Manuela Campanelli, Professor Carlos Lousto and Assistant Professor Yosef Zlochower -- scientists at the Rochester Institute of Technology's Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation -- simulated triplet black holes to test their breakthrough method that, in 2005, simulated the merger of two black holes by following Einstein's theory of general relativity.

They said their new simulation of multiple black holes evolving, orbiting and eventually colliding confirmed a robust computer code free of limitations.

"We discovered rich dynamics leading to very elliptical orbits, complicated orbital dynamics, simultaneous triple mergers and complex gravitational wave forms that might be observed by gravitational wave detectors …," Lousto said. "These simulations are timely because a triple quasar was recently discovered by a team led by Caltech astronomer George Djorgovski. This presumably represents the first observed supermassive black hole triplet."

The study is to be published in the May issue of the journal Physical Review D.