What Makes Black Holes Black and White Holes White?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the characteristics that define black holes and white holes, exploring their theoretical foundations, implications, and the current understanding of their existence within the framework of general relativity. Participants engage with concepts related to gravity, event horizons, and the nature of singularities, as well as the speculative nature of white holes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Theoretical speculation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that black holes are termed "black" because they absorb all radiation and matter within their event horizon, making them non-emitters.
  • Others argue that white holes are theorized to emit radiation and matter, which is why they are referred to as "white," although their existence is debated.
  • A participant mentions that white holes would require negative energy density, suggesting they may be physically impossible and merely a mathematical curiosity.
  • There is a claim that while black holes have solid observational evidence, white holes lack empirical support.
  • One participant discusses the conservation of energy, suggesting that energy entering a black hole should emerge from a white hole, which acts with a repulsive force.
  • Another participant challenges the relationship between black holes and white holes, asserting that energy entering a black hole becomes trapped and is eventually radiated away as Hawking radiation.
  • Concerns are raised regarding the implications of singularities at the center of black holes, with some participants noting that the mathematics involved leads to nonsensical results and that the physical reality remains unknown.
  • Speculation arises about whether the creation of a black hole could be akin to the 'big bang' of a new universe, but this is characterized as a speculative idea without evidence.
  • Questions are posed about the finiteness of black holes, with some participants asserting that black holes are finite while others express uncertainty about the nature of singularities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no consensus on the existence of white holes or the implications of black hole singularities. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the nature of these entities and their theoretical underpinnings.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the speculative nature of white holes, the dependence on theoretical constructs such as negative energy density, and the unresolved mathematical aspects of singularities within black holes.

petrushkagoogol
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What makes black holes "black" and white holes "white" ? :cool:
 
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Astronomy news on Phys.org
Black holes absorb all radiation and matter that falls within the event horizon, and hence they are "black" (non-emitters). White holes emit radiation and matter from within, and thus are "white".
 
With a black hole, space is curved so much inwards that there is no path that leads anywhere but deeper into the hole. With a while hole, space is curved so much outwards that there is no path that leads anywhere but further away from it. White holes would require a negative energy density, and hence are thought to be physically impossible, just a mathematical curiosity.
 
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We cannot be certain either entity actually exists, but, we have solid evidence for black holes and virtually zero evidence favoring white holes.
 
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Hello
"Black holes" so called because the light that goes through it has a lower speed than the gravitational force of black holes that's why light can't get out of it, and we can't see it, so these holes called "black."
About the "white hole", as I know, the scientists they have not yet found, but according to the law of conservation of energy, this energy that enters a black hole should get out of the white hole, and if the light is in a black hole can not escape, the white hole It acts with a repulsive force, and we see a bright light that's why "white holes" so called.
I hope I could help you.
 
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Mary Space said:
Hello
"Black holes" so called because the light that goes through it has a lower speed than the gravitational force of black holes that's why light can't get out of it, and we can't see it, so these holes called "black."
About the "white hole", as I know, the scientists they have not yet found, but according to the law of conservation of energy, this energy that enters a black hole should get out of the white hole, and if the light is in a black hole can not escape, the white hole It acts with a repulsive force, and we see a bright light that's why "white holes" so called.
I hope I could help you.
Not quite, it means that light speed is slower than the escape velocity caused by gravity. Gravity is also radiating at the speed of light.

Black holes and white holes are not related. Energy going into a black hole simply gets stuck there and then radiated away as Hawking radiation. Black holes are not wormholes to white holes, they are simply inescapable gravity pits.
 
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Per GR gravity propogates at a speed of exactly c - the same as light. While we do not know what goes on inside the EH of a black hole, a wormhole appears unlikely. If light, or anything else, had a wormhole escape route, the black hole would lose mass equivalent to the escape rate. A white hole powered by a black hole would suck the black hole dry in short order. There is no evidence suggesting this happens.
 
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Poster has been reminded that wikipedia is not a valid scientific reference for making assertions
newjerseyrunner said:
Not quite, it means that light speed is slower than the escape velocity caused by gravity. Gravity is also radiating at the speed of light

Yes, I had that in mind but incorrectly expressed

newjerseyrunner said:
Black holes and white holes are not related. Energy going into a black hole simply gets stuck there and then radiated away as Hawking radiation. Black holes are not wormholes to white holes, they are simply inescapable gravity pits.

Some footnotes from Wikipedia
"Theoretically, it is assumed that white holes can be formed at the exit from the horizon of the black hole event substance which is in the opposite direction of the thermodynamic arrow of time. It should be understood that the full space-time map contains both black and white holes, and a separate entity only "pure" black or only "pure" white hole to complete the map of the space-time can not be in principle."
 
Not unheard of for wiki to spout unsupported bs such as this.
 
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  • #10
Chronos said:
Not unheard of for wiki to spout unsupported bs such as this

I just translated this quote from russian on english.
If you want I can give you a link on original's language and if you understand russian you can read this.
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Белая_дыра
 
  • #11
"Theoretically" probably means "mathematically theoretically." Sure, you can have a white hole if you can have negative energy density. We've seen no indication that such a thing is physically possible.
 
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  • #12
yes white hole is the theory as well as Hawking radiation, think you will agree that in the universe are lot of theories and few facts, so it remains to wait for confirmation from scientists
 
  • #13
If a black hole draws in everything within it's event horizon, and keeps drawing it deeper, does that mean the black hole is infinite? And what about white holes? Since they emit matter, could they be the other side of a black hole (assuming there is one)? I'm curious as to what kind of studies have been done on this subject.
 
  • #14
No white hole has ever been observed. unsurprising since this would involve exotic matter having negative gravity.
Black holes, or at least the gravitational and other effects of black holes (eg quasars) have been observed.
It is indeed a conundrum that this implies infinities (a singularity) at the centre of a black hole.
We don't actually know what happens there, but the fact that the math leads to infinities is most likely an indication that whatever is going on is physics of which we currently have no idea.
 
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  • #15
Is there any evidence [what would such evidence even look like] that the creation of a black hole is the 'big bang' of an new universe or is that just a pretty science fiction idea?
 
  • #16
Garett Kutcher said:
Is there any evidence [what would such evidence even look like] that the creation of a black hole is the 'big bang' of an new universe or is that just a pretty science fiction idea?
The idea has been suggested before but as far as I know it's pure speculation.
 
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  • #17
Sue Rich said:
If a black hole draws in everything within it's event horizon, and keeps drawing it deeper, does that mean the black hole is infinite?
What makes you think it "keeps" drawing it deeper? It draws it to the center and that's it. Black holes are finite.
 
  • #18
phinds said:
What makes you think it "keeps" drawing it deeper? It draws it to the center and that's it. Black holes are finite.

How you are saying that black hole is finite?Is that singularity is the end??
 
  • #19
The singularity is simply where the math breaks down and produces nonsense results.
It is NOT a description of a physical object.
We DON'T KNOW what physically is going on at the center of a back hole.
We do know that the infalling stuff is by this time no longer in the form of atoms, because atoms disintegrate before that point.
Neutron stars, (very massive objects which are not quite massive enough to be black holes), are known to exist by observation, and what we observe IS consistent with GR math.
The star has become mainly a soup of neutrons with other subatomic fragments mixed in.
 
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  • #20
rootone said:
The singularity is simply where the math breaks down and produces nonsense results.
It is NOT a description of a physical object.
We DON'T KNOW what physically is going on at the center of a back hole.
We do know that the infalling stuff is by this time no longer in the form of atoms, because atoms disintegrate before that point.
Neutron stars, (very massive objects which are not quite massive enough to be black holes), are known to exist by observation, and what we observe IS consistent with GR math.
The star has become mainly a soup of neutrons with other subatomic fragments mixed in.
I know that.I am asking that without knowing the end how we can conclude black hole is finite?
 
  • #21
praveena said:
... without knowing the end how we can conclude black hole is finite?
Well strictly speaking we can't make any conclusions at all since we can't observe anything, we can't reproduce the conditions, and the best theory we so far have; GR, doesn't make sensible predictions.
We do know that stuff (like us) exists externally to the black hole though, so in that sense it can't be infinite.
 
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  • #22
rootone said:
We do know that stuff (like us) exists externally to the black hole though, so in that sense it can't be infinite.
This is an illogical statement. Complete and infinite do not mean the same thing. For example: a set of all positive integers is an infinite set, but does not contain all numbers.
 
  • #23
We know the mass of black holes is finite. It has been measured with great accuracy in cases such as Sag A. All you need for a black hole is to compress mass into a volume less than its Swarzschild radius - which is also finite. You can't enclose anything infinite inside a finite volume.
 
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  • #24
i have a couple of question about the theory of white holes if no one mine me sounding a little slow but what is the explachen rate of a wight hole and would it be fast enough to affect gr and sr
 
  • #25
praveena said:
How you are saying that black hole is finite?Is that singularity is the end??

That's mostly the theories I've read about, Praveena. I wonder why no one has ever tried to send a camera of some sort inside a black hole to actually see what happens before (or if) it's destroyed? Until we actually know what's inside, everything we say is nothing more than conjecture or speculation at this point.
 
  • #26
A white hole is one possible solution to the Einstein field equations, as is a black hole. Mathematical possibilities, however, are not always realized in nature. We already have reason to believe GR is an incomplete description of gravity, and will remain so until we have a valid theory of quantum gravity - which is a possibility in the not so distant future. Once we unify quantum physics with GR many puzzles with things like black holes and white holes should be resolved. In the mean time we must rely on observational evidence to realize the distinction between reality and mathematical artifacts. The observational evidence favoring black holes as a valid solution to EFE is overwhelming. The evidence favoring white holes is virtually nonexistent. The prime directive in physics is a theory is nothing more than a hypothesis until until predictions made by that theory are confirmed by observational evidence.
 
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  • #27
ok i know white holes are only theory so far but i was wondering if time could work in a different in the way than black holes has shown to be... like only lasting for a nano sec spewing out energy and matter then somehow shut off or run out of energy and matter for the nano sec?? or are they predicted to hang around as long as the cosmic vacuum cleaners do?

:bugeye:
 
  • #28
Sue Rich said:
\ I wonder why no one has ever tried to send a camera of some sort inside a black hole to actually see what happens before (or if) it's destroyed?.

The nearest black holes are thousands of light years away...
 
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  • #29
Yet we observe phenomena in various parts of the universe that cannot be accounted for by any known physics aside from black holes. The same cannot be said for white holes.
 
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  • #30
Sue Rich said:
That's mostly the theories I've read about, Praveena. I wonder why no one has ever tried to send a camera of some sort inside a black hole to actually see what happens before (or if) it's destroyed? Until we actually know what's inside, everything we say is nothing more than conjecture or speculation at this point.
What good would sending a camera in do? It can't come out again, nor can any information from it so what would be the point?

Also, the nearest known BH is tens of thousands of light years away so would take us hundreds thousands of thousands of years to get there.

There are other problems.

I don't think your camera idea works out too well.
 
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