Researchers Discover Stable Black Hole Remnants with Masses Around 20.94 Grams Via Loop Gravity

The fundamental nature of black holes and their ultimate fate continues to challenge physicists, and new research suggests they may not entirely disappear. Asier Alonso-Bardaji, from Aix Marseille University and the CNRS, along with colleagues, investigates the possibility of stable remnants formed during black hole evaporation. The team demonstrates, using a model based on loop quantum gravity, that black holes shrink until they reach a minimum size dictated by the quantum structure of space, preventing complete disintegration. This process predicts the existence of incredibly light, stable black hole remnants with masses around 20. 94 grams, offering a potential resolution to the black hole information paradox and providing a fascinating glimpse into the quantum nature of gravity.

Stable Black Hole Remnants Predicted by Loop Gravity

Researchers have demonstrated, within a theoretical framework of loop gravity, that black holes do not entirely evaporate but instead reach a stable remnant state. The team proved the existence of a lower bound for black hole horizons, suggesting a minimum size these objects can attain during evaporation. Consistent with the third law of black holes, the process halts when the black hole’s temperature and entropy vanish, preventing complete disappearance in finite time. This groundbreaking work predicts the formation of stable remnants with an estimated mass of approximately 20. 94 micrograms, placing them firmly within the Planck regime, a scale where quantum effects dominate gravity.

The calculations reveal that these remnants possess a definitive, minimal size dictated by the quantum nature of spacetime, effectively resolving the information paradox associated with black hole evaporation. The research establishes a clear connection between loop gravity and the potential existence of long-lived dark matter candidates, offering a compelling avenue for exploring the universe’s missing mass. Furthermore, the model accurately reproduces classical black hole behavior and results, validating its consistency with established physics. This discovery opens exciting possibilities for understanding the ultimate fate of black holes and their potential role in the composition of dark matter, offering a new perspective on the fundamental structure of spacetime and the evolution of the universe.

As a black hole evaporates, its horizon shrinks until it reaches a minimum size dictated by the quantum properties of spacetime, preventing complete disappearance and avoiding the formation of a singularity. All matter is compressed into a Planck-sized remnant, with an estimated mass of approximately 20. 94 micrograms. The findings support the third law of black hole thermodynamics, which predicts that a black hole cannot reach absolute zero temperature in a finite amount of time, and align with the expectation that quantum gravity effects become significant at extremely small scales. The authors acknowledge that the model relies on specific parameters within loop quantum gravity, and different choices could lead to variations in the results. Future research could explore the implications of these remnants for cosmology and particle physics, and investigate the robustness of these findings with alternative approaches to quantum gravity. This work offers a compelling solution to the information paradox and suggests a potential link between black holes and the elusive dark matter that comprises a significant portion of the universe.