Scientists Solve the Mystery Behind LIGO’s “Forbidden” Black Hole Pair
When LIGO and Virgo detected GW231123 in late 2023, it appeared to show two black holes merging in the so-called mass gap, where theory predicted none should exist. But new simulations indicate that rapidly spinning, strongly magnetized massive stars can collapse into black holes without exploding entirely. This process sheds enough mass to leave behind black holes of exactly the sizes observed, resolving the mystery behind the “forbidden” merger.
