Researchers have published a theoretical investigation into whether black holes could divide into two separate objects, a phenomenon opposite to the well-documented process of black hole mergers. The study, appearing in Physical Review D under the title “When Black Holes Admit Pair-of-pants Topologies,” was conducted by Francesco Sannino from the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Southern Denmark, along with Giacomo Cacciapaglia from the French National Centre for Scientific Research and colleagues from the Quantum Field Theory Center.
The research team examined the physical mechanisms that typically prevent black holes from splitting apart. Thermodynamics represents a major barrier to fragmentation, as dividing a non-rotating black hole into two smaller ones would decrease total entropy, making such a process thermodynamically unfavorable. However, the researchers identified a potential exception in the case of rapidly rotating black holes. When a black hole spins at exceptionally high speeds, the calculations suggest rotation could create a narrow pathway through which the thermodynamic restrictions might be overcome. Nevertheless, a second significant obstacle exists: any two resulting black holes would need to separate sufficiently to avoid immediately merging back together, a requirement that severely limits when such splitting could occur.
The study’s distinctive title refers to the geometric shape a black hole’s event horizon would trace through spacetime during such a split, resembling the outline of a pair of trousers as the single upper section divides into two distinct lower branches. The researchers also explored theoretical scenarios involving additional spatial dimensions beyond the three familiar dimensions, where black-hole-like objects have been shown to become unstable and fragment. In these exotic contexts, splitting might even become thermodynamically favorable.
Researchers are currently working to determine the likelihood of such events and the specific conditions required for fragmentation to occur. The probability depends on how gravity behaves beyond Einstein’s general relativity framework. Sannino indicated that smaller primordial black holes might be more susceptible to splitting than much larger astrophysical black holes. While no confirmed observations of black hole splitting exist, researchers suggest that gamma-ray telescopes such as Fermi-LAT might indirectly detect signals from tiny black hole fragments that could form during mergers, potentially offering future evidence for these theoretical predictions.
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