Scientists say: The magnification of black holes can reach 10% of the speed of light

Black holes can now zip around the universe at amazing speeds of just under 10% of the speed of light.

Based on simulations of collisions between these extreme bodies, this is the maximum speed black holes can reach after an energetic collision.

This is much faster than previous accountsWhich suggests that although we still have a lot to learn about how black holes collide, we’re getting closer to understanding these violent events and their consequences.

“We were able to provide an accurate estimate of the final bounce produced by the collision of two high-energy black holes.” Write researchers James Healy and Carlos Lusto from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

“An extrapolation of the maximum cycles led us to estimate the final bounce at 28,562 ± 342 kilometers per second, which caps it at less than 10 percent of the speed of light.”

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When two black holes merge, the end product doesn’t necessarily end up sitting in the original galactic orbital location as a binary. Collision, depending on its energy, can recoil production This “pushes” the final black hole – the outgrowth of the original black hole – onto a new trajectory and speed.

This occurs when gravitational energy is distributed unevenly, with more of it emitted in one direction – a result of unequal masses, spins, or both in the pair of black holes before the merger.

Previous estimates put the maximum velocity that can be reached from this impact to be approx 5000 km (3,107 miles) per second relative to the origin.

So far, a fast black hole has been discovered that scientists believe is the product of a kickback. She travels all over 1,542 kilometers per second. But defining the boundaries of the process can help astronomers learn how often it occurs.

This is important information for black hole science. For example, we have discovered black holes with more mass than theory suggests.

This could explain the large number of black holes orbiting after they collide. More black holes moving around increases the chances of collisions, which can lead to the production of black holes larger than the mass of the object. Mass limit of basic breakdown.

Healey and Lustow used a supercomputer to perform 1,381 full numerical simulations of collisions between two black holes of equal mass with oppositely rotating points along their orbital plane.

This is how they got their top speed: 28.562 kilometers (17.748 miles) per second. And this is more than 100 million kilometers per hour. The escape velocity of an object moving rapidly through the Milky Way from the solar region is 497 kilometers per second.

The fastest object ever built by man is the Parker Solar Probe 163 kilometers per second in 2021.

So, black holes are in perfect collision conditions? He fell very quickly. Fortunately, the exact scenario the researchers used is unlikely to happen. But the discovery of extreme limitations sets the stage for future studies.

It’s somewhat comforting to know that, actually. A study a few years ago found that there could be hundreds of kickback black holes orbiting the Milky Way even as you read those words.

If they were traveling a little slower, the idea would seem less intimidating (although they’re unlikely to crash into us anyway).

Healy and Lustow also noted that the rotation and orientation of the black holes in their simulations were critical to the speed of the resulting kick. They plan to explore the role of spin in greater detail in a future paper.

Research published in Physical review letters.