Astronomers Think Powerful Magnetic Winds Drive Growth of Supermassive Black Holes from goldsmiths university sign in Watch Video

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✓ Published: 25-Jun-2024

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Astronomers Think Powerful , Magnetic Winds Drive Growth , of Supermassive Black Holes.<br/>'Newsweek' reports that scientists may have <br/>unraveled the mystery of how supermassive <br/>black holes are able to become so massive.<br/>According to a new paper, a powerful magnetic <br/>wind, comparable to water swirling around <br/>a drain, is what allows these massive cosmic <br/>phenomena to reach such immense sizes.<br/>A supermassive black hole is typically millions to <br/>billions of times more massive than our own sun <br/>and is often found at the center of most galaxies. .<br/>The paper, which was published in the journal 'Astronomy <br/>and Astrophysics,' focused on the black hole at the <br/>center of a galaxy about 120 million light-years from Earth.<br/>This galaxy, known as ESO320-G030, is much more <br/>active than our own Milky Way, with a rate of star <br/>formation 10 times that of our own galaxy.<br/>Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope, <br/>researchers found a strong, rotating, magnetized <br/>wind spinning around the center of the black hole.<br/>Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope, <br/>researchers found a strong, rotating, magnetized <br/>wind spinning around the center of the black hole.<br/>Since this galaxy is very <br/>luminous in the infrared, <br/>telescopes can resolve <br/>striking details in its center. , Susanne Aalto, study co-author and a professor <br/>of radio astronomy at Chalmers University <br/>of Technology, via 'Newsweek'.<br/>'Newsweek' reports that the team now hopes to observe the <br/>centers of other galaxies to confirm if this process is what <br/>enables a supermassive black hole's immense growth.<br/>Far from all questions about this <br/>process are answered. In our <br/>observations we see clear evidence <br/>of a rotating wind that helps <br/>regulate the growth of the <br/>galaxy's central black hole. , Mark Gorski, study co-author and an astronomer <br/>at Chalmers University of Technology and <br/>Northwestern University, via 'Newsweek'.<br/>Now that we know what to look for, <br/>the next step is to find out how <br/>common a phenomenon this is. <br/>And if this is a stage which all <br/>galaxies with supermassive <br/>black holes go through, <br/>what happens to them next?, Mark Gorski, study co-author and an astronomer <br/>at Chalmers University of Technology and <br/>Northwestern University, via 'Newsweek'