A possible loophole could allow rapidly spinning black holes to split
Black holes are generally understood not to split apart, but researchers have found a possible exception involving extremely fast-spinning black holes.
Their analysis identifies a loophole in the laws that normally prevent this kind of division. If the proposed mechanism holds, a rapidly spinning black hole could split into two, producing a phenomenon not yet firmly established in the existing picture of black-hole physics.
The finding is significant because a splitting event could leave an observational signature for future telescopes to detect. Researchers may therefore be able to test the idea by searching for evidence of black holes dividing, although the article provides no such detection and the loophole remains a theoretical possibility.