Wormhole Shadow: Sharp Angles When Rotating ⚡ экспресс
Scientists studied the shadow of a rotating wormhole (Teo class) with a varying redshift parameter (affects gravitational redshift). As this parameter varies, the shadow boundary develops pointed protrusions — cusps. A critical parameter value was found that triggers the transition from a smooth shape to a cusped one. Depending on rotation and redshift, the shadow can be smooth, cusped, with touching 'ears', or sinking into the throat. This could help distinguish wormholes from black holes in high-resolution images.
A wormhole is a tunnel through space, connecting distant regions of the Universe. Its shadow against a bright gas background was long thought to be as round as that of a black hole. But for a rotating wormhole (one you could actually traverse), the shape of the shadow might be surprising: the edge becomes jagged, like a gear.
If light passing through its throat is strongly 'stretched' (shifting in color toward red), then rotation causes the shadow to develop sharp protrusions. Researchers found a critical threshold: as soon as this stretching reaches a certain value, the shadow abruptly acquires teeth.
Such a 'jagged' silhouette is a key for future telescopes. If instead of a smooth shadow astronomers see a structure with notches, it would point not to a black hole, but to a wormhole.
🎯 Wormholes haven't been discovered yet, but Einstein's equations allow for their existence — just like black holes once were.
🎬 In Interstellar, the journey through a wormhole happened without its shadow — too bad: perhaps it would have looked like a gear.