Monday, January 26, 2015

Could Black Hole Energy Save Humanity’s Future?

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Let's say some future civilization wanted to get energy out of a black hole. The first step would be to build a space elevator that defies the laws of physics


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One day the sun will fail. The fuel powering its nuclear fusion will run out, the sky will grow cold and, if Earth survives at all, humankind will be plunged into perpetual winter. To stay alive, our descendants will need to make alternative arrangements. They will first exhaust the resources of Earth, then the solar system, and eventually all the stars in all the galaxies in the visible universe. With nothing left to burn, they will surely cast their gaze on the only remaining store of energy: black holes. Might they be able to harvest this energy and save civilization?


I'm here with some bad news. The plan is not going to work. The reasons come down to the physics of such exotic entities as quantum strings and that venerable science-fiction favorite: the space elevator.



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