Scientists recorded gravitational waves from the merger of two ultra -massive black holes located in 10 billion light years from the Earth.
This was reported on the website of the Eurekalent platform financed by AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) -American Association for the Development of Science, the largest non -profit scientific organization in the world.
Waves recorded Ligo-Virgo-Kagra (LVK) Collaboration-international scientific cooperation, uniting three large gravitational-wave observatories.
The signal, which received the designation GW231123, was discovered on November 23, 2023 as part of the fourth series of observations with the participation of LIGO observatories financed by the US National Scientific Fund (NSF).
As a result of the merger, a black hole weighing about 225 masses of the Sun was formed. For comparison: earlier the record belonged to the 2021 event (GW190521), where the total mass was 140 solar masses
The unification of two black holes – one about 100, the other in 140 solar masses – occurred with the participation of rapidly rotating objects close to the limit established by the general theory of relativity of Einstein. Such objects do not fit into standard models of star evolution.
“We are observing something that cannot be explained from the point of view of the usual astrophysics,” said Mark Hanne, an astrophysicist from the University of Cardiff and a member of the LVK collaboration. – “Probably, these black holes arose as a result of the merger of smaller black holes.”
For the exact interpretation of the signal, scientists had to use the most modern models, taking into account the dynamics of rapidly rotating objects. According to researchers, a complete understanding of the features of this event can take years.
This is a real challenge for our theoretical and technological capabilities, ”said Sophia Bini, a researcher at the California Technical Institute and a participant in the collaboration. – “And at the same time – an exciting opportunity for new discoveries.”
The event will be officially told at the International Conference on the General Theory of Relativity and Gravity (GR24) and conferences on the Edoardo Amaldi gravity waves, which will be held on July 14-18, 2025 in Glasgow (Great Britain).
Open data about this mergers will become available to the scientific community through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center (GwOSC).