Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-10-2025
Abstract
The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses m_{1}=33.6_{-0.8}^{+1.2}M_{⊙} and m_{2}=32.2_{-1.3}^{+0.8}M_{⊙}, and small spins χ_{1,2}≤0.26 (90% credibility) and negligible eccentricity e≤0.03. Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (ℓ=|m|=2) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone. We constrain the modes' frequencies to ±30% of the Kerr spectrum, providing a test of the remnant's Kerr nature. We also examine Hawking's area law, also known as the second law of black hole mechanics, which states that the total area of the black hole event horizons cannot decrease with time. A range of analyses that exclude up to five of the strongest merger cycles confirm that the remnant area is larger than the sum of the initial areas to high credibility.
Recommended Citation
Abac, A. G., I. Abouelfettouh, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adamcewicz, S. Adhicary, D. Adhikari et al. "GW250114: Testing Hawking’s area law and the Kerr nature of black holes." Physical Review Letters 135, no. 11 (2025): 111403. https://doi.org/10.1103/kw5g-d732
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Physical Review Letters
DOI
10.1103/kw5g-d732
Comments
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.