The 7.2 million solar mass black hole, named LID-568, appears to be feeding on matter 40 times faster than the Eddington limit and is thought to have existed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang.
An artist's impression of the accreting black hole LID-568 in the early universe. Image credit: NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. da Silva / M. Zamani.
eddington limit The maximum brightness a black hole can achieve is related to the rate at which a black hole can absorb matter, such that the inward gravitational force is balanced with the outward pressure generated from the heat of the compressed and falling matter. I will.
LID-568 appears to be feeding on matter at a rate 40 times faster than the Eddington limit.
This accreting black hole was detected by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in a sample of galaxies from the COSMOS Legacy Survey of Chandra.
This galaxy population is very bright in the X-ray part of the spectrum, but invisible in the optical and near-infrared.
Webb's unique infrared sensitivity allows it to detect these weak corresponding emissions.
LID-568 stood out in the sample for its strong X-ray emissions, but its exact location could not be determined using X-ray observations alone.
So instead of using traditional slit spectroscopy, Webb's measurement support scientists suggested that the study authors use an integral field spectrometer. Web's NIRSpec (near infrared spectrometer) equipment.
“Due to its faint nature, detection of LID-568 would be impossible without Webb,” said Dr. Emanuele Farina, an astronomer at the International Gemini Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab.
“The use of an integral field spectrometer was innovative and necessary to obtain the observations.”
“This black hole is having a party,” said Dr. Julia Schallwechter, also of the International Gemini Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab.
“This extreme case shows that a fast-feeding mechanism that exceeds the Eddington limit is one possible explanation for why we see these extremely massive black holes in the early universe.”
These results provide new insights into the formation of supermassive black holes from smaller black hole “seeds.” Until now, theories have lacked observational support.
“The discovery of super-Eddington accretion black holes suggests that, regardless of the black hole's origin as a light or heavy seed, a significant portion of the mass growth can occur during a single episode of rapid feeding. “This suggests something,” said Dr. Hyewon Seo. Also provided by the International Gemini Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab.
“The discovery of LID-568 also shows that black holes can exceed the Eddington limit, giving astronomers the first opportunity to study how this happens,” the astronomers said. .
“The strong outflow observed on LID-568 may act as a release valve for excess energy generated by extreme accretion, preventing the system from becoming too unstable.”
“The team plans a follow-up study with Mr. Webb to further investigate the mechanisms involved.”
Their result Published in today's diary natural astronomy.
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Sue H others. A super-Eddington accretion black hole observed by JWST about 1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang. Nat Astronpublished online on November 4, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02402-9
This article is based on a press release provided by NSF's NOIRLab.
Source: www.sci.news
