Although it is a dream for now, a battery system based on a micro black hole would offer incredible energy density while not breaking the laws of physics. And if energy is really developing rapidly, its realization is also unthinkable.
Although fusion technology is still only a distant, albeit highly hopeful, wishful thinking from the point of view of clean, almost unlimited energy, a group of scientists dared to dream big, and the result is a theoretical study published in the journal High Energy Density Physics. The publication is so special because in it the researchers explore the concept of a “micro black hole” as a final solution to energy-related challenges, reports Interesting Engineering.
The idea is based on the fact that current clean and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy are quite unstable, as weather conditions are still relatively unpredictable and uncontrollable. The constant need for energy consumption of modern society therefore necessitates the development of more reliable and efficient energy storage systems.
However, what if there is a more reliable, cleaner and more energy efficient production method? Researchers once looked to the sky and the workings of the stars inspired the fusion technology discussed above. In outer space, however, there are not only stars, but also other high-energy celestial bodies – for example, black holes. So the idea is a battery system powered by micro-black holes.
The theoretical model is based on the Reissner–Nordström metric, which is the solution to Einstein’s field equations of general relativity, based on which even micro-sized black holes can provide a huge amount of clean energy. According to physicists, these micro black holes could be stored and stabilized by electromagnetic repulsion, balancing the gravitational force and preventing them from collapsing into a larger black hole, which would not be a very fortunate development under Earth conditions. Based on theoretical models, however, even a really small micro black hole battery weighing 1 kilogram can produce 470 million times more energy than the peak performance of a 200 kilogram lithium battery.
Of course, such a truly functioning micro black hole battery system is “a little” beyond our current technological limitations. At the same time, the authors of the study compare the possible development of battery technology to the rapid development of computer technology, that is, according to them, it is possible that revolutionary changes can take place on a similarly colossal scale.
The implementation of such a technology would indeed require rapid development, as it would require a brutal scientific and engineering feat to implement it. However, although the existence of such black holes and the ability to create them remains speculation, based on the theoretical framework, if oppositely charged micro black holes were to merge, they could merge and evaporate, releasing a significant amount of clean energy without producing greenhouse gases.
The micro black hole battery is therefore speculation, and certainly not feasible in the short term – but despite everything, physicists encourage further research, as they believe that opening this avenue of investigation could lead to unexpected breakthroughs, similar to previous discoveries that have historically advanced science and technology. The study is thus essentially a visionary glimpse into the imagined future of energy, which, moreover, is in line with the current predictions of basic physics about the limits of energy density and storage – that is, it would not violate the laws of physics.
(The image used for this article is an illustration, generated by DALL-E)
