Can a PoA Chain Still Experience a Chain Split or Fork?

Yes, a PoA chain can still experience a chain split or fork, especially a temporary one. If two PoW miners find a valid blank block header simultaneously, or if PoS validators sign two different blocks, a fork can occur.

However, the PoS phase, with its finality mechanism and slashing penalties, is designed to quickly resolve these forks by incentivizing validators to commit to a single chain, making long-lasting splits unlikely.