1
$\begingroup$

It's possible to have lots of electric charge while having only a small amount of mass, and a black hole with a significant electric charge has properties that are different from one with no electric charge of the same mass, as a black hole with a significant electric charge has an inner horizon, in which down becomes once again space like, and an electrically charged black hole has a smaller outer event horizon than one with no electric charge of the same mass.

Would electric charge be a viable alternative to negative mass for keeping the throat of a wormhole open?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
2
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Is there any decent physical description of how a wormhole works? Because without that, answering his question is kind of impossible. $\endgroup$
    – L.Dutch ♦
    May 17, 2019 at 7:57
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Arent wormholes just.... theories? They are not real until scientifically proven am I correct? $\endgroup$
    – Mr.J
    May 17, 2019 at 8:23

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4
$\begingroup$

No. Electric charge won't keep a wormhole open. While wormholes are theoretical entities, current models suggest that to keep a wormhole open it will require exotic matter which has massive negative pressure. This negative pressure far exceeds anything that could be generated by electric charge.

Exotic matter is itself a theoretical concept. There is no empirical evidence for its existence, but if it existed it is, so far, the only plausible substance, in theory, needed to keep wormholes open.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ I disagree with you here. Not because you are wrong but because you think/act like what you say is the absolute truth. Maybe it works, maybe it does not. We do not know. You cannot answer with such certainty if not even science is certain if any of the things you mentioned even exist $\endgroup$
    – bv_Martn
    May 17, 2019 at 11:57
  • $\begingroup$ @bv_martn It is not possible to prove that something does not exist. We don't have the knowledge of physics to even prove the viability of a 'traversable wormhole', much less exactly what would or would not keep one 'open'. I could as well say that coating it with peanut butter and jelly will work, and it's exactly as correct as any other answer . There are very few "absolute truths" in our universe, and we own none of them. $\endgroup$
    – Joe
    May 17, 2019 at 14:12
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Joe "I could as well say that coating it with peanut butter and jelly will work, and it's exactly as correct as any other answer" someone needs to re-read the relativity of wrong. A wormhole wedged open by exotic matter is something that can exist in theory; the mathematics to back this up exists. Can you point me to a paper supporting your peanut butter theory? $\endgroup$
    – Starfish Prime
    May 18, 2019 at 11:43
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @bv_Martn Absolute truth? I hope I made it clear wormholes are theoretical concepts within the framework of general relativity. This shows wormholes would need exotic matter to stay open. Both wormholes & exotic matter are theoretical concepts. I agree if they did exist they could easily have different properties from our theories. Nature's like that. My answer was based on our current notions of wormholes. Its brevity may have been given an impression of more certainty than intended. Thanks for your feedback. $\endgroup$
    – a4android
    May 19, 2019 at 4:03
0
$\begingroup$

So one thing to weigh in on here if you haven't figured out from comments and chat is that the science behind blackholes let alone their existance is all theorical. As of just recently man kind has finally photographed such an event, which only proves their existence, but still sheds not light (pun intended) on their construction or how they work.

That said, there is no shortage of theoretical data and hard evidence about these objects. Astrophysicist have detailed for example how light behaves in black holes and how that's persevered, and the late Steven Hawking discussed a concept of Hawking Radiation which is a type of radiation he postulated "burned off" or evaporated from a black hole. This in could be your crutch to explain your question above. Perhaps harnessing this massive electrical output into a system or process that retained that radiation to the event horizon, or controlled it's evaporation/build up. Perhaps with enough exposition you could write your own way of claiming this "fringe science" keeps the hole open.

TL:DR; Look up Hawking Radiation as a possible help and make up the rest, since black holes are as close to science fiction real life can get. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawking_radiation

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ Your body is controlled by a network of enslaved tiny animals that use lightning in a chemical soup to communicate. It also houses an army of other animals that have built in Friend/Foe recognition and autonomously attack foreign bodies with an array of weapons that would make Heinlein flinch. I’d argue biology is more science fiction than singularities are. At least black holes can be described mathematically! $\endgroup$
    – Joe Bloggs
    May 19, 2019 at 7:00

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .