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Andrew Zimmerman Jones

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By Andrew Zimmerman Jones, About.com Guide to Physics

Black Hole For ... Sound?

Sunday June 21, 2009
Physicists have just created a variation of a black hole which, instead of trapping photons (particles of light), traps phonons (particles of sound). Yes, waves of sound vibrations in matter (like waves of light in space) can be expressed as either waves or particles in quantum physics, a principle known as wave particle duality.

This strange black hole phenomenon is achieved within the curious form of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. In this rare state of matter, the flow of sound through the material is expressed the same way that the movement of light in a gravitational field is expressed, which has led the scientists to realize that they could create this analog of a black hole for sound. Multiple groups were working to achieve this, but the success seems to have come from Oren Lahav, Jeff Steinhauer, and colleagues at the Israel Institute of Technology, in Haifa.

Sound waves created within the "black hole" (which, I think, would more appropriately be called a "black noise hole" or maybe a "quiet hole," but neither have a catchy ring to them) are unable to escape, because when they attempt to reach the event horizon, they can't pass that barrier because they are pulled in at supersonic speeds. In other words, they are pulled into the black hole faster than they can travel out, like someone trying to swim against rapids or a waterfall.

But things get stranger ... because it's possible that these black holes for sound will also exhibit Hawking radiation. Quantum physics indicates that pairs of "virtual phonons" are constantly being created and destroyed. If one of these pairs forms near the event horizon of the sound black hole, one of the phonons may end up getting pulled into the black hole while the other escapes. This means that the sound black hole could emit phonons, which is exactly what one expects for light instead of sound in regular black holes.

With the successful creation of a black hole for sound, it appears that the race is on to detect Hawking radiation for sound.

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Comments

June 29, 2009 at 11:04 pm
(1) S.Nandakumar says:

The phono interactive sound alphabets may revolutionise the future technology as electronic acoustic microchips can be designed out of thruva -Athruva dynamics of 16/8 plane stimulations for surprising control of nature as done by olden acoustic knowledge involved.You can tranfer genetic informations,control strom and even biochemical replication can be done
S.Nnadakumar ,anna-Oxford -cambridge-hubble Astro geneticist,formerly with KNSK Engineering colege now with Cape Institute of technology ,nagercoil

June 29, 2009 at 11:08 pm
(2) S.Nandakumar says:

Blachholes emtting Hawking radiation by phonon interaction deals with FWHM dynamicsfor trasfering the information perhaps the dark matter emissions involved may be assesed.
S.Nandakumar,anna University Astro geneticist

June 29, 2009 at 11:29 pm
(3) S.Nandakumar says:

The star clusters emitting acoustic alphabets such as amm,thamm,pamm,kleem ,hreem ,shreem ,bhoom may be compared in lithium niobate sandwitche phonon interactive Balckhole noise and quiet noise using helium-neon acoustic laser biostimulations with acoustic phonon intractive comparator.
S.Nandakumar ,anna University ,astro geneticist for Hubble-oxford -cambridge coordination

June 30, 2009 at 11:26 pm
(4) S.Nandakumar says:

The balckholes are emitting FWHM matter waves and the phonon interaction differentiated in fact emit Hawking radiation and may be comprable with acoustic microchip electronics.later these may be used for solar ray water affined air affined dynmaical systems based on the acoustic electron phonon interaction .The more hot spots are carried over by the dark matter dynamics of DeBrogle wave scattering as the momentum is typically enhancing a vanishing emission zones may be given importance to deal with virus multiplicity due to hot spots of the sun.
S.Nandakumar on behalf of Oxford astro anna University collboration at cape Institute of Technology

November 27, 2009 at 4:04 pm
(5) Lereflinibimi says:

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