The Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) in Japan is conducting several fascinating and somewhat bizarre projects. One of these projects focuses on studying black holes that could have formed in the early universe before the emergence of stars and galaxies, as reported by Phys.org.
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Graphic illustration depicting an intermediate-mass black hole – Image: NASA.
According to the new hypothesis proposed by the team of experts at Kavli IPMU, these primordial black holes (PBHs) could be the source of all or at least some of the dark matter, as well as providing a basis for the existence of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies and other galaxies.
During the early stages of the universe, when it was extremely hot and dense, conditions allowed for the formation of countless PBHs. Unlike the black holes we observe in the modern universe, these PBHs did not arise from the collapse of a single star, resulting in a wide range of sizes, including super tiny PBHs.
Meanwhile, scientists have long been searching for dark matter, an invisible form of matter believed to constitute the majority of the universe’s mass and connect galaxies together. Many physicists believe that dark matter consists of particles that we have not yet discovered. However, the Kavli IPMU research team offers a completely different hypothesis.
“Humanity still does not know the origin or composition of dark matter, but now that the existence of black holes has been confirmed, we can ask the question: could dark matter be composed of PBHs that appeared before the era of stars and galaxies?” according to physicist Alexander Kusenko from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), cited by Motherboard as the author of the report.
Kusenko further suggests that PBHs may be like bubbles containing tiny universes devoid of matter, which started to form but ultimately failed to develop due to the rapid expansion of our own universe.
As mentioned earlier, this is an incredibly strange idea, but somehow the expert team at Kavli IPMU has found a way to address some of the biggest mysteries of the universe simultaneously. However, the most controversial aspect of the research, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, is the possibility that our universe may resemble “a tiny black hole bubble” within the sight of another unknown force.