A recent study suggests that supermassive black hole can reach up to 1/10th the speed of light

In a study published in the journal Physical Review Letters, researchers have identified a novel speed constraint for the most extreme collisions in the universe. The “maximum possible recoil velocity” resulting from colliding black holes has been determined to surpass an astounding 63 million mph (102 million km/h), approximately one-tenth of the speed of light. This maximum velocity occurs when the conditions of the collision reach a critical point, where the two black holes are on the verge of either merging or scattering apart as they approach each other, as outlined by the study authors.

The next step for the researchers involves attempting to mathematically demonstrate that this velocity cannot be surpassed using Einstein’s equations for relativity, potentially carrying implications for the fundamental laws of physics.

Carlos Lousto, a professor of mathematics and statistics at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York and co-author of the study, conveyed, “We are just scratching the surface of something that could be a more universal description.” This newfound speed limit might be part of a broader set of physical laws influencing everything “from the smallest to the largest objects in the universe,” according to Lousto.

Quakes in the fabric of space-time

When two black holes come in close proximity, they either merge together or veer around their common center of mass before diverging. The outcome, whether they diverge or merge, hinges on their separation at the point of closest approach.

To ascertain the maximum possible recoil speed of black holes moving apart, Carlos Lousto and study co-author James Healy, a research associate in the RIT School of Mathematics and Statistics, utilized supercomputers to conduct numerical simulations.

These simulations traversed the equations of general relativity governing the evolution of two interacting black holes. Lousto explained that numerical techniques for predicting the size of gravitational waves resulting from such collisions were not developed until 2005, just a decade prior to the initial detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).

Since then, LIGO has recorded nearly 100 black hole collisions. A comparison of data from one such collision with numerical relativity data unveiled an “eccentric,” or elliptical, trajectory of the black hole. Previously, scientists believed that black holes approaching each other would spiral into near-circular orbits, Lousto noted. The revelation of elliptical orbits expanded the spectrum of potential collision events, prompting a search for extreme collision scenarios.

Lousto and Healy investigated how adjusting four parameters influenced the outcome of gravitational interactions between two black holes: the initial momenta of the black holes, the separation between them at the point of closest approach, the orientation of any rotation the black hole might have around its axis, and the magnitude of that rotation.

After conducting 1,381 simulations, each taking two to three weeks, the researchers identified a peak in the possible recoil velocities for black holes with opposite spins grazing past each other. Although black holes emit gravitational radiation in all directions, the opposing spins distort this radiation, generating thrust that contributes to the recoil velocity.

Imre Bartos, Associate Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Florida, highlighted the significance of the recoil in the interaction of merging black holes, particularly in regions with a high density of black holes. Large recoil kicks might expel a remnant black hole from the region entirely.

Bartos, who was not part of the study, remarked, “As with every limiting theoretical quantity, it will be interesting to see whether nature exceeds this in some situation that could signal deviations from our understanding of how black holes work.”

New fundamental physics

Carlos Lousto suggests that the “tipping point” determining whether colliding black holes will merge or recoil exhibits some variability in the black holes’ orbits. Due to this variability, Lousto draws a parallel between this interaction and a smooth phase transition, akin to the second-order phase transitions observed in magnetism and superconductivity. This is in contrast to explosive first-order phase transitions, as seen in heated water, where a finite amount of latent heat is absorbed before boiling. The researchers also observed characteristics resembling scaling factors associated with these phase transitions, although definitive identification requires further high-resolution simulations.

These findings suggest the potential existence of “an overarching principle” applicable across scales, from atoms to colliding black holes, according to Lousto.

Moreover, while the union of the two fundamental pillars of physics—general relativity for gravity and quantum theory for other fundamental forces—remains a challenge, descriptions of black holes are closely connected to theories that have started to breach the barriers between these two realms.

Carlos Lousto clarified, “This is far from rigorous proof, but there is a line that deserves further research that maybe someone else or ourselves can make something of.”

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