When a black hole consumes other black holes, it can lead to several interesting astrophysical phenomena. Here are some of the key points regarding what happens when a black hole merges with or "eats" other black holes:
-
Mass Gain: When a black hole merges with another black hole, the resulting black hole will have a mass equal to the sum of the two black holes' masses, minus some energy lost as gravitational waves. This means that if a black hole "eats" several smaller black holes, it will grow larger and more massive.
-
Gravitational Waves: The merger of black holes produces gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime that can be detected by observatories like LIGO and Virgo. These gravitational waves carry information about the masses and spins of the merging black holes, helping astronomers learn about their properties.
-
Supermassive Black Holes: When black holes in the centers of galaxies merge, they can form supermassive black holes (SMBHs), which can have masses millions or even billions of times that of our Sun. It’s believed that many galaxies, including our Milky Way, harbor supermassive black holes.
-
Event Horizon Growth: As a black hole merges with another, its event horizon (the boundary beyond which nothing can escape) expands to encompass the combined mass of the merged black holes.
-
Formation of More Complex Structures: The process of merging can lead to a variety of complex structures in the universe, including binary black holes or even more complicated gravitational interactions, depending on the environment and dynamics involved.
In theory, if a black hole were to continuously "eat" smaller black holes, it could grow indefinitely, potentially becoming one of the largest black holes in the universe. However, this process depends heavily on the availability of nearby black holes and the dynamical environment of the region in which they exist.