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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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First-Ever Observation of a Black Hole Tearing a White Dwarf Star Apart

On July 2, 2025, a groundbreaking discovery in the depths of space captured the attention of astronomers worldwide. China’s Einstein Probe (EP) space telescope detected an unusually bright X-ray source, whose brightness changed rapidly over a short period. This extraordinary signal stood out immediately from ordinary cosmic phenomena, prompting rapid follow-up observations by telescopes across the globe.

The event, later designated EP250702a (also known as GRB 250702B), may represent a first-of-its-kind observation: an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf star. If confirmed, this discovery would provide direct evidence of one of the universe’s most extreme processes—a black hole feeding on a dense star—and shed light on a long-mysterious population of black holes.

A Cosmic Event Unlike Any Other

The discovery was made possible by the Einstein Probe’s innovative design, featuring two complementary X-ray instruments. The first, the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT), employs advanced “lobster-eye” micro-pore optics, offering an exceptionally wide field of view while maintaining high sensitivity. During a routine sky survey, WXT detected a transient X-ray source showing violent variability. Almost simultaneously, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope recorded a series of gamma-ray bursts from the same patch of sky.

What made this event remarkable was the sequence of signals. WXT’s observations revealed persistent X-ray emission from the source about a day before the gamma-ray bursts appeared—a pattern rarely seen in high-energy cosmic explosions. Approximately 15 hours after the initial detection, the source erupted into intense X-ray flares, reaching a peak luminosity of around 3 × 10⁴⁹ erg s⁻¹. This placed EP250702a among the brightest instantaneous outburst events ever recorded in the universe.

“This early X-ray signal is crucial,” said Dr. Dongyue Li, first author of the study from the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC). “It tells us this was not an ordinary gamma-ray burst.”

Thanks to the precise coordinates provided by WXT, several large telescopes around the world quickly followed up, confirming the object’s location in the outskirts of a distant galaxy. Subsequently, EP’s second instrument, the Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT), tracked the dramatic evolution of the source. Over the course of approximately 20 days, the brightness of EP250702a dropped by more than 100,000 times, while its X-ray emission shifted from higher-energy (“hard”) to lower-energy (“soft”) states.

Unusual Features Point to an Extraordinary Cause

By combining data from the Einstein Probe with multi-wavelength observations from other telescopes, scientists identified a set of unusual features that standard models could not fully explain. The X-ray emission appeared before the gamma-ray bursts, was extraordinarily bright, evolved unusually fast, and originated from the outskirts—not the center—of its host galaxy.

Among several theoretical explanations, one stood out as the most plausible: an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf star. Such events, known as tidal disruption events, occur when the immense gravitational forces of a black hole pull apart a star that comes too close. While tidal disruptions of larger stars by supermassive black holes have been observed, this may be the first evidence of a black hole consuming a white dwarf—a far denser and smaller type of star.

The Role of Hong Kong Scientists

The team from the Department of Physics at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) played a pivotal role in analyzing and interpreting the data. Led by Professor Lixin Dai, the Hong Kong Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) team helped identify the physical mechanism behind this extraordinary event.

Professor Dai explained, “The white dwarf–intermediate-mass black hole model can most naturally explain the rapid evolution and extreme energy output we observed.”

Dr. Jinhong Chen, a co-first author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at HKU, performed detailed numerical simulations to support the model. “Our simulations show that the combination of tidal forces from an intermediate-mass black hole and the extreme density of a white dwarf can produce jet energies and timescales that closely match the observations,” he said.

Professor Bing Zhang, Director of HKIAA at HKU, added, “The HKU team’s deep involvement demonstrates Hong Kong’s scientific capabilities and its significant contributions to cutting-edge global research.”

Global Collaboration and Scientific Impact

The event was studied through a global collaboration coordinated by the EP Science Center of NAOC, with contributions from numerous research institutions in China and abroad. According to Professor Weimin Yuan, Principal Scientist of the Einstein Probe mission, “The discovery of EP250702a demonstrates our ability to capture the universe’s most extreme moments and underscores China’s growing role in international astronomical research.”

If confirmed, this observation would provide the first clear, direct evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf and producing a relativistic jet. Intermediate-mass black holes, with masses between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes, have long been theorized but rarely observed. Discovering and studying them could offer insights into how black holes grow and the ultimate fate of dense stars.

Furthermore, this discovery opens new avenues for multi-messenger astronomy, where observations across different types of signals—X-rays, gamma rays, gravitational waves, and more—allow scientists to explore the most violent events in the cosmos.

Looking Ahead

The Einstein Probe mission was designed specifically to capture unpredictable and extreme transient phenomena in the universe. Its wide-field survey capabilities, combined with rapid follow-up instruments, make it uniquely suited to identify rare events like EP250702a.

“This discovery is a prime example of why monitoring the sky continuously in high-energy wavelengths is so important,” said Professor Yuan. “Only with such instruments can we hope to witness the most extreme processes in the universe as they happen.”

For the scientific community, EP250702a represents more than just a bright X-ray flare. It may be a key to understanding intermediate-mass black holes, a long-elusive population in the cosmic landscape. It also highlights the collaborative power of international astronomy, bringing together scientists from different countries to solve one of nature’s greatest mysteries.

As telescopes and space observatories continue to monitor the skies, astronomers hope to capture more events like this one. Each discovery brings us closer to understanding the violent, dynamic universe in which we live and the forces shaping its evolution.

The findings have been published as a cover article in Science Bulletin by Dongyue Li et al., titled “A fast powerful X-ray transient from possible tidal disruption of a white dwarf” (2026, DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2025.12.050).

EP250702a stands as a reminder of the universe’s unpredictable and extreme nature—and of humanity’s relentless curiosity to explore it.

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