CUNY ASRC Reproduces 1969 Black Hole Energy Effect in Lab
Updated
Updated · dongascience.com · Jul 10
CUNY ASRC Reproduces 1969 Black Hole Energy Effect in Lab
3 articles · Updated · dongascience.com · Jul 10
Summary
Nature published a CUNY ASRC experiment showing electromagnetic waves gained energy in a stationary ring of electronic resonators, reproducing the Penrose-Zel’dovich amplification effect predicted around rotating black holes.
Instead of spinning matter at impractical speeds, the team rapidly tuned resonators in sequence so waves experienced the device as an ultrafast rotating object.
The result realizes in the lab a theory first proposed by Roger Penrose in 1969 and later extended by Yakov Zel’dovich to wave amplification from rotational energy.
Researchers said the platform could let scientists probe extreme rotational physics beyond mechanical speed limits and, with further work, inform photonic and quantum technologies.
Have scientists unlocked a new physics paradigm by mimicking a spinning black hole with a stationary device?
Can simulating a black hole’s energy really help build a million-qubit quantum computer by 2030?
How will this lab breakthrough accelerate the quantum technology goals set by the recent U.S. executive order?
Black Hole Physics in the Lab: CUNY ASRC Achieves First Experimental Penrose–Zel’dovich Effect
Overview
Researchers at CUNY Advanced Science Research Center have achieved a major breakthrough by reproducing the Penrose–Zel’dovich effect in the lab, confirming a theory first proposed over 50 years ago. Building on Roger Penrose’s Nobel-winning work on black holes and his idea that energy could be extracted from a rotating black hole’s ergosphere, the team engineered a synthetic rotational environment using a time-controlled ring resonator network. This allowed them to observe wave amplification—Penrose superradiance—demonstrating that energy can be drawn from rotation, just as Penrose and Zel’dovich predicted. This experiment bridges theoretical astrophysics and practical technology, opening new paths for research and innovation.