Ergosphere

Source- This post on ergosphere has been created based on the article “Ergosphere: Making a black hole work” published in “The Hindu” on 6 February 2024.

Why in the news?

It is possible to extract matter and energy from Ergosphere as per some scientist.

About Ergosphere

Origin-Ergosphere comes from the Greek word ‘ergon’ that means ‘work’. It has got its name because it is possible to get energy and even mass from this place.

Definition-It is the region in between the event horizon and the stationary limit.
NOTE- Event Horizon: It is a sphere around the singularity of a Black Hole. When anything enters this sphere, it can’t escape unless it travels faster than light (which is impossible).
Stationary limit-It is a surface around the outside of a rotating black hole.

Shape: An Ergosphere is shaped like an oblate spheroid, or a pumpkin.

Features Of Ergosphere

1) In this region, space-time itself is dragged along with the rotation of the black hole.

2) Objects within the ergosphere are forced to rotate along with the black hole’s spin due to the distortion of spacetime caused by its immense gravitational pull.

Significance

It is possible to send an object into the ergosphere. The object then can be allowed to accelerate there along the black hole’s direction of rotation. This may allow the object to come out moving faster. This energy ‘gain’ will translate to the black hole to lose some angular momentum. Hence, it may be possible to extract matter and energy from the black hole.

NOTE-Black hole-It is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that even light can not escape.

Gravitational Singularity-The centre of a black hole has a gravitational singularity, a one-dimensional point. This point contains a huge mass in an infinitely small space, where density and gravity become infinite. Here, laws of physics cease to operate.

UPSC Syllabus-Science & technology.