Summary
Recent discussions in astrophysics explore a provocative theory suggesting a connection between black holes and dark energy. Researchers from the University of Hawaii propose that black holes could be composed of dark energy, which may also be responsible for the universe's accelerating expansion. This theory builds on earlier work by physicist Erast Gleiner, who reinterpreted the cosmological constant as a form of vacuum energy with unique properties.
The new hypothesis posits that as the universe expands, black holes gain mass in proportion to this expansion, leading to a potential cosmological coupling. This idea challenges traditional views of black holes as isolated entities, suggesting instead that they could interact with the universe on a larger scale. The researchers argue that the growth of supermassive black holes in galaxies over the past 10 billion years exceeds what can be explained by conventional accretion or mergers, supporting their claims of a connection to cosmic expansion.
However, the theory remains speculative, with critics noting that the evidence for such cosmological coupling is tenuous. The relationship between black hole mass and galaxy mass has been studied extensively, and the new findings may not significantly improve upon existing models. While the idea of black holes as dark energy is intriguing, it requires further validation and exploration within the scientific community.
Show Notes
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE
Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime
We tend to imagine there are connectings between things that we don’t understand. Quantum mechanics and consciousness, aliens and pyramids, black holes and dark matter, dark matter and dark energy, dark energy and black holes. Usually there’s no real relationship whatsoever, but this last pair—black holes and dark energy being the same thing—has received some recent hype in the press. Let’s see if it might actually be true.
Episodes Referenced Companion Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsPUh22kYmNAO4wmE0sua4zqcs0D7eqv7
Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop
Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime
Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/
Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell
Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved.
End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka
Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:
Big Bang Sponsors Ian Jones Bryce Fort Peter Barrett David Neumann Sean Maddox Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Fabrice Eap Mark Rosenthal
Quasar Sponsors Glenn Sugden Alex Kern Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Christina Oegren Mark Heising
Hypernova Sponsors Ivari Tölp Vyce Ailour Zachary Wilson Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Kirk Honour Joe Moreira Bradley Voorhees Marc Armstrong Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray John R. Slavik Donal Botkin John Pollock Edmund Fokschaner chuck zegar Jordan Young Daniel Muzquiz
Gamma Ray Burst Sponsors Lucas Kazakevicius Massimiliano Pala Aaron Molina Thomas Nielson Joe Pavlovic Ryan McGaughy Mark West Chuck Lukaszewski Edward Hodapp Cole Combs Marc Forand Andrea Galvagni Jerry Thomas Nikhil Sharma Ryan Moser Jonathan Cordovano John Anderson David Giltinan Scott Hannum Paul Widden Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook John Yaraee Ross Story teng guo Mason Dillon Matt Langford Harsh Khandhadia Thomas Tarler Susan Albee Frank Walker Matt Quinn Michael Lev Terje Vold James Trimmier Andre Stechert Paul Wood Kent Durham jim bartosh Ramon Nogueira Ellis Hall John H. Austin, Jr. Diana Poljar Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Alex Edwards Ádám Kettinger Endre Pech Daniel Jennings Cameron Sampson Russ Creech Jeremy Reed David Johnston Web Browser Michael Barton Andrew Mann Isaac Suttell Bleys Goodson Robert Walter Yury Kitaev Mirik Gogri Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Nickolas Andrew Freeman Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Robert Ilardi Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Graydon Goss Frederic Simon Dmitri McGuiness John Robinson Jim Hudson Alex Gan David Barnholdt David Neal John Funai Bradley Jenkins Cody Brumfield Thomas Dougherty Dan Warren Patrick Sutton John Griffith Dean Faulk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from PBS Space Time
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACEUploaded 05-09-18Thanks to CuriosityStream for supporting PBS Digital Studios.You can learn more at https://www.curiositystream.com/spacetimeand use the code "spacetime" during the sign-up process.You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeGet your own Space Time t-shirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBiTweet at us! @pbsspacetimeFacebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetimeEmail us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] comComment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetimeHelp translate our videos!https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_...Previous Episode:Is There Life on Mars? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmEY6T5Wc-QHosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Matt O'DowdGraphics by Luke MaroldiAssistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike PetrowMade by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)Black Holes should have no entropy, but they in fact hold most of the entropy in the universe. Let’s figure this out. If black holes exist – which, apparently, they do – they contradict other theories in physics as sacred as general relativity. They cause all sorts of problems with quantum theory, which we’ve talked about and will review in a sec. But they also present an apparent conflict with the notion of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. It was while pondering that conflict that Jacob Bekenstein realized an incredible connection between black holes and thermodynamics. His insight launched an entire new way of thinking about the universe in terms of information theory, and ultimately led to the holographic principle. Which I promise we’re getting to and we’re almost there. We just need to understand string theory first and to understand that, you’re going need to know about why Black Holes contain most of the universe’s entropy.Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big BangAnton LifshitsCoolAsCatsDavid NicklasFabrice EapQuasarDean FuquaMark RosenthalMayank M. MehrotaRoman PinchukTambe BarsbayVinnie FalcoHypernovaBrent MullinsChuck ZegarDonal BotkinEdmund FokschanerJohn HofmannJordan YoungJoseph SalomoneMatthew O’ConnorRatfeastThanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: Alexander RodriguezAlexey EromenkoBenoit Pagé-GuitardBrandon CookBrandon LabonteDaniel LyonsDavid CraneDeborah WhittakerFabian OlesenGreg AllenGreg WeissJames FlowersJames HughesJJ BagnellJon FolksKevin WarneMalte UblMark VasileNicholas RoseNick VirtueScott GossettShannan Catalanoسلطان الخليفي Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE
Learn More About Anydesk: https://anydesk.com/spacetime
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE↓ More info below ↓Uploaded 20-07-20Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeCheck out the Space Time Merch Storehttps://pbsspacetime.com/Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetimeWhen we detected the very first gravitational wave, a new window was opened to the mysteries of the universe. We knew we’d see things previously thought impossible. And we just did - an object on the boundary between neutron stars and black holes, which promises to reveal the secrets of both.Hosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Matt O'DowdGraphics by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, and Pedro OsinskiDirected by: Andrew KornhaberCamera Operator: Bahaar GholipourExecutive Producers: Eric Brown and Andrew KornhaberPrevious Episodes Referenced:Ligo’s First Detection of Gravitational Waves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-i_VKd6WoThe Future of Gravitational Waves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ2RNBAFLj0How to build a black hole https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx4562gesw0&vl=enStrange Stars - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4RNGRyzt10Special Thanks to Our Patreon SupportersBig Bang SupportersRobert DoxtatorAhmad JodehCaed AldwychRadu NegulescuAlexander TamasMorgan HoughJuan BenetFabrice EapDavid NicklasQuasar SupportersAlec S-LChristina OegrenMark HeisingVinnie FalcoHypernova Supporterswilliam bryanJulian TyackeSyed AnsarJohn R. SlavikMathewDanton SpiveyDonal BotkinJohn PollockEdmund FokschanerJoseph SalomoneHank SMatthew O'Connorchuck zegarJordan YoungJohn HofmannTimothy McCullochGamma Ray Burst Supportersfieldsa eleanoryCody LubinskyPeter MertzElliot AzizollahiKevin O'ConnellBryan DawleyRichard DeightonIsaac SuttellDevon RosenthalOliver FlanaganMikhail KlakotskiyDawn M FinkBleys GoodsonDarryl J LyleRobert WalterjechamtBruce BIsmael MontecelM DMark Daniel CohenAndrew RichmondSimon OliphantMirik GogriDavid HughesAria AhmadBrandon LattinYannick WeynsNickolas Andrew FreemanProtius ProtiusBrian BlanchardShane CalimlimTybie FitzhughPatrick SuttonRobert IlardiEric KieblerTatiana VorovchenkoCraig StonahaMichael ConroyGraydon GossFrederic SimonGreg SmithSean WarniahaTonyfaceJohn RobinsonA GKevin LeeNick WrightAdrian HatchPaul RoseYurii KonovaliukJohn FunaiCass CostelloGeoffrey ShortBradley JenkinsKyle HoferTim StephaniLuaanAlecZeroMalte UblNick VirtueScott GossettDavid BethalaDan WarrenJohn GriffithDaniel LyonsJosh ThomasDFaulkKevin WarneAndreas NautschBrandon labonte Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACEUploaded 09-05-18The great advances in any science tend to come in sudden leaps. April 25th of 2018 marks the beginning of just such a leap for much of astronomy. In the early hours of the morning, the Gaia mission’s second data release dropped. Our understanding of our own galaxy will never be the same again.You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeGet your own Space Time t-shirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBiTweet at us! @pbsspacetimeFacebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetimeEmail us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] comComment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetimeHelp translate our videos!https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7gPrevious Episode:The Star at the End of Timehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iWGtQ03OZMThe Gaia satellite was launched in late 2013, entirely built and operated by the European Space Agency. It’s primary goal is to map the stars of the Milky Way with a scale and precision orders of magnitude greater than ever before. Gaia’s predecessor, Hipparcos, catalogued 120 thousand stars, Gaia blows it out of the water with positions, colors and brightnesses of nearly 1.7 billion stars. Gaia can see orders of magnitude fainter and further away than previous missions. But its greatest superpower is its precise astrometry – Gaia can pin down a star’s position to the equivalent of a human hair’s width at 1000 km. That’s one-to-two thousand times smaller than the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope. Hosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Drew Rosen and Matt O'DowdGraphics by Grayson BlackmonAssistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike Petrow and Linda HuangMade by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big BangCoolAsCatsDavid NicklasAnton LifshitsJoey RednerFabrice EapQuasarTambe BarsbayMayank M. MehrotaMars YenturMark RosenthalDean FuquaRoman PinchukColeslawPurdieHypernovaEdmund FokschanerMatthew O’ConnorEugene LawsonBarry HatfieldMartha HuntJoseph SalomoneChuck ZegarCraig PetersonJordan YoungRatfeastJohn HofmannThanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: James HughesFabian OlesenKris FernetJane MeyersJames FlowersGreg AllenDenys IvanovNick VirtueAlexey EromenkoNicholas RoseScott GossettMark VasilePatrick MurraySultan AlkhulaifiAlex SetoMichal-Peanut KarmiErik SteinKevin WarneJJ BagnellAvi GoldfingerJohn PettitFlorian StinglmayrBenoit Pagé-GuitardNathan LenizBrandon LabonteDavid CraneGreg WeissShannan CatalanoBrandon Cook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices