FCT researcher presents model that questions current paradigm of black holes

Black holes are extremely massive and compact objects that exist in the Universe, exerting a strong gravitational pull on neighboring stars and the gas disks that surround them. The effects on neighboring bodies are the only evidence for the existence of black holes, since they have never been directly observed. Black holes are thought to play a crucial role in many astrophysical processes, from the evolution of stars and galaxies to the functioning of galactic nuclei.

The current paradigm in astrophysics is that the multiple black holes in the Universe are described by just two physical properties: mass and angular momentum (a measure of how much they rotate). This paradigm was summarized in 1971 by physicist John Wheeler, who stated "Black holes have no hair" - a conjecture that has been maintained over the decades.

But at the University of Aveiro, physicists Carlos Herdeiro and Eugen Radu, the latter also an FCT researcher, have discovered a mechanism that allows some types of matter to give rise to a new kind of black hole, with "hair"..

This new species of black hole has very different physical properties from conventional black holes, a distinction that could be confirmed by astrophysical observations of the interaction between black holes and the gas that surrounds them or the stars that are close to them.