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RABBIT HOLE. “This all raises problems about inter-theory relations, in particular about relations between the “same” quantity as it appears in different theories. It also bears on the meaning and status of the Second Law of thermodynamics, with possible implications for characterizing a cosmological arrow of time.” https://lnkd.in/dPXn5gh View in LinkedIn

UNKNOWN CONSEQUENCES. “It is far from clear, however, what it may mean to attribute thermodynamical properties to black holes. At the same time, some of these thermodynamical properties of black holes now seem amenable to direct testing in terrestrial laboratories by observing the behavior of “analogue” systems composed of ordinary material.” https://lnkd.in/dPXn5gh View in LinkedIn

UNEXPECTED NEXUS. “Black holes, however, raise several additional conceptual problems and questions on their own. When quantum effects are taken into account, black holes, although they are nothing more than regions of spacetime, appear to become thermodynamical entities, with a temperature and an entropy. This seems to point to a deep and hitherto unsuspected connection among our three most fundamental theories, general relativity, quantum field theory and thermodynamics.” https://lnkd.in/dPXn5gh View in LinkedIn

SINGULARITIES. “Black holes are regions of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. A typical black hole is the result of the gravitational force becoming so strong that one would have to travel faster than light to escape its pull. Such black holes generically contain a spacetime singularity at their center; thus we cannot fully understand a black hole without also understanding the nature of singularities.” https://lnkd.in/dPXn5gh View in LinkedIn

SPOTS OF INFINITY. “Our current theory of spacetime, general relativity, not only allows for singularities, but tells us that they are unavoidable in some real-world circumstances. Thus we apparently need to understand the ontology of singularities if we are to grasp the nature of space and time in the actual universe. The possibility of singularities also carries potentially important implications for the issues of physical determinism and the scope of physical laws.” https://lnkd.in/dPXn5gh View in LinkedIn

We see reality through the merest slit of the senses which access but a fraction of the information. View in LinkedIn

QUESTION OF OPTICS. “One major challenge for observations of IMBHs is dynamical. The radius of influence of a black hole scales linearly with its mass; thus it is difficult to detect the influence of IMBHs on nearby stars without extremely high spatial resolution.” (IMBHs = intermediate mass black holes). https://lnkd.in/dYX7TQV View in LinkedIn

PROMISING CANDIDATE. “If such objects were to experience a rapid accretion event, they would be seen as (likely off-nuclear) ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs). ULXs are common in star-forming regions and are often attributed to neutron stars or stellar black holes experiencing Eddington or super-Eddington accretion, or beamed emission.” (ULXs = ultra-luminous X-ray sources). https://lnkd.in/dYX7TQV View in LinkedIn

HIDDEN GENERATORS. “Our own Milky Way hosts such postulated objects; gas clouds near the Galactic Center possessing unusually large velocity dispersions are thought to harbor hidden IMBHs.” (IMBHs = intermediate mass black holes). https://lnkd.in/dYX7TQV View in LinkedIn

HUNTING THE SNARK. “Another avenue for hunting down IMBHs exists in off-center compact sources in large galaxies. The process of hierarchical merging results in the tidal disruption of low-mass galaxies as they enter larger halos. If those low-mass galaxies host IMBHs, the black holes will wander in the larger galaxy as they inspiral toward the center.” (IMBHs = intermediate mass black holes). https://lnkd.in/dYX7TQV View in LinkedIn