The Kashmir Pulse

Some scientific ideas arrive like a spark in the dark. At first, they surprise us. Then they make us see the world differently.

A black hole and a sheet of graphene seem to belong to completely different worlds. A black hole lives in the deep theatre of the universe, where gravity becomes so strong that even light cannot escape. Graphene lives in the delicate world of atoms, a sheet of carbon only one atom thick, so thin that it is almost without height, yet so strong and strange that scientists call it a wonder material.

One belongs to the sky. The other belongs to the laboratory.

One bends space and time. The other may help shape future electronics, sensors, imaging systems, and quantum technologies.

Yet modern physics has taught us a lesson that is both simple and profound: nature is often more connected than it appears. Things that look different on the surface may follow the same hidden rhythm underneath. The ripple of water, the sound of a bell, the signal in a radio, and the light from a star are different in appearance, but all carry the language of waves.

In a recent research paper titled "Graphene plasmon damping from BTZ quasinormal modes in AdS/CFT," published in EPL, volume 154, article 66002, 2026, Nazir A. Ganaie and M. A. Shah explore one such remarkable bridge. Their work studies how tiny waves of electrons in graphene lose energy, and how that loss can be understood using mathematics originally developed for black holes.

These tiny electronic waves are called plasmons. They matter because they may one day help us guide light and energy at scales far smaller than ordinary optical technologies allow. But plasmons fade. They lose strength. Their signal weakens. This fading is called damping.

A black hole, too, has a kind of fading. If disturbed, it does not become quiet immediately. It rings like a bell, then slowly settles into silence. Physicists call these fading vibrations quasinormal modes.

The striking idea in this work is that, through a powerful theoretical bridge called AdS/CFT, the fading ring of a black hole can help scientists understand the fading motion of electron waves in graphene.

This does not mean graphene contains a black hole. It means something subtler, deeper, and perhaps more beautiful: nature may use the same mathematical grammar in places that look completely unrelated.

To understand this extraordinary connection in simple words, Aasif Ganaie from The Kashmir Pulse spoke with Nazir A. Ganaie.

Question: Nazir, your work connects graphene with black holes. For ordinary readers, this sounds almost unbelievable. How can a tiny material on Earth have anything to do with a black hole in space?

Nazir A. Ganaie: It sounds unbelievable because we first look at the objects, not at the patterns behind them. A black hole and graphene are not the same thing. A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is extremely strong. Graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms that can be studied in a laboratory. They are physically very different. But physics often teaches us to look beyond appearance. A wave in water, a sound in air, and light from the Sun are not the same thing. Yet all of them can be understood using the idea of waves. The surface is different, but the pattern is related. In our work, the connection is not that graphene becomes a black hole. That would be wrong. The connection is that the way energy fades in graphene can be related, through a mathematical framework, to the way a disturbed black hole settles down. So I would say it this way: nature writes the same poem in different languages. In one language, it is a black hole ringing in spacetime. In another, it is a wave of electrons fading inside graphene. That shared rhythm is what makes the work beautiful.

Question: Let us begin with graphene. What is graphene, and why has it become so famous in science?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern. That sounds simple, but some of the deepest things in nature are simple in form. Graphene is only one atom thick. It is almost pure surface. Yet it is very strong, flexible, and an excellent conductor of electricity. What makes graphene especially exciting is the behaviour of electrons inside it. In many ordinary materials, electrons move in a complicated and restricted way. In graphene, they can move with unusual freedom. In certain conditions, they behave almost like massless particles, which makes graphene a meeting place between materials science and fundamental physics. This is why graphene is important. It is not only a material for possible future devices. It is also a small laboratory for big ideas. It is a sheet of carbon, but it opens a window into the quantum world.

Question: Your paper studies graphene plasmons. What are plasmons, in simple language?

Nazir A. Ganaie: A plasmon is a wave made by many electrons moving together. Imagine a crowd in a stadium. If one person stands up and sits down, that is only one person moving. But if thousands of people rise and sit in a coordinated way, a wave passes through the stadium. The crowd begins to behave like one large system. Electrons can do something similar. Inside graphene, many electrons can move together in a collective motion. That motion is called a plasmon. Graphene plasmons are very interesting because they can carry electromagnetic energy in extremely small spaces. They may help future devices control light and electrical signals at the nanoscale. But there is a problem. These plasmons do not last forever. They lose energy. They fade like a voice moving away in a valley. That fading is called damping, and understanding it is central to our work.

Question: Why is damping so important?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Because every useful signal must survive long enough to be useful. If you strike a bell, the sound fades. If you throw a stone into a pond, the ripples slowly disappear. If you send a signal through a wire or through the air, some part of it weakens. This is damping. It is the story of how motion loses energy. For graphene plasmons, damping tells us how long the plasmon can live, how far it can travel, and how much information or energy it can carry before it fades away. If we want graphene plasmons to be useful in future sensing, imaging, communication, or photonic technologies, we must understand their damping. So damping is not just a technical word. It is the question of how long a tiny message can survive inside a material.

Question: Where do black holes enter the story?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Black holes enter through a powerful idea in modern physics called AdS/CFT. For a common reader, AdS/CFT may be understood as a dictionary between two languages. One language describes quantum systems. The other describes gravity and black holes. Sometimes a problem that is very difficult in the quantum language becomes easier when translated into the gravity language. In that gravity picture, black holes are not only objects in space. They become mathematical tools for understanding heat, loss, relaxation, and the return to equilibrium. A black hole, when disturbed, rings and then becomes quiet. The tones of this fading ring are called quasinormal modes. In our work, the damping of graphene plasmons is studied by relating it to these quasinormal modes of a BTZ black hole. In simple words, we use the fading ring of a black hole to understand the fading wave of electrons in graphene.

Question: That is a powerful image. But what exactly is a BTZ black hole?

Nazir A. Ganaie: A BTZ black hole is a special black hole studied in theoretical physics. It is named after Bañados, Teitelboim, and Zanelli. It lives in a simplified spacetime with fewer dimensions than the universe we experience. This may sound artificial, but simplified models are very important in science. A map is not the whole country, but it helps us understand the country. A model is not the whole universe, but it can reveal a deep principle clearly. The BTZ black hole is mathematically clean. It has many features that make black holes important, such as a horizon, temperature, and characteristic vibrations. Because of this clarity, it is often used in studies connected to holography. For our purpose, it gives a clean way to study how disturbances decay. That decay is the bridge to graphene plasmon damping.

Question: You said a black hole can ring like a bell. Can you explain that for readers who may not know physics?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Think of a bell hanging in silence. When you strike it, it rings. The sound is not random. It has a particular tone. A small bell has one voice, a large bell another. The shape and material of the bell determine how it rings and how quickly the sound fades. A black hole also has its own mathematical voice. If it is disturbed, it vibrates in a very specific way and then settles down. These fading vibrations are called quasinormal modes. Of course, a black hole does not ring through air like a metal bell. The ringing is in the behaviour of spacetime and fields around it. But mathematically, the idea is similar: disturbance, vibration, fading, silence. In holography, this fading tells us how a related quantum system relaxes. That is why the black-hole ring can teach us about the fading of plasmons in graphene.

Question: For people who have never heard of AdS/CFT, can you explain it with one clear example?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Imagine two people describing the same mountain from two different sides. One person describes forests, rivers, and paths. The other describes rocks, cliffs, and snow. Their descriptions look different, but they are talking about the same mountain. AdS/CFT is something like that, but in mathematics. On one side, there is a quantum system. On the other side, there is gravity in a higher-dimensional spacetime. Although the two descriptions look very different, in certain cases they encode the same information. This is why it is so powerful. If the quantum side is hard to understand, we can look at the gravity side. If the gravity side contains a black hole, then the black hole can tell us something about the quantum system. So AdS/CFT is not a fantasy. It is a mathematical translation between two descriptions of the same underlying physics.

Question: Does this mean black-hole physics can help us understand real materials?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Yes, in a careful theoretical sense. Black-hole physics gives us tools to study relaxation, temperature, dissipation, and strong interactions. These are also important in many materials. When a material has many particles interacting strongly, it can become very hard to calculate its behaviour using ordinary methods. Holography gives another viewpoint. It lets us translate certain difficult quantum questions into gravitational questions. This approach has already influenced studies of superconductors, strange metals, fluid flow, thermalisation, and strongly interacting quantum systems. Our work applies this spirit to graphene plasmon damping. It does not mean every detail of graphene is controlled by black holes. It means that black-hole mathematics can provide a useful and beautiful language for studying certain features of graphene.

Question: What is the main message of your paper?

Nazir A. Ganaie: The main message is that graphene plasmon damping can be studied through the quasinormal modes of a BTZ black hole within the AdS/CFT framework. In ordinary language, this means we are using the mathematics of a fading black-hole vibration to understand the fading of tiny electron waves in graphene. The work is theoretical. It opens a way of thinking. It does not claim that graphene contains black holes or that a new device has already been built. But a new way of thinking can be very important. Science often advances when we find a bridge between two fields. Once the bridge is built, others can cross it, test it, improve it, and perhaps take it further than the original work imagined.

Question: Why should a common reader care about this?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Because the future often begins as an idea that first sounds strange. There was a time when electricity was a curiosity. Today, it powers the world. There was a time when quantum mechanics seemed like a strange theory of atoms. Today, it is behind computers, lasers, smartphones, medical scanners, and modern electronics. Graphene is already one of the most promising materials of our time. If we understand how energy moves inside it, how signals travel, and how waves fade, we may one day build better technologies. Our work is not a finished technology. It is part of the foundation. A house is visible only after it is built, but the strength of the house depends on the foundation, which no one sees. Fundamental science is that foundation.

Question: What makes this work exciting beyond the equations?

Nazir A. Ganaie: For me, the excitement is the meeting of two extremes. A black hole is one of the most extreme objects in the universe. Graphene is one of the thinnest and most remarkable materials on Earth. One is vast and cosmic. The other is delicate and atomic. Yet mathematics brings them into conversation. There is a quiet beauty in that. It tells us that the universe is not a pile of disconnected facts. It is woven. Pull one thread in a laboratory, and sometimes you feel a vibration from the stars. That is what physics does at its best. It reveals the hidden weaving.

Question: Can you give a daily-life analogy for the whole idea?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Think of music. A flute, a drum, and a violin are different instruments. They are made differently. They sound different. But all of them obey the mathematics of vibration. Now imagine graphene as a tiny instrument made of carbon, and a black hole as a cosmic instrument made of spacetime. When each is disturbed, each has a way of fading back to calm. Our work studies how the fading of one can help us understand the fading of the other. The instruments are different. The grammar of fading is related.

Question: Could this research be tested experimentally?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Ultimately, scientific ideas must face experiment. Graphene plasmon damping can be studied using advanced optical and spectroscopic methods. Future work can compare holographic predictions with experimental data and with numerical models. At this stage, our work is theoretical. It provides a framework and a perspective. It does not claim complete experimental confirmation. This is how science grows. A theory proposes a path. Calculations sharpen it. Experiments test it. If nature agrees, the path becomes stronger. If nature disagrees, we learn and improve. Beauty invites us toward an idea, but nature decides whether it stays.

Question: You describe science with almost poetic language. Do you think poetry and physics are connected?

Nazir A. Ganaie: They are connected by wonder, but separated by method. Poetry sees depth in ordinary things. Physics also sees depth in ordinary things, but it must express that depth through mathematics, logic, and experiment. A poet may say the stars are singing. A physicist must ask what waves, fields, and laws are actually present. But both begin with amazement. Without wonder, science becomes dry. Without discipline, wonder becomes fantasy. The best science needs both: the courage to imagine and the honesty to calculate.

Question: What message would you give to young students in Kashmir who may read this interview?

Nazir A. Ganaie: I would tell them that the universe is not far away. The universe is above you in the night sky, but it is also inside a sheet of material, inside an atom, inside a question, inside a mathematical idea. Do not think that deep science belongs only to distant laboratories or famous institutions. Those places are important, but the beginning of science is curiosity. A student in Kashmir can think about black holes. A student in Kashmir can study graphene. A student in Kashmir can learn the mathematics that connects them. The path is difficult, but difficulty is not a locked door. It is a mountain. If you climb patiently, the view changes.

Question: What advice would you give to young researchers?

Nazir A. Ganaie: Build strong foundations. Do not begin with big words. Begin with clear ideas. Learn mathematics. Learn basic physics. Learn how to think carefully. At the same time, keep your imagination alive. Do not be afraid to cross boundaries between fields. The most interesting ideas often live at the border between subjects. A researcher needs two qualities: discipline and imagination. Discipline keeps you honest. Imagination keeps you from becoming ordinary.

Question: Finally, if you had to explain your work to a child, how would you say it?

Nazir A. Ganaie: I would say this: There is a very thin material called graphene. Inside it, tiny electric waves can move, but after some time, they become weak and fade. There is also something in space called a black hole. If it is disturbed, it too has a kind of fading ring, like a bell becoming silent. Our work shows that, using a special mathematical dictionary, the fading of the tiny waves in graphene can be understood by looking at the fading ring of a black hole. The black hole is not inside graphene. But both belong to the same universe, and sometimes the same pattern appears in very different places. That is the wonder of physics.

Question: And if you had to summarise the emotional meaning of this work?

Nazir A. Ganaie: To me, it says that nature is deeper than appearance. A black hole in the sky and a carbon sheet in the laboratory may seem infinitely far apart. But mathematics can build a bridge between them. That is one of the most moving things about science. It tells us that reality is not scattered. It is connected. Sometimes, when we study the smallest wave in a material, we hear an echo from the largest questions in the universe.

Nazir A. Ganaie and M. A. Shah, "Graphene plasmon damping from BTZ quasinormal modes in AdS/CFT," EPL 154, 66002, 2026.

NEW DELHI — The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released its amended "Rating Manual 2026" on Tuesday, updating the framework for assessing digital connectivity within properties. The new guidelines operate under the recently amended "Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations, 2024".

The regulations and the corresponding manual aim to address the challenges consumers face in securing reliable digital connectivity inside buildings through a collaborative and self-sustaining approach.

TRAI initially notified the connectivity regulations on October 25, 2024, and released the first iteration of the rating manual on August 13, 2025. This original document served as a structured framework designed to ensure a fair, transparent, and standardised approach for all stakeholders, including Digital Connectivity Rating Agencies, property managers, and service providers.

Following awareness sessions and workshops, TRAI determined that certain aspects of the assessment methodology required refinement and additional clarity. The agency issued a consultation paper on February 27, 2026, to propose revisions to the existing framework. After analysing stakeholder comments and feedback, TRAI officially notified the amended regulations on May 13, 2026.

Tuesday's release of the amended manual formally incorporates these regulatory changes into the functional assessment guidelines. To maintain alignment with the updated regulations, the amended "Rating Manual 2026" introduces several major functional changes.

The framework now includes a structured, multi-stage assessment and certification process specifically tailored for under-construction properties, alongside a new provision for an Optional Digital Connectivity Audit to facilitate ongoing infrastructure improvements.

It also offers requisite flexibility in assessing power infrastructure while ensuring reliability requirements are maintained, and widens the monitoring framework to permit centralised systems beyond conventional Building Management Systems. Additionally, the updated manual adopts a technology-neutral approach by permitting both fibre and wireless backhaul solutions.

Service performance assessments have been standardised and will now be conducted using a TRAI-designated testing application. The agency also formally introduced a defined sampling methodology for assessing non-public areas and fully aligned the guidelines with the latest "National Building Construction Standards, 2026".

The amended manual comes into force with immediate effect and is available to the public on the TRAI website.

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