Spacetime, the invisible fabric stitching the universe together, could actually be far more complex than previously believed.<\/p>\n
Long ago, Einstein gave us a set of equations describing how stars and galaxies bend and curve spacetime<\/a>. Over the decades, physicists came to think of this framework as a depiction of a smooth, fluid sheet that rippled with gravitational waves and bowed down into black holes.<\/p>\n But instead of a calm sheet, imagine every bit of spacetime is a restless ocean. Beneath, invisible fibers tie and untie in knots to hold patterns taut, while the water crashes. So new research is painting a picture in which spacetime can develop in complicated, nonlinear ways while much of its geometry resists disintegration.<\/p>\n New research suggests that Einstein\u2019s equations do not only describe a smooth cosmic canvas. They also allow for knotted structures that can last and change, much like magnetic field lines trapped in plasma.<\/p>\n Black holes ring: Physics to pay close attention<\/a><\/p>\n Using a version of general relativity that accounts for the nonlinear electrodynamics of continuous media, scientists have found connections in the gravitational field. These connections appear as two-dimensional surfaces woven with field lines, and their connectivity stays intact even as spacetime moves and bends.<\/p>\n This \u201cgravitational frozen-in\u201d effect arises from an Ohm-type condition applied to the gravitational field<\/a>. In simple terms, spacetime acts like a perfect conductor, locking in its field lines so they cannot break or reconnect at will.<\/p>\n The most striking part of the framework is that it shows conserved quantities that are similar to more familiar electromagnetic phenomena:<\/p>\n A gravitational magnetic flux that stays constant, no matter how spacetime bends.<\/p>\n A gravitational helicity, an indicator of the knottedness of field lines, provides a topological signature of spacetime\u2019s unseen dance.<\/p>\n