\nEinstein\u2019s general theory of relativity may break down because of a strangely shaped black hole. This type of object can only exist in a universe that would have five or more dimensions.
\nA team of Cambridge and Queen Mary researchers succeeded in simulating a black hole that is shaped like a thin ring, which gives rise to multiple protuberances attached by strings that become thinner with time. Eventually, the strings become so thin that they pinch off into a sequence of small black holes, in a way that is comparable to a thin stream of water breaking up into tiny droplets.
\nThis kind of ring-shaped black holes was initially discovered in 2002, but their dynamics have only been simulated successfully on supercomputers now. If this kind of black hole forms, the appearance of \u201cnaked singularity\u201d would be imaginable.
\nToday, everything we know about gravity is based on Einstein\u2019s theory \u2013 from the estimations of a star\u2019s age to GPS signals. The theory of relativity states that matter bends its surrounding space-time, and gravity is the resulting effect of the distortion. The theory has been published 100 years ago and it had passed every test that could prove it wrong. One of the theory\u2019s limitations, however, is the existence of singularities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Einstein\u2019s general theory of relativity may break down because of a strangely shaped black hole. This type of object can only exist in a universe that would have five or more dimensions. A team of Cambridge and Queen Mary researchers succeeded in simulating a black hole that is shaped like a thin ring, which gives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":6746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"yoast_head":"\n