Gravitational-wave analysis narrows the search for black hole impostors

edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan

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Add as preferred source Illustration of spin-induced quadrupole effects in coalescing compact binaries. Left: binary black hole. Right: black hole–boson star binary. The different quadrupolar distortions of the gravitational field produce characteristic dephasing in the emitted gravitational waves. Credit: Tamara Evstafyeva Black holes are regions of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. When two black holes orbit each other and merge, they produce gravitational waves (i.e., ripples in spacetime) that can resemble those emitted by mergers involving other exotic compact objects.