Ligo captures the largest black hole collision ever

Two huge black holes, each weighing more than 100 times the mass of our sun, rotate with each other in the universe and fuse in violent collisions, resulting in the largest black hole ever detected by gravitational waves.

The catastrophic event, designated as GW231123, created ripples when it arrived on Earth on November 23, 2023, with the signature of the final black hole weighing about 225 solar blocks.

The detection of Ligo-Virgo-Kagra collaboration breaks through what scientists think might be the formation of black holes and challenges current models of stellar evolution. It marks an important milestone in gravitational wave astronomy, which has completely changed our understanding of the universe since the first discovery of Ligo in 2015.

When giants collide

The merger involves about 100 and 140 solar-powered black holes, which are larger than anything that a conventional star collapse has produced. When giant stars die, they usually create black holes heavier than about 65 solar energy, making this detection a difficult problem for astrophysicists.

This is emphasized by Mark Hannam of Cardiff University, a member of the collaboration: “This is the largest black hole binary binary we have observed through gravitational waves, which presents a real challenge to our understanding of black hole formation.” Extreme mass suggests that these black holes may have been formed through early mergers of smaller black holes rather than direct star collapse.

What makes this detection more significant is the rapid rotation of the two black holes, near the theoretical limits that Einstein’s overall relativity allows. This extreme rotation complicates the analysis, requiring complex models to extract meaningful data from gravitational wave signals.

Technical challenges and scientific rewards

This detection pushes Ligo’s instruments to limits. The observatory’s twin detectors in Louisiana and Washington, as well as partners in Virgo in Italy and Kagra in Japan, must measure space-time distortions less than 1/10,000 of the width of the proton.

Key aspects of this historical detection include:

• Record quality: 225 solar energy quality, surpassing the record of 140 solar energy by 2021
• Extreme rotation: Both black holes rotate near the maximum rate that is physically allowed
• The mystery of formation: Too large mass to perform standard stellar evolution models
• Complex analysis: Advanced theoretical models are needed to interpret signals

Charlie Hoy of the University of Portsmouth highlights the analytical challenge: “Black holes seem to rotate very quickly – the limit allowed by Einstein’s general theory of relativity. This makes the signal difficult to model and interpret.”

Effects on black hole evolution

This detection provides vital insights into how the largest black holes in the universe develop and develop. Standard pictures of stellar evolution cannot explain the enormousity of black holes, pointing to a more complex formation history involving multigenerational mergers.

This observation suggests that these “intermediate mass” black holes may be the basis for supermassive black holes found in the center of galaxies. Understanding this process can reveal how the universe’s largest structure is assembled in cosmic time.

Dave Reitze, executive director of Ligo’s Caltech, notes the broader meaning: “This observation once again demonstrates how gravitational waves uniquely reveal the fundamental and exotic mood of black holes throughout the universe.”

expect

The fourth observation run, which began in May 2023, has detected more than 200 black hole mergers, and more are expected to be found as researchers analyze other data. Each detection perfects our understanding of black hole populations and formation mechanisms.

Gregorio Carullo of the University of Birmingham highlights future work: “It will take years for the community to fully reveal this complex signaling pattern and all its implications. While the most likely explanation remains the merger of black holes, more complex situations may be the key to deciphering their unexpected features.”

Sophie Bini, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, seized on the excitement that pushed the boundaries of science: “This event pushes our instruments and data analytics capabilities to the edge of what is currently possible. This is a powerful example. This is a powerful example of what we can learn from gravity-wave astronomy, and there is more to discover.” How many more. ”

The test will be presented at the International Conference on General Relativity and Gravity in Glasgow, where researchers will share their latest findings with the global physics community. As Ligo continues to observe, each new detection brings us closer to understanding the most extreme phenomena in the universe.

Related