[snarks_when_bored]

Interesting to consider. Chapline and his collaborators have been talking about this for a couple of years (and have met with some skepticism, as one might expect):

"Dark Energy Stars" (December, 2004)

"Quantum Phase Transitions and the Breakdown of Classical General Relativity" (2003)

Luboš Motl has an amusing critical take on Chapline's work (in a blog posting from March 14, 2005):

Chapline: black holes don't exist

[razorback-bert]

So we will have wormhole warp drives in a few years?

[American_Centurion]

"It's like we are living inside a giant dark energy star," Chapline says. There is, of course, no explanation yet for how a universe-sized star could come into being.

Which could also explain why there seems to be a possiblity for multiple universes. Multiple giant (universe sized) dark energy stars, residing in yet another universe.

Well that's one way I imagine it could be. I'm not quantum physicist, but I did stay at a Holiday......

[TChris]

There is, of course, no explanation yet for how a universe-sized star could come into being.

How about the concept that it has always been? Why must every observed thing have a beginning and an end?

[beezdotcom]

"It's like we are living inside a giant dark energy star," Chapline says. There is, of course, no explanation yet for how a universe-sized star could come into being.

Similar to some of the previous "our universe is a black hole" speculation. The nice part of this angle, though, is that it should be (ever-so-slightly) easier to envision a means of detection of what's outside, given that quarks could theoretically transition the quantum shell.

(Easier, assuming huge advances in means, methods, and resources, that is...)

[Bean Counter]

Chinese Arithmatic *ping*

[Bender2]

Re: Chapline: black holes don't exist

Hey man! There will always be black hos...

What about us black and white hos?

I for one, like fuzzy yellow and pink hos...

With my luck, they'll outlaw us park bench hos!

Never, my dear! Never! Want to see my bippy?

We fembot hos will always be around... And, NO! I don't want to see your bippy at any price!

Not even for... a case of zee finest German oil?

No! Well... Maybe for two cases...

Well... I was a total ho for Michael Douglas... And what did it get me?

[RightWhale]

Interesting. The interior of a dark energy star seen from inside might look like there had been a Big Bang 14.5 billion years ago.

[Doohickey]

Dark matter is what my wife buys but I never see around the house...

[hosepipe]

Hmmm.. black holes......crystals?...

[Robert A Cook PE]

Interesting!

While black holes supposedly swallow anything that gets past the event horizon, quantum critical shells are a two-way street, Chapline says. Matter crossing the shell decays, and the anti-gravity should spit some of the remnants back out again. Also, quark particles crossing the shell should decay by releasing positrons and gamma rays, which would pop out of the surface.

Now, consider that the "steady state" universe theories require only a small amount of matter (a few atoms per cubic meter) "re-appearing" in interstellar space to account for the expansion factors: It's interesting to question whether these atoms could come from such stars. Or from Hawking's black-hole quantum centers.

To me, it makes no logical sense to follow a "pure math" black hole where everything becomes a point source. That's merely a mathematical convenience, not realty.