MadSci Network: Physics |
Thank you for your question. Its not certain if microscopic black holes are even possible. General Relatively would seem to permit black holes of any size, provided they can somehow achieve the matter/energy density required. It is the energy of the collision that determines whether or not a microscopic black hole could form. An experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in a year or so, will look for the signature of the decay of a microscopic black hole created by the upgraded proton-proton collider, namely Hawking Radiation. Quantum Black holes - SciAm article Black Hole Search - LHC The energy required is at least TeV (1,000,000,000,000 electron Volts). CERNs massive LHC rings (27 km circumference) may finally allow one to see the birth and decay of the theoretically postulated microscopic black hole. If it is possible to create a microscopic black hole at these energies, it would likely mean microscopic black holes have been "raining" on earth for billions of years. Cosmic rays span a considerable range of energies, but can attain the energies required to theoretically create a black hole. To date, no observation of Hawking radiation or a microscopic black hole has been made however. Does it matter what the cosmic ray hits? Not from a practical perspective. The difference between Air and Uranium is the number of protons and neutrons. The energy of the collision is what is important. The cosmic ray may have more opportunities to collide in denser matter, but the energy of the collision is what is key. When the cosmic ray hits the proton or neutron of the nucleus, it will likely scatter. But the maximum energy available to the collision is the energy of the cosmic ray itself. The fraction of energy used in the collision will determine whether a micro-black hole could form. And once created, a micro-black hole will evaporate in a fraction of a second - giving a burst of Hawking radiation, at least according to the theory.
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