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Researchers from Princeton University have developed a new way to measure black holes by studying the light that bends around them.
Black Holes and Their Impact
Black holes exert an incredibly strong gravitational pull, trapping anything that gets too close, including light.
The effects of black holes extend beyond their immediate vicinity, influencing the structures of galaxies and the evolution of stars around them.
Understanding black holes is crucial for comprehending the universe's behavior and fundamental physics.
New Method for Measuring Black Hole Properties
Light passing near a black hole follows curved paths, leading to "light echoes" — repeated light signals arriving at different times due to the black hole's gravity.
These light echoes can reveal crucial information about the black hole’s mass, spin, and angular momentum.
Gravitational Lensing and Light Echoes
A black hole bends light through gravitational lensing, creating light echoes that are delayed versions of the original light.
By studying these echoes, scientists can avoid the noise caused by surrounding matter and radiation, offering a clearer signal to analyze black holes.
The study proposes using long-baseline interferometry, where telescopes placed on Earth and in space work together to capture and analyze light echoes.
Research and Techniques for Better Measurement
The study focused on supermassive black holes, especially the one in the M87 galaxy, which emits bright rings of light that are influenced by the black hole’s gravitational forces.
Using long-baseline interferometry, researchers can track the time delays in light's journey around the black hole, which helps determine its mass and spin.
The study also involved simulations to test the method’s accuracy, providing valuable insights into the geometry of black holes and their influence on spacetime.
Importance for Testing General Relativity
Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity predicted light echoes, and the new study provides a practical way to observe them.
The technique will help test whether light echoes are indeed “achromatic,” meaning they should occur across all light frequencies, further validating general relativity’s predictions for black holes.
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