A new astronomical insight may lead to a deeper understanding of black-hole microstructure in theoretical physics. This is based on new approach that redefines the conception of a black hole. This is by mapping out their detailed structure.
The research details new theoretical structures called “supermazes”. These offer a more universal picture of black holes to the field of theoretical physics. Based in string theory, supermazes are pivotal to understanding the structure of black holes on a microscopic level. This forms part of a framework of theories extending beyond Einstein’s equations.
Black holes are objects whose gravity is strong enough to trap light, and the traditional black hole of general relativity is surrounded by an event horizon. Seen from outside the event horizon, the black hole is featureless. However, according to quantum mechanics black holes must exhibit a vast amount of microstructure.
String theory explains this by replacing traditional black holes by conceptual objects known as “fuzzballs.” Such fuzzballs can be constructed from supermazes of physical objects in higher-dimensional spacetime, creating an object that behaves like a black hole and yet exhibits all its structure.
The new research is centred in M-theory, a theoretical framework in physics that is related to string theory. M-theory posits that strings — the fundamental building blocks of the universe — are not one-dimensional. Instead, they exist in higher dimensions as “membranes,” which are physical objects that extend in multiple spatial dimensions. These have multidimensional surfaces that play a critical role in string theory and M-theory.
The researchers explore intersecting systems of M2-branes (two-dimensional) and M5-branes (five-dimensional) within the realm of supergravity, which is a low-energy approximation of M-theory.
By investigating the maze function that governs these brane intersections, the study reveals how mazes have the capacity to reproduce black hole entropy and potentially describe black hole microstates.
Brane intersections have been widely studied in string theory, but the new paper re-engineers these ideas to give new geometries that can describe black holes. The study develops a “maze function,” a new mathematical construct that characterizes solutions for intersecting systems of M2 and M5 branes in supergravity.
The maze function must obey a nonlinear differential equation similar to the famous Monge-Ampère equation, which governs the geometry and dynamics of M2 and M5 brane intersections.
The research is the first step in a larger program to develop a comprehensive string theory description of brane black hole’s microstructure.
The study appears in the Journal of High Energy Physics, titled “Maze topiary in supergravity.”
