GW250114: Testing Hawking’s Area Law and the Kerr Nature of Black Holes

LIGO Scientific, Virgo, and KAGRA Collaborations

doi:10.1103/kw5g-d732

GW250114: Testing Hawking’s Area Law and the Kerr Nature of Black Holes

LIGO Scientific, Virgo, and KAGRA Collaborations

Department of Physics - at Bar-Ilan University

Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
National Science Foundation
University of Salerno
National Institute for Nuclear Physics
University of Warwick
Monash University
Pennsylvania State University
Leibniz University Hannover
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
California Institute of Technology
Louisiana State University
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
CPT-Luminy
Université catholique de Louvain
Queen Mary University of London
University of California at Davis
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais
Université Paris Cité
University of Rome Tor Vergata
University of Antwerp
National Institutes of Natural Sciences - National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Cardiff University
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
University of Genoa
Université Savoie Mont Blanc
University of Naples Federico II
Australian National University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Maastricht University
National Institute for Subatomic Physics
University of Rome La Sapienza
Institut Fresnel
Université Paris-Saclay
The University of Tokyo
Institute for High Energy Physics
Gran Sasso Science Institute
University of Florida
University of Udine
Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
University of Camerino
University of Washington
California State University Fullerton
University of Strathclyde
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Georgia Institute of Technology
Royal Holloway University of London
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
University of Urbino
European Gravitational Observatory
Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
King's College London
Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information
The University of Osaka
High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Accelerator Laboratory
Utrecht University
University of Western Australia
University of Portsmouth
University of Trento
University of Perugia
University of Oregon
Syracuse University
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics India
University of Pisa
University of Barcelona
Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia
University of Glasgow
Wigner Research Centre for Physics
Concordia University Wisconsin
Stanford University
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Padua
Institute for Plasma Research
Ghent University
Polish Academy of Sciences
Northwestern University
University of Hamburg
University of the Balearic Islands
Université de Toulouse
University of Siena
Villanova University
University of Birmingham
Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology
Kenyon College
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Lomonosov Moscow State University
KU Leuven
Rochester Institute of Technology
Université libre de Bruxelles
Université Côte d'Azur
University of British Columbia
Adelaide University
CNRS
Université de Rennes 1
Washington State University Pullman
Cornell University
Sorbonne Université
Christopher Newport University
University of Melbourne
University of Warsaw
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Milan - Bicocca
University of Santiago de Compostela
The University of Chicago
University of Arizona
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
University of Copenhagen
Universidad de Guadalajara
Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali
Colorado State University
University of Valencia
National Central University
National Tsing Hua University
Charles Sturt University
Vanderbilt University
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
University of Texas at Austin
Northeastern University
University of Toyama
Carleton College
University of Szeged
Swinburne University of Technology
University of Cagliari
Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Montana State University
University of Utah
Johns Hopkins University
University of Rhode Island
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of Liege
University of Bologna
University of Sassari
IHES
CIMAP
Laboratoire de Physique Corpusculaire Caen
University of Sheffield
University of Manitoba
University of Florence
California State University Los Angeles
Marquette University
University of Parma
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Université PSL
University of Trieste
National Centre for Nuclear Research
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
University of Zurich
University of Toronto
Stony Brook University
Simons Foundation
Montclair State University
Institute for Nuclear Research
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
University of Minho
Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille
National Research Council of Italy
University of Basilicata
Western Washington University
University of the West of Scotland
Barry University
Eötvös Loránd University
Osaka Metropolitan University
University of Sannio
University of California at Berkeley
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Laboratoire d'Acoustique de l'Université du Mans
University of Southampton
University of California at Riverside
Roma Tre University
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nottingham
Ariel University
University of Mississippi
Institute of Science Tokyo
Academia Sinica - Institute of Physics
Chinese University of Hong Kong
American University Washington DC
University of Milan
Fukuoka University
University of Cambridge
Lancaster University
Nihon University
Niigata University
Tamkang University
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Aoyama Gakuin University
Columbia University
Helmut-Schmidt-University
Services and Estate Management
Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg
University of Białystok
CAS - National Astronomical Observatories
Sungkyunkwan University
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
Chung-Ang University
Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo
Ewha Womans University
National Institute for Mathematical Sciences
Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Chungnam National University
High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics
Nagoya University
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Bard College
Institute of Mathematics of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Technical University of Braunschweig
Jagiellonian University in Kraków
Polytechnique Montreal
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata
Seoul National University
Inje University
CNRS
National Cheng Kung University
St. Thomas University, Miami
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
ICREA
Heidelberg University
Tokyo City University
Tsinghua University
Ryukoku University
Phenikaa University
University of Stavanger
Hiroshima University
University of Amsterdam
University College London
Observatoire de Paris
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Astronomical Observatory of Padua
CSIR - Central Glass Ceramic Research Institute
Yonsei University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Kennesaw State University
Nantes Université
Universidad de Antioquia
Technical University of Madrid
National Institute of Technology
Trinity College Hartford
University of Ferrara
Toho University
Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
Peking University
Cité Descartes
Osaka Institute of Technology
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Kochi University
associé au CNRS et à l’Université P&M. Curie
Kyoto University
University of Catania
National Institute of Technology
National Defense Academy of Japan
Eindhoven University of Technology
Beijing Normal University
Wuhan University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses (Formula presented) and (Formula presented), and small spins (Formula presented) (90% credibility) and negligible eccentricity (Formula presented). Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (Formula presented) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone. We constrain the modes’ frequencies to (Formula presented) of the Kerr spectrum, providing a test of the remnant’s Kerr nature. We also examine Hawking’s area law, also known as the second law of black hole mechanics, which states that the total area of the black hole event horizons cannot decrease with time. A range of analyses that exclude up to five of the strongest merger cycles confirm that the remnant area is larger than the sum of the initial areas to high credibility.

Original language	English
Article number	111403
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	135
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/kw5g-d732
State	Published - 12 Sep 2025

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Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 authors. Published by the American Physical Society.

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@article{fc67f2378a6a45dcb4ab8b1486013623,

title = "GW250114: Testing Hawking{\textquoteright}s Area Law and the Kerr Nature of Black Holes",

abstract = "The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses (Formula presented) and (Formula presented), and small spins (Formula presented) (90\% credibility) and negligible eccentricity (Formula presented). Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (Formula presented) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone. We constrain the modes{\textquoteright} frequencies to (Formula presented) of the Kerr spectrum, providing a test of the remnant{\textquoteright}s Kerr nature. We also examine Hawking{\textquoteright}s area law, also known as the second law of black hole mechanics, which states that the total area of the black hole event horizons cannot decrease with time. A range of analyses that exclude up to five of the strongest merger cycles confirm that the remnant area is larger than the sum of the initial areas to high credibility.",

author = "\{LIGO Scientific, Virgo, and KAGRA Collaborations\} and Abac, \{A. G.\} and I. Abouelfettouh and F. Acernese and K. Ackley and C. Adamcewicz and S. Adhicary and D. Adhikari and N. Adhikari and Adhikari, \{R. X.\} and Adkins, \{V. K.\} and S. Afroz and A. Agapito and D. Agarwal and M. Agathos and N. Aggarwal and S. Aggarwal and Aguiar, \{O. D.\} and Ahrend, \{I. L.\} and L. Aiello and A. Ain and P. Ajith and T. Akutsu and S. Al-Kershi and S. Al-Shammari and S. Albanesi and W. Ali and C. All{\'e}n{\'e} and A. Allocca and Altin, \{P. A.\} and S. Alvarez-Lopez and W. Amar and O. Amarasinghe and A. Amato and F. Amicucci and C. Amra and A. Ananyeva and Anderson, \{S. B.\} and Anderson, \{W. G.\} and M. Andia and M. Ando and M. Andr{\'e}s-Carcasona and T. Andri{\'c} and J. Anglin and S. Ansoldi and Antelis, \{J. M.\} and S. Antier and M. Aoumi and Appavuravther, \{E. Z.\} and S. Appert and O. Birnholtz",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 authors. Published by the American Physical Society.",

year = "2025",

month = sep,

day = "12",

doi = "10.1103/kw5g-d732",

language = "אנגלית",

volume = "135",

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publisher = "American Physical Society",

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T1 - GW250114

T2 - Testing Hawking’s Area Law and the Kerr Nature of Black Holes

AU - LIGO Scientific, Virgo, and KAGRA Collaborations

AU - Abac, A. G.

AU - Abouelfettouh, I.

AU - Acernese, F.

AU - Ackley, K.

AU - Adamcewicz, C.

AU - Adhicary, S.

AU - Adhikari, D.

AU - Adhikari, N.

AU - Adhikari, R. X.

AU - Adkins, V. K.

AU - Afroz, S.

AU - Agapito, A.

AU - Agarwal, D.

AU - Agathos, M.

AU - Aggarwal, N.

AU - Aggarwal, S.

AU - Aguiar, O. D.

AU - Ahrend, I. L.

AU - Aiello, L.

AU - Ain, A.

AU - Ajith, P.

AU - Akutsu, T.

AU - Al-Kershi, S.

AU - Al-Shammari, S.

AU - Albanesi, S.

AU - Ali, W.

AU - Alléné, C.

AU - Allocca, A.

AU - Altin, P. A.

AU - Alvarez-Lopez, S.

AU - Amar, W.

AU - Amarasinghe, O.

AU - Amato, A.

AU - Amicucci, F.

AU - Amra, C.

AU - Ananyeva, A.

AU - Anderson, S. B.

AU - Anderson, W. G.

AU - Andia, M.

AU - Ando, M.

AU - Andrés-Carcasona, M.

AU - Andrić, T.

AU - Anglin, J.

AU - Ansoldi, S.

AU - Antelis, J. M.

AU - Antier, S.

AU - Aoumi, M.

AU - Appavuravther, E. Z.

AU - Appert, S.

AU - Birnholtz, O.

PY - 2025/9/12

Y1 - 2025/9/12

N2 - The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses (Formula presented) and (Formula presented), and small spins (Formula presented) (90% credibility) and negligible eccentricity (Formula presented). Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (Formula presented) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone. We constrain the modes’ frequencies to (Formula presented) of the Kerr spectrum, providing a test of the remnant’s Kerr nature. We also examine Hawking’s area law, also known as the second law of black hole mechanics, which states that the total area of the black hole event horizons cannot decrease with time. A range of analyses that exclude up to five of the strongest merger cycles confirm that the remnant area is larger than the sum of the initial areas to high credibility.

AB - The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses (Formula presented) and (Formula presented), and small spins (Formula presented) (90% credibility) and negligible eccentricity (Formula presented). Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (Formula presented) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone. We constrain the modes’ frequencies to (Formula presented) of the Kerr spectrum, providing a test of the remnant’s Kerr nature. We also examine Hawking’s area law, also known as the second law of black hole mechanics, which states that the total area of the black hole event horizons cannot decrease with time. A range of analyses that exclude up to five of the strongest merger cycles confirm that the remnant area is larger than the sum of the initial areas to high credibility.

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JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

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ER -

GW250114: Testing Hawking’s Area Law and the Kerr Nature of Black Holes

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