Scientists record evidence of fusion of supermassive black holes

Astronomers have, for the first time, found evidence of the fusion of supermassive black double holes, giving a glimpse of the creation of the universe.

Fusion of supermassive binary black holes

The team of international researchers has been able to confirm the existence of supermassive binary black holes – the precursor to the fusion of black holes – by observing the direction of the powerful jets that they emit. The supermassive black holes in the center of the active galaxies emit jets composed of radiations and particles moving almost at the speed of light. When two supermassive black holes revolve around each other (supermassive binary black holes), the direction in which these powerful jets are emitted changes.

However, prior to the study, this cosmological phenomenon was observed only by binary black holes and not by supermassive binary black holes. Since 2015, gravitational wave telescopes have been able to detect the fusion of smaller binary black holes. In the meantime, no technology currently demonstrates the presence of supermassive binary black holes.

The scientists involved therefore created the method to find supermassive binary black holes. They examined the radio charts and observed the direction in which the strong jets are emitted. They then compared their data on one of the radio lobes. Thanks to this system, researchers have been able to find a large number of supermassive binary black holes.

"We have been studying the jets in different conditions for a long time with computer simulations," said Martin Krause, lead author of the study and lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. "In this first systematic comparison with the high-resolution radio maps of the most powerful radio sources, we were surprised to find signatures compatible with the precession of the jets in three quarters of the sources."

Scientists have also explained that the movement of powerful jets of supermassive binary black holes affects the formation of stars in their galaxies. As they move in different directions, these powerful jets heat up the gas that is nearby and thus limit the formation of more stars.

Their discoveries were published in the newspaper Monthly Notices from the Royal Astronomical Society.

Discovery that changes the game

The study highlights the development of the universe. This adds evidence to the theory that galaxies and black holes fuse after a while, creating larger galaxies and bigger black holes.

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