PBS Space Time Season 2020 Episode 11 How Black Holes Spin Space Time

How Black Holes Spin Space Time is the eleventh episode of the 2020 season of the PBS Space Time series. In this episode, host Matt O'Dowd dives into one of the most fascinating and complex phenomena in the universe: black holes.

At the heart of a black hole lies its singularity, a point where the laws of physics as we understand them break down. Surrounding the singularity is the event horizon, a boundary beyond which nothing can escape the black hole's gravity. But what happens at the event horizon and beyond it is still a mystery.

One of the key features of a black hole is its spin, which is determined by the spin of the object that collapsed to form the black hole. The faster the original object was spinning, the greater the black hole's spin.

But what does it mean for a black hole to spin, and how does it affect the space-time around it? In this episode, O'Dowd delves into the intricacies of black hole physics to explain how spinning black holes warp space-time and create some of the most extreme phenomena in the universe.

One of the most intriguing effects of black hole spin is frame dragging, or the dragging of space-time around the black hole. Just like a spinning top drags the air around it, a spinning black hole drags the space-time around it, creating a vortex-like effect that can pull in matter and radiation.

Frame dragging can also cause black holes to oscillate, a phenomenon known as ringdown. When two black holes merge, the resulting black hole vibrates like a bell, emitting gravitational waves that can be detected by observatories like LIGO.

But black hole spin also affects the motion of matter around it. In a phenomenon known as the Lense-Thirring effect, the spin of a black hole causes matter to spiral around it, creating a disk of hot gas and plasma that emits intense radiation.

And as matter falls toward the black hole, it can be accelerated to tremendous speeds and emit jets of particles that travel millions of light-years across the cosmos. These black hole jets are some of the most powerful and violent phenomena in the universe, and their origin is still a mystery.

How Black Holes Spin Space Time is a fascinating and informative episode that explores the mysteries of black holes and their effect on the fabric of space-time. With clear and engaging explanations, O'Dowd makes even the most complex concepts accessible to viewers, making this episode a must-watch for anyone interested in the mysteries of the universe.