Researchers have identified new speed limits for the most extreme collisions in space.
A new study finds that the “maximum possible recoil velocity” of a colliding black hole exceeds a staggering 63 million miles per hour (102 million km/h), which is about 10 times faster than the speed of light. 1/1. The peak occurs when two black holes are at a tipping point in collision conditions, either merging or scattering as they approach each other, according to a study published in the journal. physical review letter.
The researchers then hope to use Einstein’s general theory of relativity to mathematically prove that this speed cannot be exceeded, potentially influencing the fundamental laws of physics.
“We’re just scratching the surface of what could be a more universal explanation,” say study co-authors. Carlos RustA professor of mathematics and statistics at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York told Live Science. This newly discovered speed limit could be part of a larger set of physical laws that affect everything “from the smallest to the largest objects in the universe,” Rust said.
Related: A supermassive black hole chews up a massive star, spits out its ‘gut’ into space (video)
Earthquakes in the fabric of space-time
When two black holes pass close to each other, they either merge or divert around their common center of mass and then scatter. Whether the black holes fly apart or spiral around each other depends on the separation of the black holes at their point of closest approach.
To determine the maximum possible recoil velocity of a black hole flying apart, Lousto and study co-authors James HealyA researcher in the RIT Department of Mathematics and Statistics, he used a supercomputer to perform numerical simulations. These calculations stepped through the equations of general relativity that describe how two interacting black holes evolve. Rust says people started trying to solve these equations numerically more than 50 years ago, Numerical method for predicting magnitude of gravitational waves No such collision theory was developed until 2005. That was just 10 years before gravitational waves themselves were first detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO).
Since then, LIGO has observed nearly 100 black hole collisions. Comparing data from such collisions with data from numerical relativity reveals ‘eccentric’ or elliptical black hole orbits. Scientists had previously thought that approaching black holes spiraled toward each other in near-circular orbits, Rust said. The discovery of elliptical orbits has broadened the range of possible collision events and prompted us to explore extreme collision scenarios. “What we wanted to do was push the boundaries of these collisions,” Roost said.
Rust and Healy investigated how tuning four parameters affects the outcome of gravitational engagement between two black holes. The initial momentum of the black holes, the separation between them at their point of closest approach, and the direction of rotation they might have around them. its own axis and the magnitude of its rotation.
By running 1,381 simulations, each of which took two to three weeks, the researchers found possible recoil velocity peaks for black holes with opposite spins passing each other. A black hole radiates gravitational radiation in all directions, but the opposite spin distorts this radiation, creating a thrust that increases the recoil velocity.
“The recoil after black holes merge is an important part of black hole interactions.” Imre Bartosan associate professor of physics at the University of Florida told Live Science in an email. (Bartos was not involved in the new research). This interaction is especially important in places in the universe where black holes are densely populated. expel remnant black holes from the region absolutely.
“As with any limit theoretical quantity, it will be interesting to see if nature exceeds this in situations that could represent a departure from our understanding of how black holes work. added Bartos.
new fundamental physics
The “tipping point,” which determines whether two colliding black holes merge or recoil, Rust said, allows for some variation in the trajectories of the black holes. For this reason, Lousto likens this interaction to a smooth phase transition like his second-order phase transition in magnetism. superconductivityThis contrasts, for example, with the explosive first-order phase transition of heated water, where a finite amount of latent heat is absorbed before everything boils. The researchers also glimpsed what might resemble scaling factors characteristic of these phase transitions, but further high-resolution simulations are needed to unambiguously identify these.
Nonetheless, these aspects of the results suggest the possibility of “overarching principles” that apply across scales, from atoms to colliding black holes, Rust said.
Moreover, while the fusion of the two main pillars of fundamental physics, general relativity of gravity and the quantum theory of other fundamental forces, remains elusive, black hole explanations are a bridge between these two theories. It is closely tied to several theories that have opened cracks in the barrier of .
“This is far from a rigorous proof,” Roust said. “But there are lines that are worth further study, perhaps someone else or ourselves could make something of it.”