Astronomers have detected a surprising black hole merger that defies conventional stellar evolution theories. Two unusually massive black holes combined, challenging existing cosmic models.
What did Astronomers detect?
Astronomers observed a gravitational-wave event labelled GW231123 in space. The merger involved black holes of about one hundred and forty solar masses. These masses lie in the so-called “forbidden” stellar mass gap.
Mystery of Mass Gap Explained
Scientists from Flatiron Institute ran simulations including magnetic field effects. The strong magnetic fields can eject debris and reduce black hole mass. Rapidly spinning stars collapse differently when magnetic outflows remove fallback matter.
Why Should these Black Holes Not Exist?
Standard stellar collapse cannot produce black holes above seventy solar masses. Pair-instability supernovae destroy stars completely, leaving no black hole behind. This made the merger appear impossible under conventional stellar evolution theories.
How the “Impossible” Merger Occurred?
The simulations show massive, fast-rotating stars can form unusual black holes. Two such black holes could later merge producing detectable gravitational waves. This explains the GW231123 merger and other high-mass black hole events.
Observational Tests and Gamma-Ray Bursts
The models predict bursts of gamma rays may accompany collapse events. The astronomers can search for these signals alongside gravitational-wave detections. Such observations would confirm magnetic-field-driven formation of forbidden black holes.
The results refine models of how stars change and how supernovas explode. They help explain the gravitational waves that picked up from big black holes joining together. This work questions and lead towards better understanding of black holes in space.
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