For the first time, astronomers believe they have detected the first light from a black hole merger.
When black holes collide, they typically create gravitational waves that can be detected on Earth, but not light. Now, for the first time, astronomers believe they have detected the first light from a black hole merger.
"The reason looking for flares like this is so important is that it helps enormously with astrophysics and cosmology questions," said Mansi Kasliwal, study coauthor and an assistant professor of astronomy at Caltech. "The flare occurred on the right timescale, and in the right location, to be coincident with the gravitational-wave event. In our study, we conclude that the flare is likely the result of a black hole merger, but we cannot completely rule out other possibilities."Prior to this detection, some astronomers had explored how black hole mergers may result in light flares.
"These objects swarm like angry bees around the monstrous queen bee at the center. They can briefly find gravitational partners and pair up but usually lose their partners quickly to the mad dance. But in a supermassive black hole's disk, the flowing gas converts the mosh pit of the swarm to a classical minuet, organizing the black holes so they can pair up."
More data would have offered more details about the light created by the merger and provide more evidence that it was created by two black holes coming together.
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