Black Holes Grow As The Universe Expands, Study Finds - Intelligent Living

November 24, 2021?

November 25, 2021

November 24, 2021

Astronomers have proposed a novel explanation to one of the many mysteries surrounding black holes – why are several observed black holes more massive than anticipated

The team expected to see stellar black holes (the most common type of black hole) involved in most mergers

These particular black holes are formed from the collapse of massive stars and are expected to have masses of between five and thirty times the Sun

Nevertheless, the LIGO team spotted several black holes with much higher masses

The most common explanation for how these black holes got so enormous is that they grow by swallowing up matter, such as dust, stars, gas, or other black holes

However, the researchers on the recent study have proposed a reasonably bizarre alternative: those black holes gain mass as the universe expands, an effect the team refers to as “cosmological coupling.”

What would LIGO–Virgo observe if black holes were cosmologically coupled and gained energy without needing to consume other stars or gas?” commented Duncan Farrah, the study’s co-author

According to the team, when black holes are modeled, it’s usually done in simulated universes that don’t expand

The team simulated millions of pairs of stars through their birth, life, and death to form black holes, and they linked the black holes’ masses to the size of the simulated universe

These black hole duos grew more massive over time as they spiraled towards each other and eventually collided

Unsurprisingly, the black holes formed from the collision were more massive, but it also appeared to lead to more mergers occurring