In 1971, Stephen Hawking developed a theorem relevant to black holes, according to which the total area of the black hole event horizon cannot decrease under any conditions. And only recently, scientists-physicists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), using data of gravitational wave analysis, received the first experimental confirmation of this theorem.
At present, everything about black holes remains largely a mystery to scientists. The same applies to the event horizon, which is a conditional boundary, past which no matter or radiation can escape from the black hole’s gravitational trap.
Scientists at MIT have carefully analyzed the gravitational waves from black hole GW150914, which were recorded by sensors at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015. This signal was generated by the collision of two black holes and the formation of a larger black hole, with a fairly large part of the energy contained in the black holes was spent on the formation of gravitational waves. And, according to Stephen Hawking’s theorem, the area of event horizon of newly formed black hole should not be less, than total area of event horizon of two initial black holes.
Reanalysis of the gravitational wave signal, which formed before, during and after the collision, showed that the total area of the black hole event horizon has not decreased, despite the loss of much of the energy. Scientists declare that the reliability of the results is 95 percent and they, these results, are the first direct confirmation of Stephen Hawking’s theorem, which had previously been confirmed only mathematically.
Researchers at MIT plan to conduct similar tests of Stephen Hawking’s theorem using gravitational wave signals in the future. And, in the case of several such successful tests, it will be possible to talk about a final proof of the theorem.
