Gravitational-wave analysis narrows the search for black hole impostors

• The study analyzed the gravitational-wave signal GW241011, which was detected by LIGO and Virgo, and found that the more massive object in the merger is consistent with a Kerr black hole. The researchers measured the spin-induced quadrupole moment of the primary object and found it incompatible with predictions for rotating boson stars with quartic self-interactions.
• The study also set constraints on other exotic compact objects, such as boson stars, and found that they cannot explain the observed properties of the primary. It showed that sufficiently compact exotic objects with compactness C≳0.24 remain viable possibilities.
• The research combined theoretical insights and data analysis to infer the primary object's mass, spin, and quadrupole moment. It used Bayesian parameter estimation and waveform models to allow the quadrupole moment to vary independently of the Kerr black hole prediction. The high signal-to-noise ratio and mass asymmetry of GW241011 made the measurement particularly precise.

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