Black holes grow faster than we thought

Scientists have challenged our understanding of the formation of supermassive black holes with a new discovery. They found evidence that black holes formed early in the universe grew much faster than previously thought. They have committed huge crimes. This discovery could solve one of the great mysteries of cosmology: how supermassive black holes grew to such dimensions in such a short time after the big bang. Have they arrived?

According to Tekna Technology Media’s astronomy news service, supermassive black holes, which have a mass of millions or even billions of times the sun, are located at the center of most galaxies. These celestial objects grow by swallowing matter around them and emit an intense glow called quasars. Quasars are among the brightest objects in the universe.

However, existing theories show that the growth of supermassive black holes requires billions of years. But observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have shown that some quasars existed only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. This issue has made scientists wonder how these black holes have reached such a huge mass in such a short period of time.

To answer this question, a team of researchers examined 21 of the oldest known quasars using the XMM-Newton and Chandra space telescopes. They found that these black holes grew at a very high rate and increased their mass dramatically.

Alessandra Tortosa, the head of this research and a scientist from the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics, says: “Our findings show that massive black holes in the early universe broke the laws of physics and grew at a very high speed. This rapid growth of black holes is challenged by a phenomenon called the Eddington limit. According to this law, every celestial body that absorbs matter has a limit to the amount of luminosity. When this limit is exceeded, the radiation pressure caused by the luminosity prevents further absorption of matter. But observations show that some black holes have passed this limit and continued to grow.

By examining the relationship between the spectrum of X-rays emitted by quasars and the speed of their cosmic winds, researchers have come to the conclusion that early black holes were able to grow rapidly by bypassing the Eddington limit. This new discovery revolutionizes our understanding of the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes and helps us answer one of the great mysteries of cosmology. To see the latest news, refer to the scientific news page of Tekna Media.