Scientists discover vacuum energy in black holes that contributes to expansion of universe

An international team of scientists claims to have solved one of the most difficult mysteries of astrophysics without necessarily complementing existing models; according to this research, black holes may contain a strange form of energy, vacuum energy, that accelerates the expansion of the universe.

According to Newatlas.com, scientists have known about the expansion of the universe since the twenties, but for several decades it was assumed that the process must be slowed by gravitational forces.

But in the 1990s, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered that the exact opposite was happening: the farther the object, the faster it was moving away from us, which meant that the expansion of the universe was accelerating over time.

For this reason, the concept of dark energy was introduced into the models of the time, causing objects to push away from each other. Scientists everywhere are looking for signs of this energy, and a new study has shown that it may be hidden inside black holes.

Vacuum energy

It turns out that the vacuum isn't completely empty – random fluctuations generate what's called vacuum energy, which can work against gravitational forces and affect the expansion of the universe. Some models suggest that vacuum energy can be found in black holes, and scientists say this is confirmed by their observations in a new study.

To substantiate this thesis, scientists have studied the evolution of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies over the past 9 billion years. Such black holes gain mass by absorbing dust, gas, stars and other black holes, but in giant elliptical galaxies that have run out of gas and dust, their growth should have stopped.

However, a comparison of distant and close elliptical galaxies showed that supermassive black holes in their centers continue to gain mass through some other mechanism. And if it is vacuum energy, they contribute to the expansion of the Universe by increasing their mass; this process is called cosmic coupling.

Breakthrough in the formation of the scientific picture of the world

The authors of the study argue that their proposed model is extremely accurate – does not require the introduction of new elements in the existing models, but proposes to close the existing gaps with black holes, as predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity.

In addition, modern models assume that black holes contain a so-called singularity, a point at which the laws of physics are violated. Therefore, they either find some workarounds to describe them, or say that the existing models are incomplete.

If black holes really contain vacuum energy, then singularities are no longer needed, and this could be a big breakthrough in the formation of the scientific picture of the world. But confirmation of the new model will require further research and observations.

The scientists published the results of their study in The Astrophysical Journal and The Astrophysical Journal Letters.