Could we harness energy from black holes?

A remarkable prediction of Einstein's theory of general relativity -- the theory that connects space, time and gravity -- is that rotating black holes have enormous amounts of energy available to be tapped.

A new study indicates that, someday, energy could be extracted from black holes. Photo: JPL-Caltech/NASA

For the last 50 years, scientists have tried to come up with methods to unleash this power.

Now, in a study, physicists Luca Comisso of Columbia University and Felipe Asenjo of the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile have found a new way to extract energy from black holes by breaking and rejoining magnetic field lines near the event horizon, the point at which nothing, not even light, can escape a black hole's gravitational pull.

"Black holes are commonly surrounded by a hot 'soup' of plasma particles that carry a magnetic field," said Comisso. "Our theory shows that when magnetic field lines disconnect and reconnect in just the right way, they can accelerate plasma particles to negative energies, and large amounts of black hole energy can be extracted."

The research results could allow astronomers to better estimate the spin of black holes and possibly discover a source of energy for the needs of an advanced civilization, Comisso said.

Comisso and Asenjo built their theory on the premise that reconnecting magnetic fields accelerates plasma particles in two different directions. One plasma flow is pushed against the black hole's spin, while the other is propelled in the spin's direction and can escape the clutches of the black hole. That releases power if the plasma swallowed by the black hole has negative energy.

"It is like a person could lose weight by eating candy with negative calories," said Comisso, who explained that essentially a black hole loses energy by eating negative-energy particles. "This might sound weird," he said, "but it can happen in a region called the ergosphere, where the spacetime continuum rotates so fast that every object spins in the same direction as the black hole."

Inside the ergosphere, magnetic reconnection is so extreme that the plasma particles are accelerated to velocities approaching the speed of light.

While it may sound like the stuff of science fiction, mining energy from black holes could be the answer to our future power needs.

"Thousands or millions of years from now, humanity might be able to survive around a black hole without harnessing energy from stars," Comisso said. "It is essentially a technological problem. If we look at the physics, there is nothing that prevents it." (National Science Foundation)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

The Climate Events of 2020 Show How Excess Heat is Expressed on Earth

By most accounts, 2020 has been a rough year for the planet. It was the warmest year on record, just barely exceeding the record set in 2016 by less than a tenth of a degree according to NASA’s analysis.

Study compares low-fat, plant-based diet to low-carb, animal-based diet

People on a low-fat, plant-based diet ate fewer daily calories but had higher insulin and blood glucose levels, compared to when they ate a low-carbohydrate, animal-based diet.

Organic matter, bacteria doom sea stars to oxygen depletion

Mysterious wasting disease has nearly killed off sea star populations around the world.

Tiny wireless device might help in combating obesity

Device stimulates the endings of nerve responsible for the regulation of food intake.

Desalination breakthrough could lead to cheaper water filtration

Producing clean water at a lower cost could be on the horizon after researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Penn State solved a complex problem that had baffled scientists for decades.

Blood test shows promise for early detection of acute heart transplant rejection

Researchers have developed a blood test that could make it possible for doctors to detect acute heart transplant rejection (...)