What happens if you suddenly fall into a black hole? According to Einstein’s classical theory, before falling, you will first be stretched by “spaghettification” and then crushed by the gravity of the singularity, a point of infinite density where space and time collapse. But new research suggests another scenario: the singularity may not be the end, but just the beginning of a journey to a white hole that “spits” matter back into the Universe.
In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, physicist Steffen Gielen and mathematician Lucía Menéndez-Pidal investigated black holes through the lens of quantum mechanics. They used a simplified two-dimensional model of a flat black hole to show: instead of collapsing into nothingness, a singularity can generate quantum fluctuations — microscopic energy changes that open a “bridge” to a white hole. The latter is the theoretical opposite of a black hole: instead of absorbing, it releases matter, energy and time.
“In quantum mechanics, time cannot stop — systems are constantly evolving. This gives hope that the singularity is just a transition,” explains Gielen. According to him, a hypothetical observer who would pass through a black hole could find himself in a white hole where time does not end, but begins. Of course, this is only an abstract model, but it opens new horizons for understanding the nature of time.
Time and dark energy
The researchers also proposed an unusual approach to measuring time through dark energy, the force that accelerates the expansion of the Universe. “Time in our model comes from the dark energy that permeates the entire cosmos. This is the key to unraveling the events inside black holes,” Gielen notes. Although this idea requires further proof, it may explain how time “behaves” under extreme conditions.
Unfortunately, even if the theory is correct, traveling through a black hole remains science fiction. Gravity will stretch your body long before reaching the singularity. But this work changes the idea of the fate of information in black holes: instead of disappearing, it can “escape” through white holes, preserving the laws of quantum mechanics.
Therefore, if you imagine you’re the hero of Interstellar, scientists believe you won’t disappear forever. Perhaps your journey will continue in another time or dimension, or something that will be left of you due to distortion by the maddening force of the black hole’s gravity.
Previously, we explained how big black holes can be.
According to sheffield.ac.uk
