[HIGHLIGHTS] Researchers grow the environment of a black hole in the laboratory – "We are at the beginning of our possibilities"

Researchers from Imperial College London have developed an innovative method to replicate the surroundings of a black hole on Earth. A black hole is surrounded by a so-called accretion disk, in which matter accumulates and becomes super-hot plasma.

If we understand how accretion disks behave, we can find out not only how black holes form, but also how gas clouds collapse to form stars. The detailed study of these accretion. disks can help to further unlock the mysteries of black holes and. the processes taking place in the vastness of the universe.