Do tidal gravitational forces near a black hole singularity distort the shapes of fundamental particles?
Inside a black hole is a region called the singularity where the curvature of space-time becomes infinite according to Einstein’s general relativity. Other than theoretically, no one really knows what happens close to a singularity, but, in what is called a quantum gravity theory, no singularities actually exist. This extreme condition in space is simply replaced by a region where the graininess of space and time becomes evident at the so-called Planck scale. Because all fundamental particles are believed to be some kind of loops of energy, also about the size of the Planck scale, 10-33 centimetres, individual particles just dissolve away into some kind of quantum froth at these scales. But we do not know for sure and have absolutely no way of finding out.
