{"id":553088,"date":"2026-07-16T17:59:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T17:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/553088\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T17:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T17:59:13","slug":"listening-to-ringing-black-holes-unlocks-future-gravitational-wave-astronomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/553088\/","title":{"rendered":"Listening to \u2018ringing\u2019 black holes unlocks future gravitational-wave astronomy"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\"GW250114:<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

image:\u00a0<\/p>\n

GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide\u00a0
\u00a0<\/p>\n

view more\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Credit: Aurore Simonnet\u00a0(SSU\/EdEon), LVK, URI;\u00a0LIGO Collaboration<\/p>\n

Listening to the\u00a0‘ringing\u2019\u00a0produced\u00a0by\u00a0black holes after they collide and merge\u00a0could allow scientists to test Einstein\u2019s theory of General Relativity under the most extreme conditions in the Universe whilst unlocking\u00a0the secrets of these mysterious\u00a0objects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leading\u00a0a\u00a0major international\u00a0review<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0the Institute of Physics, astrophysicists at the University of Birmingham,\u00a0Johns Hopkins University and\u00a0Intituto\u00a0Superior\u00a0Tecnico\u00a0of Lisbon\u00a0showcase\u00a0how\u00a0black hole \u2018spectroscopy\u2019 is rapidly evolving from a theoretical concept into powerful experimental science.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the \u2018ringdown\u2019 phase following\u00a0collision and\u00a0merger, a\u00a0newly formed black hole emits characteristic gravitational-wave vibrations known as \u2018quasinormal\u00a0modes\u2019. By measuring these frequencies, scientists can\u00a0determine\u00a0the black hole’s mass and\u00a0how fast it is spinning, as well as\u00a0investigating\u00a0whether Einstein’s theory\u00a0is correct.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration has\u00a0observed\u00a0hundreds\u00a0of black hole mergers and measured\u00a0tens of\u00a0black hole ringing down according to their characteristic tones.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So\u00a0far,\u00a0every observed ringdown agrees with general relativity, but current detectors are limited. Future\u00a0observatories\u00a0–\u00a0including the European-led Einstein Telescope, the US Cosmic\u00a0Explorer\u00a0and the space mission LISA\u00a0–\u00a0may find\u00a0fresh\u00a0evidence\u00a0for new physics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Review co-lead Dr Gregorio Carullo, from the University of Birmingham, said: \u201cBy listening to the ringing of newly formed black holes, we are turning gravitational waves into a tool for exploring some of the deepest questions in physics, from the nature of gravity itself to the possibility of\u00a0discovering\u00a0entirely new forms of matter and energy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Black hole collisions generate intense gravitational fields that cannot be recreated in laboratories on Earth.\u00a0Researchers have discovered:\u00a0<\/p>\n

The review\u00a0identifies\u00a0black hole ringdowns as potential ways of testing phenomena beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n

The review brings together more than 70 experts from institutions across the UK, Europe, North America, Asia and South America to provide the most comprehensive assessment yet of the\u00a0field and\u00a0was spurred by the largest international workshop dedicated to the topic,\u00a0hosted by the Danish Architectural\u00a0Center,\u00a0Copenhagen,\u00a0in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next generation of detectors is expected to transform the field, giving\u00a0scientists instruments\u00a0that should detect many more black hole mergers and\u00a0measure multiple vibration modes routinely. These future observatories should allow astrophysicists to\u00a0uncover black hole formation mechanisms challenging current models,\u00a0test Einstein’s theory far more precisely\u00a0and\u00a0search for new particles and\u00a0forces.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reflecting on these\u00a0upcoming advancements, Carullo\u00a0said:\u00a0“As gravitational-wave detectors become more sensitive, black hole spectroscopy promises to transform black holes from mysterious objects into precision laboratories\u00a0to study challenging\u00a0astrophysical processes and uncover new\u00a0fundamental physics\u00a0phenomena.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

ENDS\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more information, please contact Tony Moran, International Communications Manager\u00a0\u00a0t.moran@bham.ac.uk<\/a>\u00a0or +44 (0)7827 832312\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Black hole spectroscopy: from theory to experiment’ – Emanuele Berti et al is published by the\u00a0Institute\u00a0of Physics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

IMAGE CAPTION\u00a0\u2013\u00a0GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide\u00a0
Illustration Credit:\u00a0Aurore Simonnet<\/a>\u00a0(SSU<\/a>\/EdEon<\/a>), LVK, URI;\u00a0LIGO Collaboration<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Notes for editors\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world\u2019s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 40,000 students from over 150 countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

England\u2019s first civic university, the University of Birmingham is\u00a0proud to be rooted in one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University of Birmingham has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Participating institutions: University of Birmingham, UK; Johns Hopkins University, USA; Niels Bohr Institute, Denmark;\u00a0Universidade\u00a0de Lisboa, Portugal; Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications,\u00a0China;\u00a0University of Waterloo, Canada;\u00a0Friedrich-Schiller-Universit\u00e4t,\u00a0Jena, Germany;\u00a0INFN\u00a0sezione\u00a0di Torino, Italy;\u00a0Columbia University, New York,\u00a0USA;\u00a0Universidad Complutense de Madrid,\u00a0Spain;\u00a0Radboud University, Nijmegen, The\u00a0Netherlands;\u00a0Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy;\u00a0The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology,\u00a0Spain;\u00a0Universitat\u00a0de Barcelona,\u00a0, Spain;\u00a0Syracuse University,\u00a0USA;\u00a0University of Massachusetts Dartmouth,\u00a0USA;\u00a0University of Maryland,\u00a0USA;\u00a0Astroparticle\u00a0Physics Laboratory, NASA\/GSFC,\u00a0USA;\u00a0Center\u00a0for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA\/GSFC,\u00a0USA;\u00a0Universidade\u00a0Federal do ABC,\u00a0Sao\u00a0Paulo, Brazil;\u00a0Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem,\u00a0USA;\u00a0University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,\u00a0USA;\u00a0University of Southampton,\u00a0UK;\u00a0Universita\u00a0di Pisa, Italy;\u00a0Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics,\u00a0Potsdam, Germany;\u00a0Stony Brook University,\u00a0USA;\u00a0\u00a0Flatiron Institute, New York,\u00a0USA;\u00a0California Institute of Technology, Pasadena,\u00a0USA;\u00a0and\u00a0Universit\u00e9 Paris Cit\u00e9, France.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Journal<\/p>\n

Classical and Quantum Gravity<\/p>\n

Method of Research<\/p>\n

Literature review<\/p>\n

Subject of Research<\/p>\n

Not applicable<\/p>\n

Article Title<\/p>\n

Black hole spectroscopy: from theory to experiment<\/p>\n

Article Publication Date<\/p>\n

22-Jun-2026<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"image:\u00a0 GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide\u00a0\u00a0 view more\u00a0 Credit: Aurore Simonnet\u00a0(SSU\/EdEon), LVK, URI;\u00a0LIGO Collaboration Listening to the\u00a0‘ringing\u2019\u00a0produced\u00a0by\u00a0black holes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[61,60,82],"class_list":["post-553088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}