Black Hole Parasites Might Be Eating Stars Internally.

An unconventional contender for dark matter might be concealed within stars, gradually consuming them from within. A recent study, led by astrophysicist Earl Bellinger from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and Yale University, suggests a fascinating concept: minuscule black holes, originating from the universe’s early stages, could have been assimilated into stars resembling our Sun. These tiny black holes could have nestled in their cores for eons, steadily absorbing material and transforming it into more black holes.

This theory remains highly speculative, yet the research delves into how such parasitic behavior might impact these stars and contemplates the potential methods to detect them across the cosmos.

“Our findings indicate that these objects can endure for remarkably long periods. The smallest black holes might exert no discernible influence on stellar development, while larger ones gradually consume the star, resulting in various observable effects,” note the researchers in their paper.

“The distinct internal structures of stars hosting black holes might offer a chance for asteroseismology to identify them, should they indeed exist.”

The cosmos hosts a diverse array of black holes, spanning various sizes and classifications. We’ve encountered those within the stellar mass range, likely originating from colossal stars collapsing at the conclusion of their lifecycle, along with the resulting mergers. Then there are the supermassive behemoths, millions to billions of times the Sun’s mass, concealed within the cores of galaxies. Among these, black holes of intermediate mass exist, evasive but gradually surfacing in larger numbers.

However, what eludes discovery are miniature black holes—those akin to the masses of planets, moons, or asteroids. These entities lack sufficient mass and gravitational force to collapse into the density required for a black hole.

Yet, theoretically, there’s a plausible scenario for the creation of these minute black holes.

Drawing from a theory initiated by Stephen Hawking in the 1970s, further developed by subsequent scientists, it’s proposed that these tiny black holes might have formed mere moments after the Big Bang. During this epoch, the universe was immensely dense and hot, potentially allowing denser patches of matter to collapse into inescapable pockets of spacetime.

The whereabouts of these ‘primordial’ black holes, if they indeed existed, remain an enigma. Nonetheless, they could account for the additional gravitational influence attributed to dark matter within the Universe.

Some theorists speculate that these entities might have nestled within neutron stars, residing in their cores and possibly exhibiting a peculiar kind of cosmic consumption.

Earl Bellinger and his team delved into the concept of an endoparasitic black hole, not within a defunct stellar remnant like a neutron star, but within a vibrant, actively fusing main-sequence star resembling our Sun. Hawking himself proposed the potential existence of a primordial black hole within the Sun. Subsequent theoretical analyses suggested that a primordial black hole could consume a star from within.

In their investigation, Bellinger and his collaborators explored the potential outcomes of a star—ranging from 0.8 to 100 solar masses—forming alongside a primordial black hole equivalent in mass to a star. They embarked on the first comprehensive numerical simulations of Sun-like stars harboring these primordial black holes at their cores.

The tiniest black holes, the study revealed, would encounter challenges in their growth. Consuming the star would require billions of years.

Conversely, a black hole matching the mass of a dwarf planet would exhibit a voracious appetite. It would initiate the consumption of a Sun-like star’s core, creating a swirling disk of material that generates substantial light and heat. Within a billion years, the star would cease to be powered by fusion, instead drawing its energy from the accretion disk revolving around the black hole. Ironically, all the star’s radiance would be produced by the black hole itself. The researchers have coined this theoretical stellar type as a “Hawking star.”

A Hawking star would exhibit behavior akin to a regular star but with distinct variations. Its outer layers would expand, resembling a red giant—similar to the anticipated fate of the Sun as fusion diminishes towards its end. However, its temperature would be lower than the norm for such stellar entities. Intriguingly, within the Milky Way, we’ve already identified peculiarly cool red giant stars known as red stragglers.

The researchers suggest that studying these stars could unveil telltale signs of a black hole mechanism. Black hole accretion is anticipated to generate unique acoustic patterns within the star, differing from those created by fusion. These subtleties might manifest as slight fluctuations in the star’s surface brightness. The specific characteristics of these brightness alterations remain uncertain; the researchers plan to address this aspect in an upcoming publication.

“This offers an opportunity to either identify such phenomena or establish boundaries on their prevalence and occurrence rate,” note the researchers. “Future studies will explore the implications for stars in more advanced developmental stages, present numerical outcomes for stars varying in mass and metallicities, and delve into investigations concerning stellar populations.”

The research has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.

This article is republished from ScienceAlert under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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