One of the enigmas that most intrigue astronomers is that of intermediate -sized black holes, those black holes halfway between stellar mass holes and supermants like the one that dominates in the center of our galaxy. These are black holes with masses between 100 times that of our sun and those that multiply this star mass by millions.
GW231123. A group of Ligo-Virgo-Kagra (LVK) collaboration researchers has announced the detection of the largest shock between two black holes recorded to date. The discovery has occurred thanks to the gravitational waves generated by the impact, whose signal has been called GW231123 by those who detected it.
November 2023. The name of the signal refers to the date on which it was observed, on November 23, 2023. The study of the detected waves led those responsible for the new study to estimate that the resulting black hole had a mass about 225 times greater than that of our sun.
Until now the most massive had been “alone” 140 solar masses. It was in 2021, the GW190521 signal. Estimates indicate that the 2023 signal was the result of the collision between a black hole of 100 solar masses with one of 140 solar masses. That is, only one of the black holes was already as massive as that of the fruit of the largest shock detected so far.
From this event not only highlights its magnitude, but also the fact that the speed of rotation of black holes was surprisingly high.
A new enigma in heaven. All this planet an important unknown for the team. As they explain, the holes of such mass cannot be formed from the death of a star, at least based on what contemporary physical models say. The only way we know can be formed is through the fusion of smaller black holes.
LVK. In 2015, the Ligo experiment made history detecting for the first time the clash of two black holes through the expansion of gravitational waves associated with such a violent event. This pioneering experiment has been company in Europe and Kagra for years (Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector) In Japan. Together they have already detected more than 300 clashes between black holes.
The details of the study have been presented at the 24th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR24) and 16th Conference Edoardo Amaldi on gravitational waves, a joint conference held this week in Glasgow, Scotland.
Not so easy to observe. The detection of GW231123 “pushed the limits of both gravitational wave detection technology and current theoretical models,” says the responsible team. Analyzing these types of events through gravitational waves is not easy, but knowing more about them can help us unravel some key mysteries of the cosmos.
“Black holes seem to turn very quickly, almost at the limit of what is allowed by Einstein’s theory of relativity,” Charlie today, co -author of the study, explained in a press release. “This makes the signal difficult to model and interpret. It is an excellent case study to push the development of our theoretical tools.”
Looking for the midpoint. Theoretical tools that perhaps help us reveal the secrets of the elusive black sized black holes. Today we do not know very well how these holes are formed whose mere existence implies the certainty that we still do not know about our universe.
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Image | POT
