What Would Happen if a Photon Was Caught Between Two Colliding Black Holes?

In summary, the conversation discusses the hypothetical scenario of two black holes merging and the potential outcome if a photon or electrons and positrons were to be caught between their event horizons. It is suggested that the photon would continue towards one of the black holes or be in a superposition of being absorbed by both. The concept of quantum physics and the disruption of the photon's wave properties are also mentioned. The possibility of hawking radiation is also briefly discussed.
  • #1
cragar
2,552
3
This may be a dumb ? , but what would happen if two black holes were coming together and when they were coming together we got a photon extremely close to their event horizons , and when the came together the photon was right on the overlap of their event horizons which way would the photon go , or maybe we could shoot electrons an positrons right in between the black holes and get the emitted photons right on the overlap of their event horizons ,
I realize this is a vary tricky scenario if not impossible scenario but i would like some responses , I mean the forces couldn't just cancel because we can't stop or slow down a photon , would the photon be red-shifted or blue shifted .
 
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  • #2
Photon is delocolized and quantum, inherently. If it happens to be heading towards one of the black holes, it will keep going towards it. If it tried to squeeze just between them, but doesn't quite make it, it will go both ways, being in superposition of being absorbed by one black hole and the other. Classical outcome will be 50/50 of it going one way or the other.
 
  • #3
how can it go both ways
 
  • #4
Quantum physics. Superposition, basically.
 
  • #5
cragar said:
This may be a dumb ? , but what would happen if two black holes were coming together and when they were coming together we got a photon extremely close to their event horizons , and when the came together the photon was right on the overlap of their event horizons which way would the photon go , or maybe we could shoot electrons an positrons right in between the black holes and get the emitted photons right on the overlap of their event horizons ,
I realize this is a vary tricky scenario if not impossible scenario but i would like some responses , I mean the forces couldn't just cancel because we can't stop or slow down a photon , would the photon be red-shifted or blue shifted .

good question


may I suggest something?

while it is way way unlikely that the photon will go exactly between the two without first being dragged in one direction or the other during the initial approach (toward the black holes), I think that in the circumstance of the photons that could make it to the middle, would simple have their wave properties stretched and disrupted. Assuming it goes throught he middle on a trajectory that would take it away from the black hole's.

it would look like this- If I shoot a few photons in this "in between" trajectory, I think the light wave property of the photon, would be stretched otu between the two black holes. This would result (obviously) in the permanent changing of colour, if not complete dispersal of the wave itself due to gravametric tidal forces (which, by the way, I am also not accounting for the gravity currents (like water currents) the gravity of two obviously very moving black hole's (the speed of rotation for these two bodies would cause this photon to more likely fall into either holeupon closer approach- and if the black holes weren't moving too much to begin with, they will have tidal forces exchanged between them in their approach)

I would for sure love to learn more about why the other guy though they would split into two photons in superposition though.

Also, I should mention that I haven't mentioned the possible variable of hawking radiation. In the end though, while possible, I think it very unlikely this photon would get through without being stretched into a different colour.
 

Related to What Would Happen if a Photon Was Caught Between Two Colliding Black Holes?

1. What is a black hole?

A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape from it. It is formed when a massive star collapses in on itself.

2. How do black holes affect photons?

Black holes have a strong gravitational pull that can bend the path of light, causing it to curve around the black hole. This effect is known as gravitational lensing. Photons can also be absorbed by a black hole, making them disappear.

3. Can anything escape from a black hole?

Once something crosses the event horizon of a black hole, it cannot escape. This includes photons, which are unable to travel faster than the speed of light to escape the black hole's gravitational pull.

4. How do scientists study black holes?

Scientists study black holes by observing their effects on nearby matter and light. They also use telescopes to detect radiation emitted by matter falling into a black hole. Theoretical models and simulations are also used to study black holes.

5. Do black holes emit light?

Black holes themselves do not emit light, but the matter that falls into them can emit radiation as it is heated up and accelerated by the intense gravitational pull. This radiation can be detected by telescopes and is used to study black holes.

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