How a Whirlpool in a Cup Becomes a Black Hole Bomb ⚡ экспресс
A vortex in a fluid can mimic a black hole. If you put it in a closed vessel, reflected waves can rock the system to instability — like a 'black hole bomb'. New research shows that vortices with fluid expelled from the center are best suited for such imitation. Can an ordinary whirlpool become a window into gravitational physics?
When liquid is swirled in a cup, a vortex with an empty center forms. In this empty core, waves find a trap: bouncing off the walls, they siphon energy from the vortex and grow like a flame along a fuse — each wave stronger than the last, until a surge breaks loose.
The main surprise of the experiment: the best desktop analogue of a black hole turned out to be a vortex with a completely empty center. It is precisely the emptiness inside, like in a tornado, that makes its behavior almost cosmic. Thus, a simple pot of water becomes a portal to distant abysses.
🎯 Tornadoes and waterspouts exactly replicate the structure of black holes: their empty center acts as a trap for waves — once they reflect, an avalanche begins.