Scientists have achieved more accurate predictions than before regarding the enigmatic space-time disruptions that occur when two black holes pass close to one another.
The new research, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, May 14, demonstrates the utility of abstract mathematical ideas from theoretical physics in simulating space-time ripples. This opens the door to more precise models that can be used to interpret observational data, reported Space.com.
The motion of massive objects such as neutron stars or black holes causes distortions in space-time known as gravitational waves. They were first directly observed in 2015, a century after they were initially predicted in Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity in 1915.
Since then, astronomers have utilized these waves as a potent observational tool to examine some of the most dramatic and mysterious phenomena in the cosmos.
Similar to forecasting space weather, scientists require incredibly precise models of what these waves should look like to interpret the signals detected by sensitive detectors like Virgo and LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).
Until now, scientists have employed powerful supercomputers to model black hole interactions, a process that necessitates gradually fine-tuning black hole trajectories — a method that is efficient but computationally expensive and slow.
Now, a group from Berlin’s Humboldt University, led by Mathias Driesse, has adopted a different strategy.
The researchers focused on “scattering events” rather than mergers, which are situations where two black holes swirl near each other under their mutual gravitational pull before continuing on separate paths without merging.
As the black holes race past one another, these collisions generate powerful gravitational wave signals.
The team employed quantum field theory, a subfield of physics commonly used to explain interactions between elementary particles, to accurately model these occurrences.
The researchers computed the main results of black hole flybys, including the amount of deflection, the amount of energy released as gravitational waves, and the amount of recoil the giants experienced following the encounter. They began by using basic estimates, then methodically building complexity.
