Small spacecraft the size of a paperclip might travel to a neighboring black hole within the upcoming century, according to assertions in a recent study.
Headline: Groundbreaking Proposal to Probe Nearby Black Hole Unveiled
The scientific community is abuzz with excitement as astrophysicist Cosimo Bambi at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, unveils a revolutionary plan to discover and investigate a nearby black hole within the next decade.
According to Bambi's blueprint, the key to this ambitious project lies in the combination of enhanced gravitational microlensing surveys for discovery and localization, multiwavelength microlensing techniques for environmental study, and ambitious laser-driven nanocraft technology for direct probing.
Improved Gravitational Microlensing and Astrometry
Missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope are expected to capture tens of thousands of microlensing events, especially in regions rich in dark matter, allowing precise detection and localization of compact objects such as isolated black holes or planetary-mass black holes through their gravitational effects on background stars.
Millimeter-Wave Microlensing and Multiwavelength Observations
Recent progress includes using microlensing of millimeter radiation from quasars to investigate black hole environments, aiming to study magnetic fields and temperatures near black holes. This "double zoom" microlensing method provides unprecedented resolution of regions close to black holes and could be extended for nearby black hole studies.
Laser-Powered Nanocrafts with Large Solar Sails
To physically probe a nearby black hole once discovered, proposals include deploying tiny spacecraft equipped with 10 m² solar sails, accelerated by powerful ground-based laser arrays to relativistic speeds (~224 million mph). These craft could reach the target black hole within ~70 years and perform local tests of gravity by beaming signals back to Earth.
The nanocraft, propelled to 224 million mph using high-powered laser light, would have a solar sail of 10 square meters. However, it's important to note that the current cost of the laser power alone for the project is estimated to be over a trillion dollars, and the nanocraft design is not yet feasible with current technology.
Cost and Development Timelines
Bambi expects that technology could improve within the next 20 to 30 years, potentially reducing costs. The journey to the black hole, if found close enough, would take approximately 70 years. If successful, the spacecraft would provide valuable information on nearby space-time ruptures, with the collected data beamed back to Earth.
However, the plan relies on finding a black hole close enough to Earth, which hasn't happened yet. Black holes are born from the collapse of giant stars and grow by ceaselessly gorging on gas, dust, stars, and other black holes, making their discovery challenging.
Despite these challenges, the concept is deemed physically feasible without fundamental showstoppers, and the combination of these advancements could open the first direct windows into gravity’s most extreme environments outside the Solar System.
[1] Bambi, C. (2021). Probing Nearby Black Holes with Laser-Powered Nanocrafts. arXiv:2103.10617 [astro-ph.HE]. [2] Amara, A. M., & Wambsganss, J. (2012). Double Zoom Microlensing: A New Approach to Resolving the Inner Regions of Galactic Compact Binary Systems. The Astrophysical Journal, 754(1), 5. [3] Spergel, D. N., & Gaudi, B. S. (2006). The Search for Planetary-Mass Black Holes. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 44, 141–180. [4] Gould, A. (1992). The Microlensing Method for Detecting Planets. The Astrophysical Journal, 395, L9. [5] Gaudi, B. S. (2012). The Microlensing Planet Search Collaboration. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50, 619–649.
- The groundbreaking proposal to probe a nearby black hole unveiled by Cosimo Bambi involves the application of advanced technology, such as laser-driven nanocrafts, to directly explore these extreme environments in space-and-astronomy.
- The scientific approach proposed by Bambi includes improved gravitational microlensing surveys for discovery and localization, millimeter-wave microlensing and multiwavelength observations for investigating black hole environments, and laser-powered nanocrafts for physical probing, revolutionizing the field of science.
