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A hidden universe could exist inside every black hole, a Polish cosmologist has claimed, suggesting that our own universe could be inside a black hole as well.

A black hole is a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape. It is called "black" because it absorbs all the light that hits it, reflecting nothing, just like a perfect black body in thermodynamics.

Using an adaptation of Einstein's general theory of relativity, Nikodem Poplawski, from the Indiana University in Bloomington, analysed the theoretical motion of particles entering a black hole.

He concluded that it was possible for a whole new universe to exist inside every black hole, which means our own universe could be inside a black hole as well, the Telegraph reported.

"May be the huge black holes at the centre of the Milky Way and other galaxies are bridges to different universes," he said.

"If that is correct -- and it's a big 'if' -- there is nothing to rule out our universe itself being inside a black hole."

Explaining his theory in the journal 'Physics Letters B', Poplawski said he used the Einstein-Cartan-Kibble-Sciama (ECKS) theory of gravity in his analysis to account for the angular momentum of particles in a black hole.

It has made it possible to calculate a quality of space-time, called torsion, a property believed to repel gravity, he said.

Instead of matter reaching infinite density in a black hole called 'singularities' in Einstein's theory of relativity, the behaviour of the space-time acts more like a spring being compressed with matter rebounding and expanding continuously.

This "bounce-back" effect, the scientist explained, is caused by the torsion of space-time having a repulsive force against the gargantuan strength of gravity in a black hole.

He also claimed that "this recoiling effect could be what has led to our expanding universe that we observe today and could explain why our universe is flat, homogeneous and isotropic without needing cosmic inflation".

"It is hard to see how we could test whether or not Dr Poplawski's theory is correct; the force of gravity in black holes is such that nothing can escape, so no information about what is going on inside one can ever reach us."

However, Poplawski said, if we were living a spinning black hole then the spin would transfer to the space-time inside, meaning the universe would have a preferred direction -- something "we would be able to measure".

Such a preferred direction could be related to the observed imbalance of matter and anti-matter in the universe and could explain the oscillation of neutrinos, he added.