Origin of supermassive black holes explained
- 5 years ago
SPACE — A new study presents a new hypothesis explaining the origins of the first-ever black holes in the pre-galactic universe, according to science journal Nature.
After 13 billion years, light from the universe's first black holes is finally reaching Earth.
The origin of supermassive black holes is still a mystery to humans. However, a group of scientists have used simulation-technology to present an interesting hypothesis.
The new simulation-based study, conducted by scientists from various universities, found that massive black holes can be formed when galaxies assemble extremely rapidly and violently.
According to the paper published in the journal Nature, the team used a 70-terabyte dataset called Renaissance Simulation. This program allows scientists to view a simulation of the early universe's evolution.
In this particular study, the team used it to learn more about the regions where massive black holes were more likely to develop. The researchers found ten dark matter halos that should have become stars but only contained dense gas clouds.
These regions of dense clouds were where most black holes began forming. This means that as this simulated galaxy formed quickly, star formation was disrupted leaving behind a dense gas cloud and allowing massive black hole formation to take over."
Early theories of black hole formation suggest that supermassive black holes can only be formed in regions exposed to high levels of star-formation killing radiation. These new findings indicate that massive black holes are actually not that rare and do not depend solely on radiation to appear.
Black holes are still one of the most ancient enigmas to exist since the beginning of time — literally — but researchers hope these simulations can continue to help unravel the mysteries of these pre-galactic giants.
After 13 billion years, light from the universe's first black holes is finally reaching Earth.
The origin of supermassive black holes is still a mystery to humans. However, a group of scientists have used simulation-technology to present an interesting hypothesis.
The new simulation-based study, conducted by scientists from various universities, found that massive black holes can be formed when galaxies assemble extremely rapidly and violently.
According to the paper published in the journal Nature, the team used a 70-terabyte dataset called Renaissance Simulation. This program allows scientists to view a simulation of the early universe's evolution.
In this particular study, the team used it to learn more about the regions where massive black holes were more likely to develop. The researchers found ten dark matter halos that should have become stars but only contained dense gas clouds.
These regions of dense clouds were where most black holes began forming. This means that as this simulated galaxy formed quickly, star formation was disrupted leaving behind a dense gas cloud and allowing massive black hole formation to take over."
Early theories of black hole formation suggest that supermassive black holes can only be formed in regions exposed to high levels of star-formation killing radiation. These new findings indicate that massive black holes are actually not that rare and do not depend solely on radiation to appear.
Black holes are still one of the most ancient enigmas to exist since the beginning of time — literally — but researchers hope these simulations can continue to help unravel the mysteries of these pre-galactic giants.