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The Mystery of How Supermassive Black Holes Merge

Wired
Summary
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86% Informative

When galaxies merge, the supermassive black holes that sit in their centers must eventually merge, too, forming an even more gargantuan black hole.

In calculations, when the converging holes reach the so-called final parsec—a distance of about one parsec, or 3.26 light-years—their progress stalls.

A new suggestion: Dark matter could sap angular momentum from the two black holes and nudge them closer.

Self-interacting dark matter could play a key role in merging supermassive black holes.

This type of dark matter particles would not be as easily dispersed and would instead pull at the black holes’ heels, slowing them down.

That friction could result in a merger within 100 million years , solving the final-parsec problem.

The European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) spacecraft is set to launch in 2035 .

LISA will pick up the strong gravitational waves emitted by merging supermassive black holes in their final days .

The signal could reveal “particular traits that show the slowing process,” Pacucci said.

VR Score

88

Informative language

87

Neutral language

55

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

56

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

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