Black holes may inherit their magnetic fields from neutron stars

A new explanation for how black holes get their extreme magnetic fields could also tell us how the most powerful explosions in the universe are produced.

Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are intense blasts of radiation produced from cosmic collisions and explosions. Some of the highest-energy GRBs appear to come from stars exploding in a supernova and producing a fast-spinning black hole.

Physicists think the black hole’s spinning weaves its magnetic…