Chinese scientists at Peking University’s Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics have proposed a way that humans could one day use black holes as an energy source. In this case, people can charge these objects like batteries. The study was published in the journal Physical Review D (PRD). According to calculations by experts, a black hole could theoretically be charged by sending large amounts of charged particles into it. These charges are sucked in until an electric field is created in the hole that repels new particles of matter. According to scientists, black holes convert about 25% of the introduced mass into usable energy. Such energy sources produce approximately 250 times the energy released by a nuclear bomb.

The researchers propose extracting the energy through a process called superradiation. This is based on the theory that some electromagnetic waves, through their rotation, can escape the gravitational field of a black hole up to a certain point. Another way to use black holes is to extract this energy in the form of so-called oscillator pairs, pairs of particles that spontaneously form in the presence of an electric field. Once the black hole is fully charged, it begins to emit streams of positrons, which are collected as energy. Although the scientists’ proposal is still only a theory, in the future humans may find a way to use some of the most dangerous objects in the universe to their advantage.