Astronomy & Astrophysics For years, scientists have tried to understand why supermassive black holes they grow so much and at such a fast rate. A group of astronomers appears to have discovered one of the “ingredients” that help make black holes so big: wind.
The team of scientists led by Mark Gorski and Susanne Aalto, from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, decided to study a galaxy relatively close to ours, ESO320-G030, about 120 million light-years away.
O article was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics in April 2024.
Like most galaxies, including the Milky Way, it has a supermassive black hole at its center. Furthermore, it is also a very active galaxy, forming stars ten times faster than ours.
“As this galaxy is very luminous in the infrared, telescopes can capture impressive details in its center. We wanted to measure the light from molecules carried by the winds from the galaxy’s core, hoping to trace how the winds are thrown by a growing, or soon to be growing, supermassive black hole,” said Susanne Aalto, professor of radio astronomy.
The images captured by the telescope suggest the existence of a magnetized and rotating wind current that could “feed” the black hole, helping in its growth — unlike other winds that are usually present in the centers of galaxies pushing matter away from the hole. black.
“We can see how the winds form a spiral structure, leaving the center of the galaxy. When we measured the rotation, mass, and speed of the material flowing outward, we were surprised to find that we could rule out many explanations for the strength of the wind, like star formation, for example. Instead, the outflow may be powered by incoming gas and appears to be held together by magnetic fields,” the astronomer added.
Because of this wind current, the matter would “circulate” around the black hole before being swallowed — like water in the sink before going down the drain. Wind would also help move matter away from the galaxy.
Mark Grosky added that this movement is very reminiscent of another situation seen in space: swirls of gas and dust that lead to the birth of new stars and planets.
“It is well established that stars in the early stages of their evolution grow with the help of rotating winds – accelerated by magnetic fields, just like the wind in this galaxy. Our observations show that supermassive black holes and tiny stars can grow through similar processes, but on very different scales,” said Gorski.
The scientists also added that they are “far from having all the questions about this process answered”.
“Now that we know what to look for, the next step is to find out how common this phenomenon is. And if this is a phase that all galaxies with supermassive black holes go through, what happens to them next?” asked Gorsky.
Share:
