Universe’s Fabric Vibrates, Confirming Einstein and Hawking’s Physics Theories
Black hole mergers are becoming more common, yet their enigma remains. Since 2015, multiple events have been observed, with the latest one standing out for its clarity. What appeared to be a repetition turned into a meticulous investigation for scientists.
A repetition that wasn’t the same
The LVK consortium identified an event that closely resembled the one in 2015: two black holes, each ranging from 30 to 40 solar masses, merging 1.3 billion light-years away. The difference lay in the precision of the measurement. Utilizing new laser stabilization techniques, mirror coatings, and artificial intelligence algorithms, the signal was captured with four times more accuracy than a decade ago.
The ever-growing surface
This event validated a prediction made by Stephen Hawking: the resulting black hole’s surface area can never be smaller than the combined areas of the original black holes. In “The Thing,” as it was named, the initial black holes had a combined area of 240,000 km². The resultant black hole expanded to 400,000 km², affirming a concept that had been awaiting such clear evidence for decades.
The “ringdown,” the cosmos bell
The “ringdown” refers to the vibrations emitted by the newly formed black hole, akin to a bell ringing after being struck. Initially theorized by Roy Kerr and Saul Teukolsky in the 1970s, this phenomenon had remained a theoretical calculation until observed. Today, observations have transformed this concept into reality, revealing how the black hole trembles and settles following the collision.
