Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-2025
Abstract
We report the observation of gravitational waves from two binary black hole coalescences during the fourth observing run of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA detector network, GW241011 and GW241110. The sources of these two signals are characterized by rapid and precisely measured primary spins, nonnegligible spin–orbit misalignment, and unequal mass ratios between their constituent black holes. These properties are characteristic of binaries in which the more massive object was itself formed from a previous binary black hole merger and suggest that the sources of GW241011 and GW241110 may have formed in dense stellar environments in which repeated mergers can take place. As the third-loudest gravitational-wave event published to date, with a median network signal-to-noise ratio of 36.0, GW241011 furthermore yields stringent constraints on the Kerr nature of black holes, the multipolar structure of gravitational-wave generation, and the existence of ultralight bosons within the mass range 10−13–10−12 eV.
Recommended Citation
Abac, A. G., I. Abouelfettouh, F. Acernese, et al. 2025. “GW241011 and GW241110: Exploring Binary Formation and Fundamental Physics with Asymmetric, High-Spin Black Hole Coalescences.” The Astrophysical Journal Letters 993 (1): L21. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae0d54.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Astrophysical Journal Letters
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/ae0d54
Comments
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