#Black hole theory series#

The results of this study have been published in the journal Nature this week and can be accessed here.Researchers observed bright flares of X-ray emissions, produced as gas falls into a supermassive black hole.

More importantly, the results provide empirical evidence to a century-old theory. This study has taken our understanding of black holes and the processes around them to a whole new level. The reason we can see is that black hole is warping space, bending light and twisting magnetic fields around itself,' explains Dan Wilkins. 'Any light that goes into that black hole doesn't come out, so we shouldn't be able to see anything that's behind the black hole. The smaller luminescence flares occurred like an echo in a fraction of seconds and sometimes dimmer. Surprisingly, they also detected flashes of smaller and brighter X-rays originating from a strange place, i.e., behind the black hole.Įventually, the team determined that these are the same X-ray flares but are reflected from the back of the disk.

#Black hole theory series#

The observations were in line with the theory’s suggestions on how exactly light should behave around an environment of extreme gravity.Īt first, astronomers stumbled upon a series of bright x-rays flares from this supermassive black hole during their observations using NuSTAR and XMM-Newton telescopes. Voila! The team found direct evidence of reflected light from around this supermassive black. (ESA)Įinstein’s general theory of relativity predicted that the light must bend and reflect due to the strong gravitational pull around a black hole. Image illustrating light echoes from behind the black hole. 'This magnetic field getting tied up and then snapping close to the black hole heats everything around it and produces these high energy electrons that then go on to produce the X-rays,' said Dan Wilkins, astrophysicist. It has been hypothesised that some corona hones power to spew out powerful x-ray flares. This extremely hot region consists of superheated particles fueled by the powerful magnetic field of black holes. The name has been derived from the Sun’s corona as it showcases similar properties and heats up to millions of degrees. The third is the corona located just outside the event horizon. Second, the accretion disk-an incredibly hot disk-where the matter gets collected before finally being swallowed by the cosmic monster. First, the event horizon-the most popular feature-forms the boundary of a black hole beyond which nothing can escape the fate of the universe's darkest forces. But, before we jump to what exactly this feature is, first, let’s understand the black hole better. In what can be called a serendipitous discovery, scientists from Stanford University in California had started this research to study one of the mysterious features of the black holes known as the corona. The dynamic behaviour of a black hole corona.