November 2, 2024

Quasar Conundrum: Brilliant Supermassive Black Hole Defies Expectations

Astronomers studying the quasar H1821 +643 discovered it less impactful on its environment than anticipated, challenging typical black hole habits. The high temperatures and densities of the hot gas around the quasar shows that the black hole is having a weaker impact on its host galaxy than many of its other equivalents in other galaxy clusters. Regular outbursts from such black holes prevent the big amounts of superheated gas they are embedded in from cooling down, which limits how lots of stars form in their host galaxies and how much fuel gets funneled toward the black hole.”We have discovered that the quasar in our research study appears to have given up much of the control imposed by more gradually growing black holes,” stated Helen Russell of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, who led the brand-new research study.”The giant black hole is creating a lot less heat than most of the others in the centers of galaxy clusters,” said co-author Lucy Clews of the Open University in the U.K. “This allows the hot gas to rapidly cool down and form brand-new stars, and also act as a fuel source for the black hole.

The high temperatures and densities of the hot gas around the quasar shows that the black hole is having a weaker effect on its host galaxy than many of its other equivalents in other galaxy clusters. Regular outbursts from such black holes prevent the huge quantities of superheated gas they are embedded in from cooling down, which limits how lots of stars form in their host galaxies and how much fuel gets funneled towards the black hole.”The giant black hole is generating a lot less heat than many of the others in the centers of galaxy clusters,” stated co-author Lucy Clews of the Open University in the U.K. “This allows the hot gas to rapidly cool down and form new stars, and also act as a fuel source for the black hole.