Are Black Holes solid matter?

Question

Simple question. Black holes, such as the super massive black hole at the center of tthe Milky way, are believed to be super dense mass. The term "Hole" illicites a lot of confusion. So. Are they solid matter?

Answer 1

"Isis" is telling quite a nonsense, and some other users, too.
Of course we have to imagine black holes a solid matter, actually as the most solid matter we can ever imagine. It's density is so huge that it's gravitational pull even "swallows" light. That why we called it not only "black" (no light is emmiting), but also "hole", because anything coming too close is disappearing in it, an effect, we know on earth only from "holes".

However, within some of those super massive ones, we have to presume that the pressure and resulting temperature inside are so big (huge, great, whatever you name it), that all matter could already be converted to sheer energy ... at least a part of it. That would explain the huge blasts of energy (gamma and x-ray emission) watched at the 'poles' of such super massive black holes, called "jets".

So, now we could start arguing about, what is solid or not. IT'S the same in the sun, in it's core, you'd find material as hard as diamonds ... usually solid, but under the conditions of pressure and temperature, they are sheer energy. (That's why fusion happens inside the sun after all)
For 'black holes'aren't suns (that also means, no fusion is taking place), we come back to our assumption the matter of so called black holes must be extremely solid. (try to imagine the whole earth compressed to a cube of less than 1 cm at each side, then you might be able to imagine the calculated conditions inside a black hole)

Answer 2

In theory, a black hole is any concentration of matter such that the gravity is high enough to trap even light. The escape velocity is higher than the speed of light. It is possible to imagine a situation where a large number of stars are grouped close enough together (yet with still enough separation to remain individual stars -- at least for a few minutes) so that the escape velocity from the cluster is higher than the speed of light.

The place (a surface enveloping the centre of gravity) where the escape velocity is exactly the speed of light, is called the event horizon. For single masses (e.g., a big star that has collapsed as a black hole), the event horizon is the surface of a sphere with a radius called the Schwarzschild radius.

Most cosmologist believe that our mathematical perception of the universe changes inside the event horizon, making distance a less meaningful concept (wherever you are inside the event horizon -- if you could survive, which you can't -- you'd fall for an infinite period of time before reaching the centre of the mass).

With the laws of physics being so different, it is difficult to talk of "matter" and to define it as being solid, liquid or whatever. Some theories affirm that all information is lost about the matter that falls into a black hole, leaving only the mass (and the electrical charge?).

Recent observations (see the APOD at the first link below) imply that there may be a swarm of small black holes orbiting the big one, at the centre of our Galaxy.

Answer 3

Assuming present theories are correct, then yes, the matter is MUCH denser than normal - and may even approach being SOLID matter in a literal sense.

Let me explain.

If you look at a nice solid lump of something - IRON for example - you might reasonaly think it is solid - and to all practical purposes it is. HOWEVER on the atomic level, it is almost all just vast empty space with electrons circling a neutron. Almost ALL of an atom is pure space.

If it was somehow possible to make all the components of an atom freeze up and align perfectly on top of each others, you SHOULD be able to see through any element.

On a black hole, it is reckoned that the forces are SO vast that theu even overcome the strong atomic forces which keeps the electron orbiting at such a great distance (realtively) to the neutron. Thus the matter begins to compact down. As it does so, the forces become stronger and more compaction occurs. In theory, you might end up with matter that contained no space at all.

So it depends a bit on what you mean by "solid matter" ;)

Answer 4

the black hole is the area surrounding a highly dense strong gravitational collapsed star, yes there is solid matter in there, the reason it is called a black hole is merely because radiation in the frequency of visual light cannot escape, sucks those photons back, but high energy gamma ray photons can escape, and it is apparent that such is spewed out by geysers on either side

Answer 5

In theory the black hole bends space-time around it in the 3 dimensional universe we can perceive but most people still only think of the textbook cone shape space time dent that the black hole forms but in reality it is a 3 dimensional array of many of these dents in all directions.when light goes into the black hole it is trapped but not in the same way as matter. imagine a photon going into this spce time dent, photons have no mass so they do not fall into the black hole by newtonian laws they just move in the same direction as the fold in space time(i.e the photon is confined in space time but since space time curves the light path curves) if you draw a straight line on a piece of cloth and put a weight on the cloth the cloth folds but the line is still(from its veiw) straight, it has not been undone. light photons are the same. going back to the array of space time dents the black hole(or any object with mass) forms, the light goes into this and the photon is trapped because the black hole is a sphere and a sphere has infinite directions from it, so the array of space time dents is infinite too. if you are familiar with any concepts of electrical charge this is an established fact, spheres have infinite direction vectors from them. imagining a hollow ball with another ball inside it and that is the condition. in answer to your question, if a black hole is spinning, and evidence suggests that some black holes are then if it is spinning fast enough the black hole itself may become deformed in shape and the number of direction vectors would become finite, then yes light can escape from a black hole in theory but, and here's the catch- the light photons have no energy so they're inperceivable! theory only justifies their existence, and thats all we'll ever have.

Answer 6

Yes, black holes are solid matter. The terminology of "Black Hole" is considered somewhat misguiding. This term refers to the fact they are so massive and condensed they won't let even light escape. Nothing, even light, can escape them. Theoretically, they should look like black holes because they absorb all the light which results in black coloured holes in the middle of light.

Answer 7

No one has ever proved the existence of black holes, it's just a theory. But based on the theory, yes they are solid matter.

Answer 8

I think black holes are what was once matter so dense that it collapsed under it's own weight, creating a "hole". I don't think the hole itself is matter though.

Answer 9

In a way, they are anti-matter. While they are dense concentrations of mass, they seem to obliterate that mass into a negative zone that traps energy. They are inert, except that their potential to release matter again is enormously powerful. Quite a mystery.

Answer 10

Though blackhole sucks even light, it is believed so for scientifically to be void. new theories feel that there are 30 or more blackholes in this galaxy and they are essential to keep the balance of energy levels, as they are supposed to have been formed when the formation of galaxy takes place. There is one more observation that they interconnect galaxies.
VR