Scientists have detected the most massive black hole merger ever observed, with gravitational waves from more than 10 billion light years away challenging current theories of black hole formation.

Researchers using the U.S.-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) have announced the detection of an extraordinary cosmic event: the most massive black hole merger ever observed. The collision, which occurred more than 10 billion light years from Earth, involved two black holes each exceeding 100 solar masses.

The resulting black hole was formed after the two massive entities spiralled into each other and is estimated to weigh about 265 times the mass of the sun. According to scientists, the newly merged black hole is spinning at nearly the maximum possible rate, approximately 400,000 times faster than Earth.

“These are the most violent events we can observe in the universe, but when the signals reach Earth, they are the weakest phenomena we can measure,” said Professor Mark Hannam, a member of the LIGO collaboration. He noted the possibility that both black holes were themselves products of earlier mergers.

Gravitational waves from the event, which are tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time, reached Earth on 23 November 2023. LIGO detectors in Washington and Louisiana simultaneously recorded a brief signal lasting just one tenth of a second. This phase, known as the ringdown, marks the moment the newly formed black hole settled into a stable state.

Such high-mass black hole mergers defy current astrophysical models. “They’re strange, because they are slap bang in the range of masses where, because of all kinds of weird things that happen, we don’t expect black holes to form,” Hannam explained.

The findings suggest a possible hierarchy of black hole mergers, where previously formed black holes combine again to create even larger ones. Hannam also highlighted the potential of future detectors to unveil even more distant and exotic cosmic collisions.

“The detectors we have planned for the next 10 to 15 years will be able to see all the black hole mergers in the universe, and maybe some surprises we didn’t expect,” he said.

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