Physicists think the insides of black holes may be complex mazes of tangled strings in higher dimensions
Black holes, the densest objects in the universe, eat up anything that comes too close, even light. Is there anything left inside these behemoths that could reveal what they devoured in the first place? String theory, an attempt to merge gravity with quantum physics, says yes. A new study suggests that within black holes lie tangled pathways of strings called supermazes, which hold that information in multiple dimensions. What Are Black Hole Supermazes? Supermazes come from M-theory, an umbrella idea that includes multiple versions of string theory, in which our universe contains 11 dimensions—not just the four that physicists know to exist. In M-theory, the universe is made of multidimensional vibrating strings called branes. Supermazes are a kind of map of how various two-dimensional and five-dimensional branes intersect within the confines of black holes. The mazes are a way to picture a black hole's microstructure—its minuscule quantum makeup. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. "The maze is a very intricate, complex structure with lots of rooms and chambers and intersections of walls, with all sorts of layering on those walls," says study co-author Nicholas Warner of the University of Southern California. The walls are the branes, and "the intersections are where the two-dimensional things meet the five-dimensional things. When they meet, they pull on each other and bend." Supermazes would inhabit black holes that weren't truly black…