Gravitational Waves Uncover “Star Grave” – Largest Black Hole collision Ever Detected
Glasgow, Scotland - An international network of gravitational wave detectors has revealed a “star grave” brimming with the remnants of massive stars – black holes and neutron stars – including evidence of the most massive black hole collision ever observed. The findings, currently available as a pre-print on the Arxiv site, promise to reshape our understanding of stellar evolution and the expansion rate of the universe.
Researchers from the Institute for Gravitational Research (IGR) at the University of Glasgow, utilizing data from the LIGO, Virgo, and Kagra detectors, have been able to pinpoint these cosmic events with unprecedented accuracy.Sensitivity improvements to the detectors since 2020 have increased observational precision by 25%, allowing scientists to probe a wider region of the cosmos.
“In this observation, we saw the heaviest black hole ever detected,” stated Daniel Williams, a researcher at IGR.
The detected collisions offer insights into the lifecycle of stars and how black holes grow through mergers. Christopher berry, a member of the research team, likened the process to paleontologists studying dinosaurs through fossils. “We can learn about stars through the rest of the black hole or neutron stars,” he explained.
Furthermore,each black hole collision provides direct distance information,enabling more precise measurements of the Hubble constant – a key value describing the universe’s expansion rate,according to Rachel Gray of IGR.The latest data includes the strongest gravitational wave signal ever recorded, designated GW230814, offering a crucial chance to test the limits of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.”The harder the signal, the more accurate the measurements we can do.So far Einstein always passes the test,” said John Veitch of IGR.
While the team did not detect accompanying light emissions – as observed in previous events like GW230529 and GW230518 – they anticipate increased opportunities for multi-messenger astronomy with the advent of new telescopes like the Vera Rubin Telescope. This will allow for simultaneous detection of both gravitational waves and light, providing a more complete picture of these cataclysmic events.