Early detection of the universe's first black hole by the James Webb Space Telescope, probing distances that approach the theoretical limits.
A groundbreaking discovery by astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed the earliest known black hole, dating back more than 13 billion years to just 500 million years after the Big Bang. This black hole resides in a distant galaxy known as CAPERS-LRD-z9, a Little Red Dot (LRD), a compact, red, and distant galaxy that formed in the very early universe.
The black hole at the center of CAPERS-LRD-z9 is an impressive 38 million times more massive than the sun, making it about 10 times more massive than Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The discovery adds to the evidence that early black holes grew faster than previously thought.
The JWST team found a distinct pattern of wavelengths of light created when fast-moving gas falls into the black hole in CAPERS-LRD-z9. This pattern suggests that black holes might lie at the center of other Little Red Dots. Moreover, approximately 5% of all the stars in CAPERS-LRD-z9's galaxy make up the mass of its black hole.
The discovery of the black hole in CAPERS-LRD-z9, along with other Little Red Dots, was a major surprise from early JWST data. These galaxies shine brightly, which might suggest they contain a lot of stars. However, the black hole's presence indicates that they are also sites of unusually rapid black hole growth.
Current theories propose that LRD galaxies are formed in dark matter halos that spin exceptionally slowly, facilitating rapid growth of stars or black holes in these galaxies. The direct collapse black hole (DCBH) model is currently favored for explaining the formation of these black holes in LRDs. This model posits that massive, extremely metal-poor gas clouds collapsed directly into black holes without intermediate star formation.
The study, published August 6 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, was co-authored by Anthony Taylor and Steven Finkelstein, astronomers at the University of Texas, Austin. Taylor expressed excitement about what can be learned from CAPERS-LRD-z9, stating that it offers a unique opportunity to study early black hole evolution. Further studies of CAPERS-LRD-z9 could offer more information about black holes and galaxies in the early universe.
Key Points
- CAPERS-LRD-z9 is a Little Red Dot galaxy, a compact, red, distant galaxy formed in the very early universe.
- The black hole at the center of CAPERS-LRD-z9 is 38 million times more massive than the sun, making it about 10 times more massive than Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
- The black hole in CAPERS-LRD-z9 is surrounded by a dense cloud of gas that could explain why Little Red Dots are red.
- The black hole merger in CAPERS-LRD-z9 resulted in a black hole that is 225 times as massive as the sun.
- The pattern of wavelengths of light created when fast-moving gas falls into the black hole in CAPERS-LRD-z9 suggests that black holes might lie at the center of other Little Red Dots.
- Approximately 5% of all the stars in CAPERS-LRD-z9's galaxy make up the mass of its black hole.
- CAPERS-LRD-z9 existed just 500 million years after the Big Bang, making it a good test object for studying early black hole evolution.
- The discovery of the black hole in CAPERS-LRD-z9 adds to the evidence that early black holes grew faster than previously thought.
- The discovery of Little Red Dots was a major surprise from early JWST data.
- The study was published August 6 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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The discovery of a massive black hole in the Little Red Dot galaxy CAPERS-LRD-z9, just 500 million years after the Big Bang, points towards rapid technology advancements during the early universe, allowing astronomers to detect such space-and-astronomy phenomena with instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This revelation adds weight to scientific theories suggesting that early black holes grew at a faster rate than previously assumed.
