A black hole, disturbed by a merger, rings at its own unique frequencies, like a bell. Each hole has its own 'voice', by which astronomers determine its characteristics. In a new study, scientists examined how this sound is affected by dark energy and hypothetical clouds of microscopic [tag:string_theory]strings.

They[/tag] looked at quantum black holes, very small objects where quantum effects are significant, and calculated changes in their vibrations. Also considered was the 'grayness factor': a measure of how easily radiation can escape the influence of the hole, without which signals from gravitational waves cannot be decoded. It turned out that both dark energy and string parameters noticeably shift the frequencies and transparency to light.

These calculations are a step toward future detectors. Learning to isolate such changes in signals could allow us to 'hear' not only the mass and spin of the hole, but also the contribution of dark energy. It is amazing that such mini-holes, likely born in the first moments of the Universe, could bring us the echo of the Big Bang.