Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
Physicists identify a theoretical way gravity could transfer energy
Physicists have described a theoretical process called gravitational reconnection in a study of Einstein’s equations.
The work by Luca Comisso of Columbia University and Felipe A. Asenjo of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile connects gravity with the behavior of plasma, an electrically charged gas found in stars and space.
In plasma, magnetic field lines can reconnect and release energy, driving events such as solar flares.
The researchers propose that gravitational fields have sheet-like structures that may change their connections and transfer energy into matter.
They found the process by rewriting Einstein’s equations to reveal constraints on how space-time can evolve.
The findings could help researchers model black hole mergers and the gravitational waves they produce, which detectors such as LIGO are designed to measure.
Whether the process occurs in space remains unknown, and researchers still need to assess how much energy it transfers and whether it could leave detectable signals.
Physicists have described a theoretical process in which changing gravitational field structures could transfer energy into matter.
Luca Comisso of Columbia University and Felipe A. Asenjo of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez proposed the process, called gravitational reconnection.
Their study uses a reformulation of Einstein’s equations to reveal similarities with equations describing plasmas.
The researchers say the findings could help predict patterns in space-time, including in merging black holes.
Whether gravitational reconnection occurs in astrophysical environments, and how much energy it could transfer, remains unknown.
- Who
- Physicists Luca Comisso and Felipe A. Asenjo.
- What
- They describe gravitational reconnection, a theoretical process in which gravitational field structures reconnect and transfer energy into matter.
- When
- The study was published online on 28 October 2026.
- Where
- The study concerns gravitational fields and space-time; the researchers are affiliated with Columbia University and Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile.
- Why
- The researchers aim to identify rules governing how space-time evolves and to help predict patterns in gravitational fields.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The study by Luca Comisso and Felipe A. Asenjo was published in Physical Review D.
SciTechDaily published an article about the theoretical discovery.
- Process
- Gravitational reconnection
- Researchers
- Luca Comisso and Felipe A. Asenjo
- Journal
- Physical Review D
- Publication date
- 28 October 2026
- Potential application
- Predicting patterns in space-time during black hole mergers
What people are saying
It helps us predict some patterns of the space-time,
Magnetic reconnection is when these field lines, in some specific configuration, break and reattach in a different configuration,
Einstein’s equations contain constraints on how space-time can evolve that are not immediately apparent,