Impressive features resembling balloons found near the center of the Milky Way – ScienceDaily

Using the MeerKAT telescope of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), Ian Heywood of Oxford University's Department of Physics and his colleagues have mapped large areas at the University of Oxford. center of the galaxy, making observations at wavelengths close to 23 centimeters. Radio broadcasts of this type are generated by a process called synchrotron radiation, in which floating electrons are accelerated when they interact with powerful magnetic fields. This produces a characteristic radio signal that can be used to draw energy regions in space. The radio light seen by MeerKAT penetrates the dust clouds that block visible light from the center of the galaxy.

The lead author, Dr. Heywood, who treated the large amount of observational data that led to this result, said, "The center of our galaxy is relatively quiet compared to other galaxies with very central black holes. assets. Even in this case, the central black hole of the Milky Way can become unusually active, agitating by periodically devouring huge masses of dust and gas. It is possible that such binge eating triggered powerful explosions that inflated this previously unseen feature. & # 39;

By examining the almost identical extent and morphology of the twin bubbles, scientists believe they have found convincing evidence of the formation of these features from a violent eruption that, over a short period, has crossed the middle interstellar in opposite directions.

MeerKAT has unprecedented sensitivity and imagery capabilities that, combined with its privileged geographic location for observing the galactic center, have resulted in the best image of the radio waves emitted by the Milky Way Center. from heaven notoriously difficult. to print at such wavelengths.

These new observational capabilities open up a "fossil record" that allows scientists to reconstruct the history of the galactic center and the supermassive black hole hidden therein. Although the structure is probably a few million years old, it is still possible to observe it and scientists can deduce from where it comes from.

Professor Steve Balbus, director of astrophysics at the University of Oxford, said: "It is extremely exciting to be able to scan the center of the galaxy with such a high definition and accuracy. It's the supermassive black hole closest to us in the universe, and MeerKAT has provided us with front row seats. We will learn a great deal about how black holes feed and their influence on their environment. During the relatively brief period during which MeerKAT was operational, the Oxford Science Team has already brought transformational scientific data. Oxford can justifiably be proud of its involvement in the leadership of the MeerKAT project, and personally I am eager to see what remains to be done: it is only the beginning of a new era of radioastronomy. & # 39;

William Cotton, co-author of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory of Charlottesville, Va., Said: "The shape and symmetry of what we have observed strongly suggest that an event will occur. incredible power occurred a few million years ago very near the central black hole of our galaxy. . This eruption was probably caused by large amounts of interstellar gas falling into the black hole, or by a massive explosion of star formation that sent shockwaves into the galactic center. In fact, these inflated energy bubbles in hot ionized gas near the galactic center energize it and generate radio waves that we can eventually detect here on Earth. & # 39;

The event, reported today in Nature, could also be the origin of the population of electrons necessary to feed the radio emission of mysterious magnetized filaments. These filiform structures have been seen nowhere else but in the galactic center and no definitive explanation of their origin has been provided since their discovery 35 years ago. "Almost all over a hundred filaments are confined by radio bubbles," said co-author Farhad Yusef-Zadeh of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

The co-author Fernando Camilo of SARAO in Cape Town said: "These huge bubbles were up to now masked by the light of an extremely bright radio broadcast from the center of the galaxy. Teasing bubbles from the background noise was a technical feat, made possible only by the unique characteristics of MeerKAT and its ideal location in the Southern Hemisphere. With this unexpected discovery, we are witnessing the Milky Way to a new manifestation of material and energy flux at the scale of the galaxy, ruled by the central black hole.

Today's result embodies the tremendous potential of the new generation of radio telescopes to "discover" as we progress in the construction of Square Kilometer Array.

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