Hawking's Black Hole Theorem Confirmed with Unprecedented Precision

Scientists have used upgraded LIGO detectors to analyze the gravitational wave event GW250114, detected on January 14, 2025. This event, resulting from the merger of two black holes approximately 30 to 40 times the mass of our sun, produced the strongest gravitational wave signal ever observed. The observation confirms Hawking's 1971 black hole area theorem with 99.999% confidence, stating that the area of the event horizon after a merger is no smaller than the sum of the areas of the original black holes. The findings also confirm Kerr's equations, characterizing black holes solely by mass and spin. This breakthrough paves the way for further research into quantum gravity and provides deeper insights into the physics of black holes.