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What are black holes made of? 


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Black holes can be formed from various sources. Stellar mass black holes are proposed to form through hierarchical mergers of smaller black holes, leaving a universal spin distribution with a peak around 0.7. Non-spherical non-rotating dust sources cannot realistically model black hole formation on astrophysical scales, as they require fine-tuned initial conditions and collapse into stable stationary objects. Additionally, electromagnetic black holes have been experimentally demonstrated using metamaterials, trapping and absorbing electromagnetic waves with high efficiency in the microwave frequencies. In collapsing stars, horizons can form in finite durations, but central singularities cannot, with information stored around an eternally contracting inner horizon.

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Black holes are formed by collapsing stars composed of pressureless dust fluid, leading to the creation of horizons and an eternally contracting inner horizon storing information about the parent star.
Open accessPosted Content
12 Oct 2009-arXiv: Optics
31 Citations
An electromagnetic black hole made of metamaterials traps and absorbs electromagnetic waves using non-resonant and resonant structures, achieving 99% absorption in microwave frequencies.
Black holes, particularly those in LIGO, may form through hierarchical mergers of smaller black holes, leaving a universal spin distribution with a peak around $a \sim 0.7$.
Black holes are formed from the gravitational collapse of non-spherical structures, but realistic black hole formation from such structures requires fine-tuned initial conditions and may be more suitable for early Universe scenarios.
Open accessJournal ArticleDOI
Maya Fishbach, Daniel E. Holz, Ben Farr 
222 Citations
Black holes in LIGO may form from hierarchical mergers of smaller black holes. The spin of resulting black holes is influenced by the merging process.

Related Questions

How black holes forms?5 answersBlack holes form through the deaths of massive primordial stars, which serve as potential seeds for supermassive black holes. Theoretical models suggest that the initial mass of these seed black holes can range from 10 to 100,000 solar masses. The fueling of these black holes may be limited by feedback from their progenitor stars, the black holes themselves, and nearby star formation. However, once the halo and galaxy surpass a critical mass, the growth of black holes can accelerate due to the deepening central gravitational potential caused by strong ensuing star formation. There are two primary mechanisms of black hole formation: direct collapse of initial overdensities and post-collapse accretion of ambient dark matter. The duration of the formation process is approximately a Hubble time, and the initial mass of the black hole is around 10^-2 times the Planck mass squared. Post formation, black holes undergo rapid mass growth, with most of their final mass being accreted from their ambient surroundings.
What is a black hole?4 answersA black hole is a region in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape from it. It is formed when a massive star collapses under its own gravitational pull. The collapse creates a highly compressed area of space-time with a boundary called the event horizon, which acts as a one-way surface for light. Black holes are classified based on their mass into three types: stellar-mass black holes, intermediate-mass black holes, and supermassive black holes. The concept of a black hole has been defined in different ways, including as the set of events not in J-(~+) and as the closure of the smallest future set with certain properties. Black holes have been a subject of fascination in various fields such as astrophysics, psychology, literature, and cultural studies.
What are interesting theories about Black Holes?4 answersBlack holes have been the subject of interesting theories. One theory suggests that black holes are singularities of enormous mass-density, where matter is compressed beyond imagination due to extreme gravitational forces. Another theory proposes that black holes can be represented by solutions in which the central singularity is replaced by a finite size wormhole, resulting in a geodesically complete and nonsingular space-time. Additionally, quantum gravity theories provide insights into the entropy of black holes and discuss the effects of gravity on quantum fluctuations. These theories offer alternative perspectives on the nature and properties of black holes, challenging conventional understanding and expanding our knowledge of these enigmatic cosmic objects.
How does a black hole form?5 answersStep 1: A black hole forms from the gravitational collapse of a massive stellar object, leading to the creation of a singularity at its core. However, there are speculative models suggesting the existence of "regular" or "nonsingular" black holes, which would have a highly dense but finite region of matter or energy at their center, preventing the formation of a singularity. The formation of binary black holes can occur from massive stellar binaries in the field or through dynamical interactions in clusters of high stellar density, with some black holes being formed in situ without energetic kicks, suggesting prolific production of binary black holes with components of around 10 solar masses in the universe. Step 2: - "Context_3" - "Context_3" - "Context_4" - "Context_4" - "Context_5" Step 3: A black hole forms from the gravitational collapse of a massive stellar object, leading to the creation of a singularity at its core. However, there are speculative models suggesting the existence of "regular" or "nonsingular" black holes, which would have a highly dense but finite region of matter or energy at their center, preventing the formation of a singularity. The formation of binary black holes can occur from massive stellar binaries in the field or through dynamical interactions in clusters of high stellar density, with some black holes being formed in situ without energetic kicks, suggesting prolific production of binary black holes with components of around 10 solar masses in the universe.
What are stellar mass black holes?5 answersStellar-mass black holes are black holes with masses comparable to stars. They have been identified through various detection strategies, including persistent and highly variable cosmic X-ray sources, transient candidates, gravitational microlensing, and their orbital effect on binary companions. These black holes are predicted to be embedded in the disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and can be detected through breakout emission from shocks emerging around Blandford–Znajek jets launched from accreting black holes in AGN disks. Stellar-mass black holes are the final remnants of stars born with more than 15 solar masses and are expected to reside in the Local Group. They may have formed in the early Universe due to the collapse of density fluctuations and could act as sources for gravitational waves. Stellar-mass black holes, along with intermediate-mass black holes and supermassive black holes, are classified based on their mass and have important implications for black hole accretion and black hole-galaxy co-evolution.
Are stars formed from black holes?6 answers

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