An experiment conducted in New York has reproduced a theoretical phenomenon associated with rotating black holes.
No actual black hole was created, of course. However, their device allows certain waves to emerge with more energy than they entered with.
The idea dates back to physicist Roger Penrose. In 1969, he proposed that an object could extract some of the energy from a rapidly spinning black hole. This mechanism would occur in a region where the black hole's rotation drags the surrounding space.
Physicist Yakov Zel'dovich later showed that a comparable phenomenon could involve waves. A wave encountering an object spinning fast enough could draw energy from it. The wave would then be amplified, like a sound becoming more powerful.
Rotation based on the Floquet model and rotational superradiance.
Credit: Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10725-y
Such an experiment is normally impossible. No material can spin fast enough without breaking. The researchers therefore replaced the actual rotation with an artificial rotation produced using electronic components arranged in a circle.
These components change their properties very quickly according to a precise sequence. The equipment does not move, but the waves have the "impression" of traveling through a rotating system. This trick reproduces certain physical conditions expected near a black hole.
The researchers sent radio waves into the device. Some drew energy from the system and emerged more intense.
This experiment offers a way to study in the lab a theory that was previously very difficult to test. It could also inspire new systems capable of amplifying certain waves, particularly in telecommunications, photonics, or quantum computing.