Illumination of a Planet by a Black Hole Moon as a Technological Signature
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: I show that Hawking radiation from a mini black hole with a mass of ∼1011 g in a low orbit around an otherwise frozen rogue planet, can supply the energy needs of a civilization on the surface of the planet. Maintaining this furnace for more than a few years requires a modest accretion rate of ∼2 kg s−1. The associated technosignature is detectable as a gamma-ray source occulted by a warm planet every 1–2 hr, with no stellar-mass companion.
Source: Research Notes of the AAS
Author: Abraham Loeb
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4401638263