Black Holes Colliding: Evidence & Expectations

[Johan0001]

Has there been any evidence of black holes converging? What would we expect to see , if anything?

 

[zoki85]

I would think gravity waves can be expected

 

[phinds]

This topic has been covered here many times. I suggest a forum search for discussions.

 

[Chalnoth]

Has there been any evidence of black holes converging? What would we expect to see , if anything?

Gravity waves. There's hope that Advanced LIGO will be able to detect them:
https://www.advancedligo.mit.edu/summary.html

 

[sardar]

Yes, there has been evidence of black holes converging, known as a binary black hole system. This evidence comes from the detection of gravitational waves, which were first observed in 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). These gravitational waves were produced by the collision of two black holes, providing strong evidence for the existence of binary black hole systems.

If two black holes were to collide, we would expect to see a burst of gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of spacetime. This would be accompanied by a release of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays. The merging black holes would also cause distortions in the surrounding space, known as gravitational lensing, which could be observed by telescopes.

In addition, we would expect to see an increase in the brightness and temperature of the accretion disk around the merged black hole, as the collision would release a large amount of energy. This could also lead to the formation of jets of high-energy particles, which would be visible in the form of radio emissions.

Overall, the collision of two black holes would be a violent and energetic event, leaving behind distinct signatures that can be observed by various instruments and telescopes. The detection of gravitational waves from binary black hole systems has opened up a new window into our understanding of the universe and has provided strong evidence for the existence of these mysterious objects.