Black Hole Merger Overview

• A black hole merger occurs when two dense black holes orbit each other, releasing gravitational waves.

• The orbit shrinks as they spiral closer together, forming a single, larger black hole.

• This event releases a massive burst of gravitational waves, detected by special observatories like LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA.

• The phenomenon is likened to two figure skaters spinning faster as one, except in extreme physical conditions.

• The discovery of GW231123, a massive black hole merger, challenges existing theories of black hole existence