Birth of a massive black hole in the early universe unveils the mystery of an Unsolved cosmic riddle

Simulation of a 30,000 light years region centered around a cluster of young galaxies
Source: phys.org
Credit: advanced visualization lab, national center for supercomputing applications

The energy released by first supermassive black holes in form of light, at the time of its birth, is so intense, that it is able to reach our telesopes from 13 billion light years away, means travelling from an entire stretch of the cosmos. However, we haven't yet been able to explain how they are formed.

A new research led by scientists from several institutes provides an extremely promising solution to this cosmic riddle. The team showed that when several galaxies merge rapidly and violently, then the formation of normal stars is disrupted and hence in such regions, only supermassive black holes could form and dominate.

Visualisation of the evolution of first

galaxies after the Big Bang in the early

universe, over the first 400 million years. 

Credit: advanced visualisation lab, 

National center for supercomputing 

applications 

The new study reveals how these supermassive black holes are formed in such dense regions, which are growing rapidly. It also challenges the long accepted theory, which suggests that massive black holes can form only in regions exposed by the powerful radiations of galaxies.

According to this new theory, when a cluster of young galaxies is formed, the region starts to produce radiations and metals, which in turn, heat the surrounding gas. A halo of dark matter, just outside this heated region starts forming huge stars which are almost 1,000 times as massive as sun. These massive stars collapse with each other forming massive black holes and eventually the supermassive black holes after billions of years.

Zoom in of the inner 30 light years of the dark matter halo
Source: phys.org
Credit: John Wise, Georgia institute Of technology

This theory also explains the rapid growth of pre-galactic gas clouds in the early universe, that were responsible for the formation of all the galaxies at present. This also suggests that most supermassive black holes have a common origin, as they should have been formed in such regions with dark matter halos around them.