Physicists Built a Black Hole in a Lab. Then It Swallowed Sound.
Physicists have developed a 3D-printable device called a sonic black hole that can be inserted into pipes to absorb sound reflections. This technology mimics the properties of astrophysical black holes to eliminate echoes in industrial and residential ductwork.
Why it matters
This innovation offers a practical, low-cost solution for noise pollution in ventilation and plumbing systems, improving acoustic comfort in buildings.
Sound can be a tricksy beast to try to harness.
It fills the world around us, bursting from its multitudinous sources, bouncing off surfaces as echoes – a property that makes sound both incredibly useful and deeply vexing, depending on where and how its reverberations occur.
There are some circumstances where echoes can cause problems. The most obvious example is sound recording studios, but one major problem area is probably less obvious because it's far more ubiquitous – pipes.
Consider ventilation, air conditioning, industrial exhaust, or even plumbing. Sound travels through the spaces enclosed in those pipes and ducts, and when it encounters an obstruction, a change in shape, or a closed end, it can start to rattle around like nobody's business.
Now, scientists have developed an ingenious little device that can dramatically reduce those reflections by effectively 'swallowing' sound.
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