Find evidence of a supermassive black hole running through space

Astrophysicists present evidence for what they believe huge black hole uncontrollably crosses space and interacts with the near-galactic environment.

In their investigation, they report the accidental discovery of a linear feature in images from the Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Hubble it could be one of these stelae.

The article has been published arXiv and has not yet been peer reviewed. Its lead author is Pieter van Dokkum, professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University, Universe Today reports.

Usually,supermassive black holes (SMBH) fall into the center of galaxies, where they remain. But scientists believe that in rare cases they can escape. In their article, the authors explain how huge black hole it can be thrown out of the host galaxy.

They always start when galaxies merge. This leads to the formation huge black hole the binary in the center is the remainder of the merge. A binary system can be very long lived, surviving up to a billion years before merging. If during this time a third huge black hole reaches the galactic center, then the three-body interaction can give one of black holes speed up and you might be blown out of the galaxy.

Astronomers know several ways to identify a runaway supermassive black hole. The easiest way is if the hole is actively absorbing material, like an active galactic nucleus, and it can be identified by its luminosity. “For such objects,” the authors write, “the presence of SMBHs is undeniable, but it can be difficult to determine whether they are naked black holes or the nuclei of merging galaxies.”

Another way is with the help of stellar mass, which drags a rogue hole along with it. When the SMBH is ejected, its enormous gravitational force pulls several stars with it. But without the luminosity of an AGN, the dim light makes it difficult to identify the hole and its stellar companions from a great distance.

A third way astronomers can recognize a potential supermassive hole is the effect it has on the diffuse gas of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) as it passes through it.

Accidental discovery of the Hubble telescope

“Interaction A. huge black hole A runaway with CGM could lead to the formation of a plume of impact gas and young stars behind it,” the authors write. Hubble it could be one of these stelae.

As the SMBH passes through the ionized hydrogen in the CGM, it creates a shock front with a long trail behind it. As a result, gas clouds can cool and form knot-like stars. The researchers analyzed three linear nodes of the stele and measured their age and metallicity.

Theory and models show that the youngest stars formed from this trail must be less than 30 million years old. When the researchers measured their properties, they confirmed that the three knots were within the age range set by the models. They are also in the range of metallicity and dustiness.

If the host galaxy ejected a supermassive black hole, the galaxy should show signs of disturbance. SMBHs are extraordinarily massive, and such a mass cannot move through a galaxy without forming it. The team examined the galaxy that gave birth to the supermassive hole and found that its morphology had changed.

However, there is another possible explanation for the linear feature. It could be a black hole jet, not a SMBH. Under certain jet conditions black holes they can also cause gas impacts in the CGM and lead to star formation. “There are two well-studied close examples of star formation jets,” the authors say. One of them is the so-called Minkowski Object.

The authors acknowledge that the jet explanation black hole It’s possible, but they say he has too many problems. Visible emission lines are not a property of black hole jets, and there is no evidence of nuclear activity. There is also a problem with morphology. “A more serious problem is that the object’s morphology does not match simulations or observations of jet-induced star formation,” the authors explain.

They favor an unmanaged supermassive black hole as the best explanation for the data and observations.

“Line proportions, colors and overall morphology are consistent with an ejected supermassive black hole moving at high speed through the CGM and causing star formation,” they write. (Europe Press)

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