"On November 12, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and its European counterpart, Virgo, detected an unusual signal from deep space. The gravitational wave looked like it was coming from colliding black holes, but was much smaller than any known black hole could possibly be. If it wasn't a glitch, the only remaining possibility is that the objects producing these faint ripples are the elusive primordial black holes."
"Dr Croon says: 'What is special about this alert is that the masses that we've identified are smaller than anything we know could have formed astrophysically and still be so compact. 'We've observed loads of black holes, and loads of neutron stars, and loads of white dwarfs, but this detection points to something very different. 'That's really, really significant because, if this is real, you need to explain how you ended up with such a compa"
On November 12, LIGO and Virgo recorded an unusual gravitational-wave signal consistent with colliding compact objects but with masses smaller than the Sun. The signal's implied masses fall below known astrophysical formation limits for compact objects, making standard black holes, neutron stars, or white dwarfs unlikely explanations. The leading interpretation is that the colliding bodies are primordial black holes formed in the first seconds after the Big Bang. Primordial black holes can be extremely small yet contain stellar-scale mass. Confirmation would provide the first direct evidence of such ancient objects, though an instrumental glitch remains a possible alternative.
Read at Mail Online
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