New simulations of the most energetic collisions in the universe are helping astrophysicists understand how gravitational waves are generated, possibly giving us an exciting glimpse into the future of gravitational astronomy.

Black hole mergers are thought to be the most energetic events the universe has seen since the Big Bang, nearly 14 billion years ago. These events occur when two (or more) spinning black holes become trapped in their mutual gravitational wells, orbit and then collide, merging as one. The energy generated in these merging events are thought to create a very specific signature of gravitational wave emissions.

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According to Einsteins theory of general relativity, gravitational waves should be created when massive objects accelerate through space. However, they have not been directly observed. Indirectly, we can see their impact when white dwarf binaries, for example, orbit one another over time, as their orbits shrink, energy is lost. This energy must be carried away from the system by gravitational waves.

Although we have a pretty good idea about their properties, gravitational waves are notoriously difficult to detect directly, but should they become detectable in the future, a new era of gravitational astronomy may be possible. And black hole mergers could be the key to making this happen.

An accelerating charge, like an electron, produces electromagnetic radiation, including visible light waves, Michael Kesden, of the University of Texas at Dallas, said in a press release. Similarly, any time you have an accelerating mass, you can produce gravitational waves.

Kesden is the lead author of new research into black hole mergers published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

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Using gravitational waves as an observational tool, you could learn about the characteristics of the black holes that were emitting those waves billions of years ago, information such as their masses and mass ratios, and the way they formed, added co-author Davide Gerosa, of the University of Cambridge, UK. Thats important data for more fully understanding the evolution and nature of the universe.

Currently, there are several projects underway that are attempting to detect gravitational waves. Perhaps the most famous detector is the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) situated at two locations in the US in Louisiana and Washington. LIGO is set up to detect the passage of gravitational waves through our local volume of space.

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Colliding Black Holes and the Dawn of Gravitational Astronomy