allows for the creation of a warp bubble using only conventional energy sources, without the need for negative energy or exotic matter.

This development brings the concept of warp drives one step closer to practical engineering. However, Lentz’s model still requires an immense amount of energy. According to his calculations, creating a warp bubble for a 656-foot spacecraft would demand energy equivalent to 100 times the mass of Jupiter—far beyond the capabilities of current technology. Fortunately, Lentz suggests that energy-saving mechanisms proposed in previous research could reduce this requirement by 60 orders of magnitude, making it more feasible.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Although Lentz’s design is a significant breakthrough, there are still major challenges ahead. The biggest hurdle remains the enormous amount of energy needed to warp space-time. Lentz estimates that modern nuclear fission power plants would need to become far more powerful before even a prototype warp drive could be built.

In the meantime, Lentz proposes that scientists could search for evidence of solitons around neutron stars, where the extreme magnetic fields and plasma environments might naturally produce these energy patterns. This could provide further insight into the practical applications of his warp drive theory.

In another recent development, researchers at the Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL) have proposed a physical warp drive model, similar to Lentz’s, that also avoids the need for exotic matter. Both these breakthroughs suggest that the concept of FTL travel may be more achievable than previously thought, even though practical applications may still be decades or centuries away.

With scientists like Lentz and others continuing to push the boundaries of theoretical physics, the dream of warp drive may eventually become a reality—sooner than we think.

An underground cave discovered on the Moon may provide shelter for future explorers

NASA radar data reveals a 443-foot deep lunar cave in the Sea of Tranquility.

Recent radar data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has uncovered a cave beneath the moon’s surface, potentially providing a safe haven for future astronauts. This discovery, reported in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggests that lunar caves could protect explorers from the moon’s extreme environment. The cave, located in the Sea of Tranquility where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their historic 1969 moon landing, is connected to a deep pit and could serve as a natural shelter from cosmic radiation and temperature fluctuations.

Radar Reveals Lunar Caves

Lunar caves have been a topic of scientific debate for decades, with researchers speculating they may have formed billions of years ago by volcanic activity, creating hollow lava tubes. In 2012, NASA’s LRO first confirmed the existence of surface pits that might serve as entrances to these caves. However, until now, scientists had no evidence that any of the pits led to such underground structures.

The LRO, launched in 2009, continues to orbit the moon, mapping its surface in unprecedented detail. Over 200 pits have been identified, but the connection between these pits and deeper caves remained uncertain. In this study, scientists examined a pit in the Sea of Tranquility, the deepest known on the moon, using radar images from 2010. The pit measures over 300 feet across, with a floor that lies between 410 and 443 feet below the surface. Researchers found evidence of a cave connected to the pit, which is estimated to be at least 130 feet wide and tens of yards long.

A grey image of a pit on the surface of the moon
A pit in the Sea of Tranquility, captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University

Implications for Lunar Exploration

Lunar caves could be key to establishing human bases on the moon. According to Katherine Joy, a planetary scientist at the University of Manchester, the thick rock ceilings of these caves could offer much-needed protection from extreme temperature shifts and harmful radiation, making them ideal locations for future moon missions. By studying these caves, scientists also hope to learn more about the moon’s volcanic history and find the best spots to build safe, shielded lunar habitats.

However, accessing these caves won’t be easy. The steep slopes and loose debris around the pit’s entrance make it challenging for explorers to descend safely. Robert Wagner, a research specialist at Arizona State University, notes that getting in and out of the cave will require a significant amount of infrastructure.

Nasa orbiter confirms network of underground caves on the Moon, sends pictures - India Today

Still, researchers are excited by the possibilities. Leonardo Carrer, one of the study’s co-authors, expressed his thrill at discovering the cave, calling it “really exciting” to be among the first humans to see it. The team hopes further exploration of lunar caves will provide more insights into both the moon’s geology and its potential for human exploration.

Future missions may involve more in-depth studies of these underground structures, which could reveal the best locations for building secure lunar bases—essential for humanity’s return to the moon and beyond.

Astronauts might need to use “jet packs or a lift” to get out of the cave, Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut to travel to space, says to BBC News.

Physicists believe they have resolved Stephen Hawking’s renowned black hole paradox

New theory suggests black holes may have “hair” to solve the information paradox.

At the core of black hole research lies a paradox that has puzzled scientists for decades. As black holes evaporate over time, they seem to take information with them—information that, according to quantum theory, should be preserved. This conundrum, known as the black hole information paradox, has been a topic of intense debate since Stephen Hawking’s groundbreaking work on black holes. Now, a new theory proposed by physicists from the UK, the US, and Italy offers a fresh approach to this mystery, suggesting that black holes may have “hair” that helps retain information.

The Information Paradox and Hawking Radiation

Black holes are known for their immense gravitational pull, warping space and time to such an extent that not even light can escape their grasp. Decades ago, Stephen Hawking proposed that black holes emit a form of heat radiation, now known as Hawking radiation. Over time, this radiation causes black holes to shrink and eventually disappear. However, this creates a problem: in quantum physics, information cannot simply vanish. Yet, Hawking’s theory implied that the information contained within a black hole would be lost forever as it evaporates, violating a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics.

Physicists have been grappling with this paradox ever since, trying to find a way to reconcile the laws of quantum mechanics with general relativity, which governs how space and time behave around massive objects like black holes.

A Hairy Solution?

The new theory, which has garnered significant media attention, suggests that black holes may not be as smooth and simple as once thought. Instead, they could have “hair,” or slight perturbations in their gravitational fields, that store information. This concept, though not entirely new, offers a potential solution to the information paradox. The idea is that these “hairs” could serve as a bridge between the information inside the black hole and the surrounding universe, allowing the information to remain accessible even as the black hole evaporates.

This theory builds on the idea of gravitons—hypothetical particles that could mediate the force of gravity at a quantum level. Though gravitons have never been observed, the researchers have developed a model based on how these particles might behave under specific conditions. According to their model, the gravitational “hair” around a black hole could retain some of the information, preventing it from being lost completely.

Black holes are some of the most fascinating objects in space. (Image credit: solarseven via Getty Images)

Far from a Final Answer

While this new approach is intriguing and offers a solid theoretical framework, it is far from a definitive solution to the black hole information paradox. Much more research is needed to test and refine the theory, and it may be some time before we can confirm whether black holes truly have “hair” or if this idea leads us closer to resolving the paradox.

In science, progress often comes in two forms: observation or hypothesis. The theory of black holes having hair is a valuable hypothesis, providing a new direction for future research. Whether or not it will ultimately solve one of physics’ most perplexing problems remains to be seen.

Ancient Earth may have been a “water world” devoid of dry land

New research suggests ancient Earth was almost entirely covered by water 3 billion years ago.

A groundbreaking study published in Nature Geoscience suggests that 3 billion years ago, Earth was likely a true water world, with little to no landmass above its oceans. This discovery could have significant implications for our understanding of the origins and evolution of life.

The research focuses on rock samples from the Panorama district of Western Australia, which formed in a hydrothermal vent system on the seafloor about 3.24 billion years ago. By analyzing these ancient rocks, researchers concluded that Earth at that time may have been nearly entirely submerged under water, with only small archipelagos, if any, breaking the ocean’s surface.

Water’s Ancient Imprint

Although modern Earth is about 70% water-covered, the new findings suggest a far more waterlogged past. Scientists still debate how much water Earth originally had and where it came from—whether it was present from the start or delivered later by comets or asteroids. While evidence shows Earth has had water for about 4.4 billion years, it remains unclear how much water existed in the planet’s early days.

The key to understanding Earth’s ancient environment lies in oxygen isotopes, particularly the ratios of oxygen-16 (O16) and oxygen-18 (O18) in water. When water evaporates, lighter O16 evaporates more readily than O18. On modern Earth, rocks on land absorb much of the heavier O18, leaving the oceans with relatively less. The rock samples analyzed in this study contained unusually high levels of O18, suggesting that large landmasses capable of absorbing this isotope did not yet exist, further supporting the idea of a mostly oceanic Earth at that time.

This pillow basalt lined the seafloor roughly 3.2 billion years ago. Credit: Benjamin Johnson

Implications for Life’s Origins

The possibility that early Earth was almost entirely covered in water raises intriguing questions about the origin of life. Scientists often debate whether life began near hydrothermal vents in the ocean or on land in “warm little ponds,” as Charles Darwin once proposed. If early Earth had no significant landmasses, this would bolster the idea that life originated in the ocean, likely near hydrothermal vents, where heat and mineral-rich water were abundant.

As Boswell Wing, a geology professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, notes, if Earth was entirely covered in water when life first appeared, then land-based origins of life would be impossible. This could also inform the search for life on other planets, suggesting that exoplanets entirely covered by oceans might be prime candidates for harboring life.

Future Research

Though this study focuses on one point in time, the rock samples from Western Australia offer valuable insight into Earth’s watery past. The researchers plan to extend their investigation by analyzing additional samples from locations like Africa, Canada, and the United States to track the emergence of Earth’s continents over billions of years. Together, these samples may reveal when Earth transitioned from a water world to a planet with the dry land we know today.

Astronomers find no evidence of alien technology after scanning more than 10 million stars

A 17-hour search of over 10 million stars found no signs of alien technology.

A recent large-scale survey looking for extraterrestrial life scanned over 10 million stars but did not detect any evidence of alien technology. The study, published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), a massive array of 4,096 antennas located in Western Australia, to search for “technosignatures”—radio signals that might indicate advanced alien civilizations.

The Search for Alien Technosignatures

The MWA survey, led by Chenoa Tremblay from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and Stephen Tingay from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), focused on the Vela constellation. This area of space is scientifically significant because many stars have died and exploded, making it a fertile region for new star formation. Researchers hoped that this stellar environment might also be conducive to finding evidence of extraterrestrial life.

The team spent 17 hours listening for repeating radio signals, similar to a “ping” sound, that might escape from an alien planet or represent a deliberate transmission. Despite scanning over 10.3 million stellar sources, including six known exoplanets, they found no unknown signals. The researchers likened their search to studying a swimming pool’s volume of water in an entire ocean, highlighting the enormous challenge of locating technosignatures in space.

Limits and Future Efforts

One of the significant limitations of the search is that it assumes extraterrestrial civilizations would have developed radio technology similar to what we use on Earth. As Tremblay notes, intelligent alien life may exist but might communicate using methods we cannot detect. The search for life, therefore, remains an ongoing process of refining techniques and exploring new regions of space.

Astronomers find no signs of alien tech after scanning over 10 million stars : r/space
Vela C, a massive part of the Vela complex, where the new study was searching for extraterrestrial life. ESA/PACS & SPIRE Consortia/T. Hill/F. Motte/Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay/CEA/IRFU/CNRS/INSU/Uni. Paris Diderot/HOBYS Key Programme Consortium

Tremblay’s research also includes studying simple molecules essential for life, which could offer a different pathway to finding extraterrestrial life. By identifying the chemical signals that might indicate life, scientists may one day detect life forms that do not rely on advanced technology like radio transmissions.

In a related effort, astronomers from the University of Manchester and the Breakthrough Listen collaboration have been narrowing down the search for intelligent life within the Milky Way. Their recent study, published in early September, set new constraints on radio transmissions, showing that fewer than 0.04% of star systems in our galaxy could potentially host detectable alien civilizations.

Progress in the Search for Life

While this particular SETI survey did not yield results, the search for life beyond Earth continues with new missions. NASA’s Perseverance rover and China’s Tianwen-1 mission, both currently exploring Mars, are equipped with tools to search for ancient or current microbial life on the Red Planet. These missions represent ongoing efforts to uncover the mysteries of life in the universe.

In the vast and dark forest of the cosmos, the search for life is far from over. As technologies improve and our understanding of space deepens, the next breakthrough could be just around the corner.

Mars Rover Discovers Three Potential Signs of Ancient Life in One Rock

Perseverance’s recent find on Mars revealed three key signs of ancient life on one rock.

NASA’s Perseverance rover made a significant discovery, when it sampled a rock on Mars containing three distinct clues that could point to ancient microbial life. The rock, named “Cheyava Falls,” was found along the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, an ancient river channel in the Jezero Crater. While the findings are promising, scientists emphasize that further research is needed to confirm whether the signs are definitive evidence of life.

Clues from the Cheyava Falls Rock

Perseverance discovered that the rock, though only about three feet by two feet in size, holds three crucial signs of ancient life. The first was the presence of long, white veins of calcium sulfate, a mineral often deposited by water. This suggests that billions of years ago, the Neretva Vallis and Jezero Crater were home to flowing water, a key element for life.

Annotated rock
An annotated image of Cheyava Falls, which indicates the black-ringed splotches known as “leopard spots” and olivine mineral NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

The second clue was a series of millimeter-sized white spots surrounded by black rings, resembling leopard spots. On Earth, such patterns in rocks are frequently linked to fossilized microbial life that once thrived underground. Using its PIXL X-ray instrument, Perseverance also found that these black rings contain iron and phosphate, which are associated with chemical reactions involving hematite—an important mineral on Mars that may have provided energy for life.

The third and most exciting sign was the detection of organic compounds, molecules made of carbon, using the SHERLOC instrument. Organic compounds are essential building blocks of life, though they can also form through non-biological processes. This detection marks one of the most significant biosignatures yet found on Mars.

What Could This Mean?

Each of these findings on its own would be intriguing, but the fact that all three signs were found together on a single rock makes a compelling case for ancient life. “Cheyava Falls is the most puzzling, complex, and potentially important rock yet investigated by Perseverance,” says Ken Farley, a geochemist at Caltech. However, researchers stress that while these clues are exciting, they are not conclusive proof of life. So far, no fossilized organisms have been found, and the exact processes behind these features remain unknown.

Scientists have developed two possible scenarios for how the rock formed. One theory suggests that Cheyava Falls may have started as mud full of organic compounds, which later hardened into rock through interactions with water. Another theory points to the presence of olivine, a mineral formed from magma, which suggests that the rock features could have been created by non-biological chemical reactions at extremely high temperatures.

The Next Steps

While Perseverance has provided a wealth of data, the rover’s ability to further investigate Cheyava Falls is limited. NASA plans to bring the rock sample back to Earth for more detailed analysis, though the timeline for this mission remains uncertain. Until the sample can be studied in Earth-based laboratories, questions about ancient life on Mars will persist. For now, Perseverance’s discovery represents a major step toward solving the mystery of life on the Red Planet.

Astronomers have measured a black hole spinning at half the speed of light

Astronomers used X-rays to calculate a black hole spinning at nearly half the speed of light.

NASA Releases Hypnotic GIFs of a Black Hole in Rotation

Astronomers have discovered a new way to study black holes, the mysterious cosmic entities that destroy anything in their path. By observing X-ray bursts from a star being torn apart by a black hole, researchers calculated the black hole’s spin rate for the first time using X-rays. The black hole was found spinning at nearly 50 percent of the speed of light. This research, published in Science, opens new possibilities for understanding black holes’ behavior and evolution.

Stellar Destruction and X-ray Emissions

The discovery dates back to November 2014, when astronomers observed a supermassive black hole in a galaxy 300 million light years away. This black hole ripped apart a star that had ventured too close, an event known as a tidal disruption flare. The flare generated intense bursts of X-rays that were visible from Earth. Since black holes themselves don’t produce many X-rays, researchers saw an opportunity to study this flare closely.

Led by scientists from MIT, the team analyzed data from various space telescopes and found something unusual. They noticed that X-ray emissions were appearing every 131 seconds near the black hole’s event horizon, the boundary where objects start to be pulled in. These periodic X-ray bursts, which lasted over 450 days, increased the total X-ray emissions by 40 percent. This consistent pattern provided crucial clues about the black hole’s spin.

This artist’s impression shows a disk of hot gas orbiting close to a black hole. NASA/CXC/M. Weiss

A Two-Star System at Play

The team believes that two stars, not just one, were involved in this event. In 2014, the black hole destroyed a passing star, and the remnants were pulled into its gravitational field. Some of the stellar debris was devoured by the black hole, while other fragments settled into the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) around the black hole, where they continued to emit X-rays.

Interestingly, the researchers think that a second star, likely a white dwarf, was already orbiting the black hole in the same region. The gravitational pull of this dense white dwarf may have attracted the X-ray-emitting debris, forming a ring of radiation that brightened each time the star orbited the black hole. This orbit occurred every 131 seconds, creating the periodic X-ray flares that researchers detected.

By combining the orbital speed of the star with the estimated mass of the black hole—about one million times the mass of the Sun—the team calculated the black hole’s rotation speed. They determined that it was spinning at roughly half the speed of light.

Unlocking Black Hole Secrets

Although the black hole’s speed is slower than other known black holes, which can spin at 99 percent of the speed of light, this marks the first time researchers have used tidal disruption flares to measure a black hole’s spin. Lead author Dheeraj Pasham of MIT explained, “This is the first time we’re able to use tidal disruption flares to constrain the spins of supermassive black holes.”

Because tidal disruption flares only emit X-rays for a limited time, witnessing one is extremely rare. Still, the researchers plan to study more flare events in both younger and older black holes to understand whether black holes speed up as they age. This information could provide new insights into how black holes evolve and how they interact with the stars in their galaxies.

Colliding neutron stars formed a sphere so perfect it astonished physicists

The kilonova from a neutron star collision formed a surprisingly perfect spherical explosion, baffling scientists.

Neutron star collision GIFs - Hole dir die besten GIFs auf GIFER

In 2017, astronomers witnessed the first-ever recorded collision of two neutron stars, named GW170817. This event provided groundbreaking insights into neutron star collisions and their aftermaths. However, recent analysis of the explosion, known as a kilonova, has revealed an unexpected and puzzling discovery: the explosion was a near-perfect sphere. This finding has surprised scientists, challenging long-standing theories about such collisions.

A Spherical Mystery

Astrophysicists expected the kilonova explosion to be asymmetrical, based on models developed over the past 25 years. These models predicted a flattened, irregular shape due to the nature of the collision, where two super-dense stars orbit each other hundreds of times per second before merging. Instead, what the researchers found was a completely spherical explosion. This revelation has left experts questioning their previous understanding of neutron star collisions.

Darach Watson, an astrophysicist at the Niels Bohr Institute, expressed his astonishment at the findings. “It makes no sense that it is spherical, like a ball,” he remarked. According to the researchers, this means there are gaps in the current theories and simulations of kilonovae, suggesting that unknown physics might be at play.

Uncovering Possible Explanations

The spherical shape hints at a new layer of energy involved in these collisions. One possible explanation revolves around the idea of a hypermassive neutron star that forms briefly before collapsing into a black hole. This extremely powerful neutron star, supported by an immense magnetic field, may cause a “magnetic bomb” effect when it collapses. This massive energy release could explain why the kilonova appears spherical, smoothing out any asymmetry that would typically occur in such explosions.

There’s also the question of how heavy elements, such as gold and uranium, form in these collisions. Sneppen’s team detected strontium, a relatively lighter element, distributed symmetrically across the explosion. However, heavier elements were expected to form in different regions of the kilonova. This has led to speculation that neutrinos, elementary particles emitted during the event, might play a critical role in influencing how these elements are forged. These neutrinos could be converting neutrons into protons and electrons, creating more light elements than previously predicted.

Colliding Neutron Stars Created a Sphere So Perfect It's Shocked Physicists
An illustration of a spherical explosion in space. (Albert Sneppen)

The Road Ahead

While these findings have posed new questions, they have also opened the door to further research. The perfect spherical shape and the role of neutrinos hint at complex mechanisms occurring during neutron star collisions that scientists have yet to fully understand. More observations of similar collisions could help unravel these mysteries.

For now, the spherical kilonova from GW170817 has sparked renewed interest in neutron star mergers and the physics behind them, with scientists hoping that future detections will provide more clues about the unseen forces shaping these cosmic events.

The research has been published in Nature.