The research analyzed James Webb Space Telescope images and found an "extremely red" supermassive black hole in the early universe. Its red hue suggests that it is hiding behind dust. They measured its mass, finding it unusually massive compared to its host galaxy, a unique observation in more local instances.
The results are detailed in a paper, titled "A high black hole to host mass ratio in a lensed AGN in the early Universe," in the journal Nature.
Extraordinary Supermassive Black Hole
JWST, launched two years ago, has transformed understanding of early galaxy formation by revealing more and brighter early galaxies than anticipated, along with new object types. Recently, a group of astronomers using JWST detected what appeared to be a lensed, quasar-like object in the early universe. Quasars are luminous galactic nuclei housing actively accreting supermassive black holes.
The findings propose that an extremely red, supermassive black hole observed 700 million years after the Big Bang resulted from an expanding universe, with its color attributed to a dense dust layer blocking its light.
Although initially discovered last year, recent research reveals its exceptional massiveness compared to similar objects, challenging existing notions of how supermassive black holes grow relative to their host galaxies.
Focusing on JWST data examining a cluster of distant galaxies in Pandora's Cluster (Abell 2744), situated 4 billion light-years away, the study leveraged gravitational lensing. This phenomenon, resulting from massive objects warping spacetime, offered an intricate perspective of galaxies outside the central core.
Co-lead researcher Lukas Furtak from Ben-Gurion University expressed excitement in identifying "three compact yet red-blooming objects," eventually identified as images of the same quasar-like source. Gravitational lensing allowed a thorough examination, unveiling a supermassive black hole different from typical early quasars.
Program co-lead Rachel Bezanson from the University of Pittsburgh noted that the object's colors and compact size indicated it was not a typical star-forming galaxy, leading to the conclusion that it was likely a supermassive black hole, albeit distinct from other early quasars.
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Supermassive Black Holes Challenge Conventional Wisdom in Galaxy Dynamics
The team utilized precise redshift measurements to deduce the mass of the observed object, leading to an unexpected revelation: the supermassive black hole's mass appears disproportionately high in comparison to its host galaxy.
Professor Jenny Greene from Princeton University, a lead author of the study, explained that even if all the light from the galaxy is concentrated within a confined region similar to a present-day star cluster, the black hole comprises at least 1% of the total mass of the system.
Similar behaviors have been observed in other early-universe supermassive black holes, posing intriguing questions about their growth dynamics and the intricate interplay with their host galaxies, aspects that remain elusive in current understanding.
The origin of these supermassive black holes remains uncertain, and astronomers grapple with questions about whether they evolve from remnants of stars or emerge directly from material collapsing into black holes during the early stages of the universe.
Professor Zitrin likens the astrophysical puzzle to a chicken-and-egg dilemma, questioning the sequence-galaxy or black hole first, the size of early black holes, and growth mechanisms. Nonetheless, JWST's detection of "little red dots" holds promise for imminent insights.
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