Skip to main content

Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

3 comments

A Bizarre “Caterpillar” Wormhole Might Connect Two Black Holes From Inside

Black holes are among the most mysterious objects in the universe. They are regions where gravity is so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape. Because of this, we cannot directly see what lies inside a black hole. However, theoretical physics allows scientists to ask deeper questions: If we combine Einstein’s theory of gravity with quantum mechanics, what should the inside of a black hole look like?

A recent study published in Physical Review Letters has explored exactly this puzzle. The research focuses on two black holes that are entangled, meaning they are linked through the strange rules of quantum mechanics. The scientists behind the study mathematically mapped out what the interior of such paired black holes would look like.

Their surprising discovery suggests that instead of a smooth, tunnel-like wormhole connecting the black holes, the interior resembles a long, bumpy, caterpillar-like structure. This structure has been named the "Einstein-Rosen Caterpillar", a playful reference to the classical Einstein-Rosen Bridge, the original term for a wormhole.

This discovery is much more than a curious mental picture. It provides important clues about how quantum physics and gravity are connected—one of the biggest unsolved problems in modern science.

Background: Black Holes, Wormholes, and Entanglement

To understand the new discovery, we need to briefly look at three scientific ideas:

  1. Black Holes: Objects with extremely strong gravity, formed when massive stars collapse.

  2. Wormholes: Hypothetical tunnels that could connect two distant regions of space and time.

  3. Quantum Entanglement: A phenomenon where two particles or systems become connected in such a way that the state of one instantly affects the other, no matter how far apart they are.

In 1935, Albert Einstein and physicist Nathan Rosen proposed the idea of a bridge through space-time, now called the Einstein-Rosen Bridge (or wormhole). In the same year, Einstein and physicist Erwin Schrödinger discussed quantum entanglement, calling it “spooky action at a distance.”

Decades later, physicists began noticing something surprising: these two ideas might be related. In 2013, scientists proposed the ER=EPR hypothesis, which states that a wormhole (ER) is equivalent to entanglement (EPR). In simpler words:

If two black holes are quantum-entangled, a wormhole exists between them.

This wormhole may not be travel-friendly, but it exists mathematically as a shared interior structure.

The recent study takes this idea further, examining what the inside of such a wormhole actually looks like.

Mapping the Interior: The “Caterpillar” Wormhole

The researchers from the United States and Argentina began with a simple model: a pair of black holes perfectly entangled in a clean, orderly quantum state. In such an ideal scenario, the wormhole between them appears smooth and symmetrical—like a neat tunnel.

But real black holes are not orderly. They are chaotic systems full of random quantum information. So the scientists introduced chaos into the mathematical model, simulating the complexity of real black holes.

As the quantum entanglement became messy and scrambled, the wormhole changed shape:

  • It stretched longer.

  • It became irregular.

  • It developed segmented, bumpy regions.

This new shape resembled the body of a caterpillar—long and lumpy.

Thus, the researchers named it the Einstein-Rosen Caterpillar.

This is a major insight because it links the degree of quantum disorder to the geometry of spacetime itself. In other words:

The messier the quantum entanglement, the longer and bumpier the wormhole becomes.

This means that quantum mechanics does not just affect particles—it can literally shape the geometry of space inside a black hole.

Why This Matters: The Firewall Paradox

One of the most debated problems in theoretical physics is the black hole firewall paradox.

Some theories suggest that when matter falls into a black hole, it should encounter a firewall—a violent zone of energy where the smooth fabric of spacetime breaks down. If this were true, the interior of a black hole would not be calm.

However, the new study shows something different.

Even when the entanglement between black holes is extremely messy and chaotic, the interior structure (the caterpillar wormhole) remains stable and predictable. It does not form a destructive firewall.

This supports the idea that spacetime inside a black hole can remain smooth, even under extreme quantum conditions. It strengthens the ER=EPR concept, suggesting wormholes and entanglement are deeply connected.

Why This Discovery Is Important

This research is not just a new model—it has profound implications:

  1. Bridges the gap between quantum physics and gravity.
    Understanding this relationship is the key to building a theory of quantum gravity, the holy grail of physics.

  2. Supports a stable black hole interior.
    This challenges theories that predict violent disruptions like firewalls.

  3. Advances holographic and quantum computing ideas.
    If wormholes reflect quantum entanglement, we may one day use these principles to build new forms of secure communication or advanced computation.

  4. Gives physicists a clearer mathematical tool to explore black hole interiors—something previously thought impossible.

The Bigger Picture

Scientists cannot physically enter black holes or observe wormholes. But they can use mathematics, simulations, and quantum theory to explore their possible properties. This research shows that the structure of spacetime is not fixed—it is influenced by the quantum information contained within it.

In simple words:

Space and time are not just physical—they are informational.

And black holes may be the ultimate storage systems of this cosmic information.

Conclusion

The discovery of the Einstein-Rosen Caterpillar offers a new way to understand how gravity and quantum mechanics interact. Instead of a smooth tunnel connecting two black holes, the interior is more like a long, bumpy path, shaped by the complexity of quantum entanglement.

This finding strengthens the theory that wormholes and quantum entanglement are deeply connected, supporting the idea that ER = EPR. It also challenges the concept of firewalls inside black holes, suggesting that spacetime can remain stable even in highly chaotic quantum environments.

While we are still far from directly observing wormholes or traveling through them, studies like this bring us closer to answering one of the biggest questions in science.

Reference: Javier M. Magán et al, Semiclassical Wormholes toward Typical Entangled States, Physical Review Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1103/btw6-44ry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

For years, scientists believed that adding even one qubit (a unit of quantum information) to a black hole needed energy. This was based on the idea that a black hole’s entropy must increase with more information, which means it must gain energy. But a new study by Jonah Kudler-Flam and Geoff Penington changes that thinking. They found that quantum information can be teleported into a black hole without adding energy or increasing entropy . This works through a process called black hole decoherence , where “soft” radiation — very low-energy signals — carry information into the black hole. In their method, the qubit enters the black hole while a new pair of entangled particles (like Hawking radiation) is created. This keeps the total information balanced, so there's no violation of the laws of physics. The energy cost only shows up when information is erased from the outside — these are called zerobits . According to Landauer’s principle, erasing information always needs energy. But ...
3 comments
Read more

Black Holes That Never Dies

Black holes are powerful objects in space with gravity so strong that nothing can escape them. In the 1970s, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes can slowly lose energy by giving off tiny particles. This process is called Hawking radiation . Over time, the black hole gets smaller and hotter, and in the end, it disappears completely. But new research by Menezes and his team shows something different. Using a theory called Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) , they studied black holes with quantum corrections. In their model, the black hole does not vanish completely. Instead, it stops shrinking when it reaches a very small size. This leftover is called a black hole remnant . They also studied something called grey-body factors , which affect how much energy escapes from a black hole. Their findings show that the black hole cools down and stops losing mass once it reaches a minimum mass . This new model removes the idea of a “singularity” at the center of the black hole and gives us a better ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Planetary Movements Might Explain Sunspot Cycles and Solar Phenomena

Sunspots, dark patches on the Sun's surface, follow a cycle of increasing and decreasing activity every 11 years. For years, scientists have relied on the dynamo model to explain this cycle. According to this model, the Sun's magnetic field is generated by the movement of plasma and the Sun's rotation. However, this model does not fully explain why the sunspot cycle is sometimes unpredictable. Lauri Jetsu, a researcher, has proposed a new approach. Jetsu’s analysis, using a method called the Discrete Chi-square Method (DCM), suggests that planetary movements, especially those of Earth, Jupiter, and Mercury, play a key role in driving the sunspot cycle. His theory focuses on Flux Transfer Events (FTEs), where the magnetic fields of these planets interact with the Sun’s magnetic field. These interactions could create the sunspots and explain other solar phenomena like the Sun’s magnetic polarity reversing every 11 years. The Sun, our closest star, has been a subject of scient...
Post a Comment
Read more