When a photon falls into a supermassive black hole, its ultimate fate depends on various factors, including the properties of the black hole and the conditions near the event horizon. Let's explore the possibilities:
Crossing the event horizon: If the photon's trajectory brings it within the event horizon of the black hole, it will be unable to escape the gravitational pull. At this point, according to our current understanding, the photon will become trapped within the black hole, contributing to its mass and energy content. However, since we lack a complete theory of quantum gravity, the precise behavior of photons inside black holes is still a topic of active research and remains an open question.
Near the event horizon: If the photon passes close to the event horizon but manages to avoid crossing it, it can be significantly affected by the extreme gravitational forces near the black hole. This can result in gravitational redshift, where the photon's energy is reduced as it climbs out of the gravitational well of the black hole. The wave-particle duality properties of the photon are not fundamentally altered by this process.
Regarding the photon's wave-particle duality properties, it is important to note that wave-particle duality is a fundamental concept of quantum mechanics. Photons exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior depending on the experimental setup and observations made. This duality remains a fundamental property of photons regardless of their interactions with black holes.
As for our understanding of what precisely happens to photons inside supermassive black holes, the complexities of black hole physics, combined with the lack of a complete theory of quantum gravity, make it challenging to provide a definitive answer. The study of black holes, their interaction with light, and the behavior of particles within them is an active area of research in theoretical physics, and ongoing investigations aim to deepen our understanding of these phenomena.