Calculations suggest near-maximally spinning black holes could split in two

A theoretical study in Physical Review D, "When Black Holes Admit Pair-of-pants Topologies," examines whether a single black hole can split into two smaller ones. The calculations indicate this is possible when the black hole spins near its maximum rate.

• The study was published in Physical Review D
• It explores the reverse of a black hole merger — a split
• Splitting requires spin close to the maximum rate