Previous Year Question
Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant ‘blackholes’ billions of light years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?
‘Higgs boson particles’ were detected
‘Gravitational waves’ were detected
Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through ‘wormhole’ was confirmed
It enabled the scientists to understand ‘singularity’
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
When two giant black holes orbit each other and eventually merge, their extremely rapid motion and changing gravitational field generate waves in space-time. These are known as gravitational waves.
As these waves pass, they produce extremely minute stretching and contraction of space-time. Laser interferometers located on Earth detect gravitational waves by measuring this exceedingly small change.
In 2015, LIGO made the first direct detection of gravitational waves. The signal was produced by the merger of two black holes located approximately 1.3 billion light-years away. This discovery directly confirmed an important prediction of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.
Option (a) is not correct. The Higgs boson is associated with the Higgs field and the mechanism through which elementary particles acquire mass. It was not detected through the merger of black holes.
Option (c) is not correct. The merger of black holes does not confirm the existence of wormholes or the possibility of intergalactic travel through them.
Option (d) is not correct. Gravitational-wave observations can be used to study the mass, spin and merger process of black holes; however, they do not permit direct observation or complete understanding of the singularity inside a black hole.