Black holes and gravitational waves: What is Einstein's theory that science has reconfirmed?

Extremely black holes basic. They are described by two numbers: they Mass So is he Angular momentum (or evolution). However, the same does not apply to stars or planets, which consist of more complex distributions of matter. They also contain a distinct spectrum of gravitational wave signals, which have specific frequencies and fade over time.

A turbulent black hole approaches equilibrium by emitting a Spectrum of a gravitational wave signal. Unlike other astrophysical objects, the rotation of a black hole is remarkably simple. General relativity predicts that the frequencies and times of the entire spectrum, or “quasi-normal modes,” are determined entirely by these two numbers: the black hole's mass and angular momentum.

This prediction, a consequence of the so-called hairless black hole theory, does not apply to many alternative theories. If astrophysical black holes are observed to violate this property, this would indicate a New physics beyond standard general relativity.

Now, an international team of scientists from Radboud University has investigated this vital property of black holes using gravitational wave observations. Scientists have reanalyzed gravitational wave signal data from the binary black hole merger event known as GW190521. The results were published in the specialized journal Physical review letters.

Since the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy in 2015, the discovery of merging black holes has become an exciting prospect. Routine occurrence. Dual detectors at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Washington and Louisiana now detect such mergers more than once a week on average.

GW190521At the same time it represents The most powerful black hole merger has been revealed so far. It was recorded by the LIGO and Virgo observatories in May 2019. They found a surprise hidden in data that used more sensitive techniques: The second semi-normal situation, is much weaker, which has escaped previous studies. This was a big surprise because these discoveries were supposed to require more sensitive methods to capture them, which would not be accessible until the mid-1990s. 2030.

“More than 20 years ago, we proposed this type of observation to test the nature of black holes,” noted Professor Badri Krishnan, lead author of the current research and member of the Institute of Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics at Radboud University. At the time, we did not believe that current LIGO and Virgo detectors could monitor multiple emission modes. Therefore, these results are particularly satisfactory to me.

The results provide a new, stringent test for General relativity by Albert EinsteinIt is a theory of gravity that makes detailed predictions about both black holes and gravitational waves and reports that researchers have found, for the first time, certificate Of the long-awaited vibrations caused by the resulting black hole when it assumed a spherical shape.

“So far we have found no deviations from the predictions of general relativity and Einstein is still right. Our analysis shows that the frequencies and damping times of the quasi-normal modes It is consistent with the predictions of general relativity“Concluded Krishnan.

*The information contained in this newspaper article is derived from the research entitled “The quasi-normal multi-mode spectrum of a turbulent black hole” published in the specialized journal Physical review letters, written by: Colin Di Capano, Myriam Cabero, Julian Westerwijk, Jahed Abidi, Shilpa Casta, Alexander H. Nitze, Yi Fan Wang, Alex P. Nielsen, and Badri Krishnan. In addition to the press release issued by Radboud University.