Evidence for Pair-Instability Supernovas

Scientists, led by Hui Tong of Monash University and co-authored by Maya Fishbach of the University of Toronto, have found indirect evidence for the existence of pair-instability supernovas. These ultra-powerful stellar explosions, theorized since the 1960s, are predicted to occur in stars 140 to 260 times the mass of the sun, leaving no stellar remnant behind. The research, published in the journal Nature, analyzed data from 153 pairs of black holes and identified a 'forbidden range' of black hole masses (44 to 116 times the sun's mass). This absence is best explained by the complete obliteration of the largest stars in pair-instability supernovas, rather than forming black holes in that mass range. This study provides the strongest evidence yet for these rare and difficult-to-identify stellar deaths.