• Question: In a black hole, do electrons overlap each other?

    Asked by doppler to Adam, Sheila, Suzie on 24 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Suzie Sheehy

      Suzie Sheehy answered on 24 Mar 2011:

      I’m not sure we know this – our laws of physics really break down inside a black hole… so I can’t really say. We have to consider the “pauli exclusion principle” though, which says that no two electrons with the same quantum numbers can be in the same quantum state. Whether this means they ‘overlap’ or not I’m not sure!

    • Photo: Sheila Kanani

      Sheila Kanani answered on 24 Mar 2011:

      i don’t think anyone actually knows! I think the physics near a black hole can be so different that even if they shouldnt be overlapping, they could be!

    • Photo: Adam Tuff

      Adam Tuff answered on 24 Mar 2011:

      I’m a bit suspect that electrons actually exist in black holes – before you have collapse into a black hole most of your matter is neutron degenerate, so protons and electrons have combined. Whether or not you get something like quark degeneracy is purely speculation.

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