Research using the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed that supermassive black holes, rapidly growing active galactic nuclei, are less common than previously thought. This discovery suggests that the Universe is more stable and provides insight into the challenges of identifying faint galaxies and their nuclei.
james webb space telescope The study revealed that the number of supermassive black holes is lower than estimated.
A study of the universe by the University of Kansas using the James Webb Space Telescope found that active galactic nuclei – supermassive black holes that are rapidly increasing in size – are rarer than many astronomers previously assumed. It became clear that.
This discovery, made by JWST’s Mid-Infrared Observatory (MIRI), suggests that our universe may be a little more stable than expected. This study also provides insight into observations of faint galaxies, their properties, and the challenges in identifying AGNs.
Research details
A new paper detailing JWST research conducted under the auspices of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) program recently arXiv prior to formal peer-reviewed publication in of astrophysical journal.
The research, led by Alison Kirkpatrick, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at KU, focused on a long-studied zone of the universe called the Extended Growth Strip, located between the constellations Ursa Major and Boes. Ta. But previous studies of the region relied on less powerful generations of space telescopes.
“Our observations took place in June and December of last year and aimed to characterize what galaxies looked like during the heyday of star formation in the Universe,” Kirkpatrick said. “This is a look back at the past 7 to 10 billion years. We used the James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared instrument to observe dust in galaxies that existed 10 billion years ago. Dust can hide ongoing star formation and hide growing supermassive black holes, so I conducted the first survey to look for supermassive black holes lurking at the centers of these galaxies. ”
![Webb MIRI Spitzer/IRAC MIPS comparison](https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-MIRI-Spitzer-IRAC-MIPS-Comparison-777x260.jpg 777w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-MIRI-Spitzer-IRAC-MIPS-Comparison-400x134.jpg 400w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-MIRI-Spitzer-IRAC-MIPS-Comparison-768x257.jpg 768w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-MIRI-Spitzer-IRAC-MIPS-Comparison-1536x513.jpg 1536w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-MIRI-Spitzer-IRAC-MIPS-Comparison-2048x685.jpg 2048w)
MIRI pointing to 1 (right panel) is shown side by side with Spitzer/IRAC (middle) and MIPS (left) observations.
Same area. The aperture indicates the location of the detected sound source within each image (MIRI region only). For MIPS (IRAC)
In the image, the aperture is 6 inches (2 inches), which corresponds to the beam size of the instrument. In IRAC images, blue corresponds to channels
1 (3.6 μm), green corresponds to channel 2 (4.5 μm), and red corresponds to channel 3 (5.8 μm). In the MIRI image, the 770W filter is blue, the F1000W is green, and the F1280W is red. Credit: Kirkpatrick et al., arXiv:2308.09750
Findings and implications
All galaxies contain supermassive stars, but Black Hole In the center, the AGN is a more spectacular bulge, actively drawing in gas and exhibiting a brightness not found in typical black holes.
Kirkpatrick and many of his fellow astrophysicists expected the high-resolution JWST survey to discover far more AGNs than previous surveys conducted with the Spitzer Space Telescope. However, despite the increased power and sensitivity of MIRI, the new study found few additional His AGNs.
“The results were completely different than I expected, leading to my first big surprise,” Kirkpatrick said. “One of the key discoveries was that rapidly growing supermassive black holes are in short supply. This discovery raised questions about the whereabouts of these objects. As it turns out, these black holes The holes are likely growing at a slower pace than previously thought, which is interesting given that the galaxies I studied are similar to our own. milky way From the past. Previous observations using Spitzer have been able to study only the brightest, most massive galaxies containing fast-growing supermassive black holes, which are easy to detect. ”
Kirkpatrick said a key mystery in astronomy lies in understanding how the typical supermassive black holes found in galaxies like the Milky Way grow and influence their host galaxies. Stated.
“The findings suggest that these black holes are not growing rapidly, are absorbing limited material, and probably do not have a significant impact on their host galaxies,” she said. . “While our current understanding is primarily based on the most massive black holes in the largest galaxies, which have a significant impact on their hosts, smaller black holes in these galaxies are likely to have an impact. Therefore, this discovery opens up a completely new perspective on black hole growth.” “
![Webb Space Telescope with Mid-Infrared Observatory (MIRI)](https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-Space-Telescope-Installing-Mid-Infrared-Instrument-MIRI-777x487.jpg 777w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-Space-Telescope-Installing-Mid-Infrared-Instrument-MIRI-400x251.jpg 400w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-Space-Telescope-Installing-Mid-Infrared-Instrument-MIRI-768x481.jpg 768w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-Space-Telescope-Installing-Mid-Infrared-Instrument-MIRI-1536x963.jpg 1536w,https://scitechdaily.com/images/Webb-Space-Telescope-Installing-Mid-Infrared-Instrument-MIRI-2048x1283.jpg 2048w)
Engineers work to embed the James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared instrument into the ISIM (Integrated Science Instrument Module) in a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on April 29, 2013. Worked with great care. NASA’s Hubble space telescope, the Webb Telescope, will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Observe the most distant objects in the universe, provide images of the first galaxies to form, and observe unexplored planets around distant stars.
Another surprising result is the absence of dust in these galaxies, KU astronomers said.
“By using JWST, we can now identify galaxies that are much smaller than before, including galaxies the size of the Milky Way or smaller. This was not possible before at the[cosmic distances],” Kirkpatrick said. “Typically, the most massive galaxies have an abundance of dust due to their high rate of star formation. I had assumed that low-mass galaxies would also contain significant amounts of dust, but in reality It was not included, and it defied my expectations and led to another interesting discovery.”
Kirkpatrick said this research changes our understanding of how galaxies grow, especially the Milky Way.
“Our black hole appears to be quite peaceful and not showing much activity,” she said. “One of the important questions about the Milky Way is whether it was once active or went through an AGN phase. Like our galaxy, most galaxies have no detectable AGN. If it does not exist, it could imply that the black hole was not this active in the past. Ultimately, this knowledge will help constrain and measure the black hole’s mass and answer unanswered questions. It will shed light on the origins of black hole growth.”
References: “CEERS Key Paper VII: JWST/MIRI Reveals a Faint Population of Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Unseen by Spitzer” by Allison Kirkpatrick, Guang Yang, Aurelien Le Bail, Greg Troiani, Eric F. Bell, Nikko J. Cleri, David Elbaz, Stephen L. Finkelstein, Nimish P. Hattie, Michaela Hirschman, Bennu W. Holwerda, Dale D. Kozewski, Ray A. Lucas, Jed McKinney, Casey Papovich, Pablo G. Perez Gonzalez, and Alexander de la Vega. , Michaela B. Bagley, Emanuele Dadi, Mark Dickinson, Henry C. Ferguson, Adriano Fontana, Andrea Grazian, Norman A. Grogin, Pablo Arrabal Haro, Ceyhan S. Cartaltepe, Lisa J. -Kewley, Anton M. Kokemore, Jennifer M. Lotz, Laura Pentelich, Nor Pirzkal, Swara Ravindranath, Rachel S. Somerville, Jonathan R. Trump, Stephen M. Wilkins, LY Aaron Yung, Submitted; astrophysical journal.
arXiv:2308.09750
Mr. Kirkpatrick recently gained significant new time at JWST, working with MIRI to conduct large-scale surveys of extended growth strip fields. Her current paper included about 400 galaxies. Her upcoming survey (MEGA: MIRI EGS Galaxy and AGN Survey) will include approximately 5,000 galaxies. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2024.