New observations of two black holes merging have confirmed predictions made decades ago by Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and Roy Kerr.
A decade ago, scientists first picked up ripples in the fabric of space-time, known as gravitational waves, produced by the collision of two black holes. Now, aided by improved instrumentation and a stroke of good fortune, a newly observed black hole merger offers the most definitive view so far of how black holes behave — and, in the process, provides long-sought confirmation of key predictions by Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
The latest measurements come from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), with analyses led by astrophysicists Maximiliano Isi and Will Farr of the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics in New York City. The findings illuminate black hole properties and the underlying structure of space-time, suggesting possible points of contact between quantum physics and Einstein’s general relativity.
“This is the clearest view yet of the nature of black holes,” says Isi, who is also an assistant professor at Columbia University. “We’ve found some of the strongest evidence yet that astrophysical black holes are the black holes predicted from Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.”
Those space-deforming ripples, called gravitational waves, can tell scientists a great deal about the objects that created them. Just as a large iron bell makes different sounds than a smaller aluminum bell, the “sound” a black hole merger makes is specific to the properties of the black holes involved.
A decade ago, scientists first picked up ripples in the fabric of space-time, known as gravitational waves, produced by the collision of two black holes. Now, aided by improved instrumentation and a stroke of good fortune, a newly observed black hole merger offers the most definitive view so far of how black holes behave — and, in the process, provides long-sought confirmation of key predictions by Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
The latest measurements come from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), with analyses led by astrophysicists Maximiliano Isi and Will Farr of the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics in New York City. The findings illuminate black hole properties and the underlying structure of space-time, suggesting possible points of contact between quantum physics and Einstein’s general relativity.
“This is the clearest view yet of the nature of black holes,” says Isi, who is also an assistant professor at Columbia University. “We’ve found some of the strongest evidence yet that astrophysical black holes are the black holes predicted from Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.”
Black Holes and Gravitational Waves
For massive stars, black holes mark the final step in their life cycles. Their gravity is so intense that even light cannot escape. When two black holes collide, they warp space itself and generate gravitational waves that travel outward across the cosmos, similar to the way a bell rings after being struck.Those space-deforming ripples, called gravitational waves, can tell scientists a great deal about the objects that created them. Just as a large iron bell makes different sounds than a smaller aluminum bell, the “sound” a black hole merger makes is specific to the properties of the black holes involved.
