SCIENCE SHOCK: Black Hole Theory Crumbles as Magnetic Fields Unlock the “Forbidden” Zone.

The “Impossible” Black Hole Mystery

The mystery centers on the Pair-Instability Mass Gap. Current theory suggests that black holes formed from the collapse of massive stars shouldn’t exist in the range of approximately 70 to 140 times the mass of the Sun (70 M_ʘ to 140 M_ʘ).

• Stars that are too massive (in the progenitor mass range for this gap) are expected to undergo an extremely violent explosion called a pair-instability supernova when they run out of fuel.⁷ This explosion is so powerful that it completely disintegrates the star, leaving no black hole behind.⁸
• The puzzle was heightened by the detection of a gravitational wave event (like GW231123 mentioned in some research) from the merger of two black holes that individually fell into, or were near, this impossible mass gap and were spinning extremely fast.

The Solution: Magnetic Fields

Astrophysicists used advanced computer simulations to model the life and death of massive, rapidly rotating stars. They found that the inclusion of magnetic fields fundamentally changes the outcome of the star’s collapse.

1. Stellar Collapse and Accretion Disk: When a rapidly spinning massive star collapses, the leftover material doesn’t fall straight in; instead, it forms a spinning accretion disk around the newly formed black hole. Normally, this disk feeds the black hole, making it larger and spinning it faster.

2. Magnetic Field Ejection: The presence of a strong magnetic field in the accretion disk creates a powerful pressure. This pressure is strong enough to blast away vast amounts of the stellar material from the black hole at nearly the speed of light.
3. Mass Reduction: This material ejection reduces the mass of the disk that feeds the black hole. The stronger the magnetic fields are, the more matter is ejected.
4. Resulting Black Hole: The net result is that the black hole left behind is significantly less massive than the total mass of the collapsing star, allowing it to fall below the critical threshold for the pair-instability supernova. This makes it possible for black holes to form with masses within the once-forbidden gap.

The Black Hole Spin Connection

The simulations also suggest a relationship between a black hole’s mass and its spin:²⁰

• Strong Magnetic Fields →Lighter, Slower-Spinning Black Holes (because more mass is ejected and the spin is also slowed).
• Weaker Magnetic Fields →Heavier, Faster-Spinning Black Holes (because less mass is ejected, allowing more material to fall in, increasing both mass and spin).

This new understanding offers a comprehensive mechanism for how these “impossible” cosmic giants can form, solving a major paradox in stellar astrophysics.

Key Characteristics of the Black Holes

[Note: M_ʘ is the symbol for one solar mass (the mass of our Sun). The spins of 0.9 and 0.8 are extremely high, approaching the theoretical maximum of 1.0 allowed by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.]