Tag

Gravitational Waves

All articles tagged with #gravitational waves

space-and-astronomy7 days ago•55 min saved

Triple black holes in a distant galaxy reveal rapid early-universe growth

Astronomers using the JWST have identified three active black holes in the distant galaxy J0148-4214, about 12.5 billion light-years away. Two lie at the core (80 million and 600,000 solar masses) and are 620 light-years apart, while a third, ~2 million solar masses, sits ~5,500 light-years away and may merge with the pair or escape. The system supports rapid black-hole growth in the early universe via mergers and foreshadows future low-frequency gravitational-wave detections by space-based observatories like LISA.

via Yahoo|

#black-holes #galaxy-mergers #gravitational-waves

space8 days ago•161 min saved

Cosmic trio of supermassive black holes spotted in a distant galaxy

Using JWST/NIRSpec, astronomers found three active supermassive black holes in the distant galaxy J0148-4214—a central 80‑million-solar-mass hole, a 600,000-solar-mass companion, and a ~2‑million-solar-mass third hole—suggesting rapid early‑universe black‑hole growth via mergers; the third hole’s fate is uncertain, but such systems could emit long‑wavelength gravitational waves detectable by future space‑based observatories like LISA.

via Space|

#black-holes #galaxy-j0148-4214 #gravitational-waves

science20 days ago•4 min saved

Thermodynamics May Foretell the Final Fate of Merging Black Holes

A study of non-spinning binary black hole mergers shows the remnant’s mass and spin align closely with the Kerr entropy maximum, matching numerical relativity predictions within a few percent and suggesting a maximum-entropy principle could govern dynamical mergers.

via Physics World|

#black-holes #entropy #gravitational-waves

science28 days ago•19 min saved

Two Centuries of Cosmos: 20 Decades, 20 Groundbreaking Discoveries

A sweeping, decade-spanning tour of 20 landmark cosmic discoveries—from early parallax and Neptune’s discovery to the emergence of dark energy and gravitational-wave astronomy—showing how each breakthrough reshaped our understanding of the universe and spurred new questions.

via Big Think|

#astronomy #cosmology #dark-energy

science1 month ago•10 min saved

Dynamic Horizons Extend Black Hole Thermodynamics

Penn State researchers propose using dynamical horizons instead of event horizons to define black hole entropy in real time, extending the first and second laws of black hole thermodynamics to non-equilibrium processes such as formation, merging, and evaporation, thus addressing teleological issues and offering a practical framework for evolving black holes and gravitational-wave observations.

via SciTechDaily|

#black-holes #dynamical-horizons #gravitational-waves

space-and-spaceflight1 month ago•16 min saved

Hidden Stellar-Math Black Hole Found in Dense Star Cluster, Hinting at Thousands More

Astronomers using Hubble archival data and Webb infrared observations discovered the first stellar-mass black hole (about 4.5 solar masses) orbiting a star in the Omega Centauri globular cluster, a system named oMEGACat BH-2 with a 94-year orbital period—the longest known for a black hole binary. The find suggests Omega Centauri may harbor up to ~10,000 such black holes, helping explain black hole populations in dense clusters and their relevance to gravitational-wave sources. The team plans to continue hunting for more BHs in this cluster and others over the coming years.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #black-holes #globular-cluster

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Record-breaking black-hole merger confirms Hawking's area law with unprecedented precision

A 1.3 billion-light-year black-hole collision (GW250114) provides the strongest observational test yet of Stephen Hawking’s 1971 black hole area law: the horizon area increases after merger, consistent with theory, with 99.999% confidence thanks to improved LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA data and analysis.

via The Times of India|

#area-law #black-holes #gravitational-waves

science1 month ago•118 min saved

Einstein wasn’t flawless: the missteps that advanced physics

Albert Einstein, celebrated for relativity and groundbreaking insights, also had notable missteps—most famously a mistaken belief that gravitational waves might not exist due to a mathematical hiccup later corrected with peer input, and early skepticism about black holes and quantum entanglement. The process of identifying and fixing these errors, rather than undermining his genius, helped push physics forward and underscored how even the brightest minds progress through errors and rigorous critique.

via Live Science|

#black-holes #einstein #gravitational-waves

science-space1 month ago•13 min saved

Four Billion Tonnes in a Teaspoon: The Dense Secret of Neutron Stars

A teaspoon of neutron-star matter weighs about four billion tonnes because gravity compresses more mass than the Sun into a city-sized sphere. The article explains how neutron stars form from collapsed stellar cores, the role of neutron degeneracy pressure in stopping collapse, their extreme surface gravity and magnetic fields, and how mergers like GW170817 forge heavy elements such as gold. It also touches on interior models and how neutron stars might help probe dark matter, while noting how the “teaspoon” analogy distills the star’s extreme density into a tangible image.

via Space Daily|

#gravitational-waves #neutron-degeneracy-pressure #neutron-star

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Neutron-Star Merger Brings Fresh Data to the Universe's Expansion Rate

An international team combined gravitational-wave data from a neutron-star collision with telescope and astrometric observations to measure the Hubble-Lemaitre Constant via the Cosmic Distance Ladder. Their result adds a late-Universe, gravitational-wave–based data point that loosely aligns with early-Universe (CMB) estimates, highlighting GW methods as a valuable but still less precise tool to help resolve the Hubble tension. More neutron-star mergers are needed to confirm the implications for cosmology.

via Universe Today|

#cosmic-distance-ladder #gravitational-waves #hubble-constant

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Some Black Holes May Be Born From Earlier Black Hole Mergers

A new analysis of 155 binary black-hole mergers detected by LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA finds about 14% could be second-generation black holes formed from prior mergers, suggesting hierarchical mergers occur in dense stellar environments and can create unusually massive BHs in the 40+ solar-mass range, challenging simple stellar-collapse narratives and raising questions about their true origins.

via Gizmodo|

#black-holes #gravitational-waves #hierarchical-mergers

astronomy1 month ago•11 min saved

Second-Generation Black Holes: Gravitational Waves Hint at Hierarchical Mergers

Analyses of GWTC-4.0 from multiple groups converge on a high-mass subpopulation of merging black holes consistent with hierarchical mergers, where at least one black hole is the remnant of a prior merger. Second-generation black holes should be roughly twice as massive as first-generation ones, with spins near 0.7 and random orientations; a transition around 40–45 solar masses marks the shift from low-spin to higher-spin populations. These results, obtained with diverse population models focusing on effective spins, bolster the case that dense environments produce recycled black holes and have implications for the mass gap and black-hole growth, with sharper insights expected as detectors improve.

via American Physical Society|

#astronomy #black-holes #gravitational-waves

science1 month ago•11 min saved

Prototype differential atom interferometer overcomes laser noise to probe dark matter and primordial gravitational waves

A tabletop prototype using two ultracold strontium atom clouds demonstrates a differential atom interferometer can cancel laser phase noise, revealing faint signals that could indicate dark matter or primordial gravitational waves. This experimentally confirms a key principle for future large-scale quantum sensors (AION) and paves the way for scaling to facilities at CERN or Fermilab to explore new physics.

via SciTechDaily|

#aion #atom-interferometry #dark-matter

science1 month ago•121 min saved

Direct-wave signal near a black hole horizon opens a new window on gravity

Researchers analyzed a very strong gravitational-wave event (GW250114) detected by LIGO on Jan. 14, 2025 and found evidence of a “direct wave” produced from near the horizon of the newly formed black hole. The signal, matching theoretical predictions, could allow astronomers to study the region just outside the event horizon using gravitational waves, potentially testing general relativity and informing ideas about quantum gravity and the black hole information paradox. However, the claim rests on a single observation, so further detections are needed to confirm this as a universal feature of black hole mergers.

via Live Science|

#black-holes #event-horizon #gravitational-waves

science1 month ago•53 min saved

Listening to the Horizon: Gravitational Waves Hint at Black Hole’s Edge

Physicists analyzing the GW250114 black hole merger found a ‘direct wave’ signal consistent with dynamics very close to the horizon, suggesting gravitational waves could offer a new way to study the region just outside a black hole and test general relativity—though more events are needed to confirm the finding.

via Yahoo|

#black-hole #event-horizon #gravitational-waves