A team of researchers led by University of Wisconsin-Madison astronomy professor Catherine Grier and recent graduate Robert Wheatley recently made a discovery that sheds light on how active black holes can influence the development of galaxies. The researchers found clouds of gas in a distant galaxy being pushed faster and faster by blasts of radiation from the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s center, reaching speeds of more than 10,000 miles per second. This discovery was made using data collected from a quasar, a bright and turbulent type of black hole billions of light years away in the Boötes constellation.
Quasars are supermassive black holes surrounded by disks of matter being drawn in by the black hole’s immense gravitational power. The material in these disks heats up as it falls into the black hole, making the quasars extremely bright across the electromagnetic spectrum. This brightness makes quasars visible from almost the edge of the universe, allowing astronomers to study the early universe. The researchers focused on a quasar called SBS 1408+544 and used eight years of observations collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project to track winds of gaseous carbon being pushed by radiation from the black hole’s accretion disk.
The observations of SBS 1408+544 showed that the gas winds were accelerating, with the speed increasing over time. This acceleration was attributed to the radiation blasted off the accretion disk, pushing the gas with increasing force. While scientists have hypothesized about accelerating winds from black holes before, this study provided solid evidence based on nearly 130 observations made over almost a decade. The researchers were able to confidently identify the increase in velocity of the gas winds from the quasar.
The researchers believe that the winds pushing gas out from the quasar could have a significant impact on the evolution of the surrounding galaxy. These energetic winds could either stimulate the formation of stars by compressing gas together or prevent the birth of stars by removing the necessary fuel. The supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, although small in comparison to their galaxies, can still have a significant influence on their development. Understanding the effects of these black holes and the winds they produce is crucial in modeling the evolution of galaxies.
The study of SBS 1408+544, published in The Astrophysical Journal, involved collaborators from various institutions, including York University, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Arizona. The research was funded in part by grants from the National Science Foundation. This discovery highlights the complex interactions between supermassive black holes and galaxies, showcasing how radiation from black holes can shape the development of galaxies by either promoting or inhibiting the formation of stars. Further research in this area will help deepen our understanding of the universe and the role of black holes in its evolution.