Black Hole Mergers Will Tell Us if the Universe Obeys Symmetry

By Brian Koberlein - January 27, 2025 11:03 AM UTC | Black Holes
At the largest scales, the Universe is expected to be isotropic and homogeneous. No matter where you go, things will look roughly the same, with no preference for rotation direction. Researchers have proposed a way to test this "mirror symmetry" hypothesis using the mergers of black holes. When black holes collide, they release gravitational waves that can be polarized, either right- or left-handed. After studying 47 mergers, they found that symmetry is preserved.
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