Black Hole News - SciTechDaily

Debunking Kugelblitze: Quantum Limits Smash Black Hole Theories

Melodie Roschman, University of Waterloo — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:44:00 +0000

The impossibility of the kugelblitz: quantum effects forbid the formation of black holes from high concentrations of intense light. Researchers have concluded that kugelblitze, black holes formed from light, are theoretically impossible. This finding was derived from a mathematical model incorporating quantum effects, revealing that the light intensity required far exceeds that found in the [...]

Cosmic Detective Work Leads to Stunning Black Hole Discovery in Our Galaxy

University of Cologne — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 20:55:22 +0000

An international research team has identified potential signs of an intermediate-mass black hole within the IRS 13 star cluster near the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center. This discovery suggests that such black holes, previously rare in observations, play a critical role in forming supermassive black holes. The IRS 13’s proximity to our galaxy’s [...]

Rotating Winds Fuel Cosmic Giants: New Black Hole Insights From ALMA

Chalmers University of Technology — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 07:13:50 +0000

Scientists identified a magnetized wind in a nearby galaxy that supports the growth of its central supermassive black hole, indicating a common growth mechanism with star formation. Supermassive black holes pose unanswered questions for astronomers around the world, not least “How do they grow so big?” Now, an international team of astronomers, including researchers from [...]

Magnetic Winds Drive Supermassive Black Hole Growth in Nearby Galaxy

Amanda Morris, Northwestern University — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 20:28:21 +0000

Newly uncovered process is similar to how stars and planets are born. A Northwestern University study using ALMA Observatory data revealed that rotating magnetic winds accelerate the growth of supermassive black holes, akin to star formation processes. This discovery in galaxy ESO320-G030 provides new insights into the growth mechanisms of massive cosmic entities. By studying [...]

New Quantum “Tornado” Experiments Challenge Our Understanding of Black Holes

University of Nottingham — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 11:14:49 +0000

Researchers have created a quantum tornado in superfluid helium to simulate black hole conditions, advancing our understanding of black hole physics and the behavior of quantum fields in curved spacetimes, culminating in a unique art and science exhibition. Scientists have, for the first time, created a giant quantum vortex in superfluid helium to mimic a [...]

Discovery in Omega Centauri: The Missing Link to Massive Black Hole Formation

Lisa Potter, University of Utah — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:05:58 +0000

The discovery is the best candidate for a class of black holes astronomers have long believed to exist but have never found—intermediate-mass black holes formed in early stages of galaxy evolution. Visible to the naked eye as a smudge in the night sky from Southern latitudes, Omega Centauri is a magnificent collection of 10 million [...]

Omega Centauri: A Galaxy Core Frozen in Time Reveals Its Black Hole

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 11:11:40 +0000

Researchers confirmed an intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri’s center, supporting theories of its origin as a distinct galaxy core merged with the Milky Way. Newly identified fast-moving stars in the star cluster Omega Centauri provide solid evidence for a central black hole in the cluster. With at least 8200 solar masses, it is the [...]

Massive Black Hole Awakening Sheds Light on Galactic Behavior

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:05:03 +0000

The galaxy SDSS1335+0728, observed by the Very Large Telescope and others, has been exhibiting unprecedented brightness changes since December 2019, likely due to the activation of a supermassive black hole at its center. This ongoing brightening offers a unique opportunity to study the transition from a quiescent state to an active galactic nucleus, which is [...]

Missing Link Uncovered: Hubble Unveils Hidden Black Hole in Omega Centauri

Space Telescope Science Institute — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 02:29:11 +0000

Elusive Black Hole Tucked Away in Heart of Star Cluster Black holes are the universe’s trap doors leading into an abyss. They normally come in two sizes. The first type are stars that are massive enough that when they burn out they collapse down to a singularity that’s equivalent to five to ten times our [...]

Billion-Mass Behemoths: Surprisingly Massive Early Universe Black Holes Challenge Cosmic Theories

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:39:50 +0000

Surprisingly unspectacular: Black hole already weighed over a billion solar masses in the early universe despite average appetite. Peering into the early stages of the 13.8 billion-year-old universe, the James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a galaxy as it existed just 700 million years after the Big Bang. It is puzzling how the black hole [...]

Astronomers Use Destroyed Stars to Measure the Spin of a Supermassive Black Hole for the First Time

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 03:12:11 +0000

Researchers have developed a new way to probe supermassive black holes and their evolution across the universe. Scientists at MIT, NASA, and elsewhere have developed a method to measure black hole spins using the wobbling of accretion disks resulting from tidal disruption events. The technique, involving tracking X-ray flashes from these events, has revealed the [...]

From the Dawn of Time: Hunting for Primordial Black Holes With NASA’s Roman Space Telescope

Evan Gough, Universe Today — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:31:21 +0000

New studies suggest the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could detect primordial black holes from the early universe, potentially confirming their role in cosmic inflation and as components of dark matter. When astrophysicists observe the cosmos, they see different types of black holes. They range from gargantuan supermassive black holes with billions of solar masses [...]

NASA’s Planet Hunter’s Rare Glimpse at Two Black Holes in a Faraway Galaxy

University of Turku — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 08:09:06 +0000

NASA’s TESS satellite helped confirm the theory of two black holes in galaxy OJ 287 in 2021, enhancing our knowledge of black holes and their behaviors. Several international research groups have already confirmed the theory that there are two black holes at the center of the distant galaxy OJ 287, first suggested by astronomers at [...]

Unraveling the Mystery: How Supermassive Black Holes Grow so Massive

Sam Sholtis, Penn State — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 12:21:27 +0000

Researchers combined X-ray surveys and supercomputer simulations to track 12 billion years of cosmic black-hole growth. Their findings reveal that black hole growth is primarily driven by accretion, with mergers playing a secondary role, especially in the early universe. These insights help explain the rapid growth of black holes during the universe’s younger phases. How [...]

Cosmic Winds at Warp Speed: How Black Holes Propel Galaxy Evolution

Chris Barncard, University of Wisconsin-Madison — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 03:52:49 +0000

A new discovery helps illuminate how active black holes can continuously shape their galaxies by spurring on or snuffing out the development of new stars. Astronomical research reveals that supermassive black holes accelerate gas in galaxies, significantly affecting star development through powerful winds. This study adds crucial insights into how black holes shape their galaxies. [...]

Echoes of Ancient Flares: The “Quiet Monster” of the Milky Way Revealed

Carolyn Collins Petersen, Universe Today — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 23:09:02 +0000

Scientists studied the past activity of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole in our galaxy, by analyzing light echoes from x-ray flares, indicating frequent past material consumption and a historically brighter state. The supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy is a quiet monster. However, Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A* for [...]

Real-Time Revelation: Witnessing a Massive Black Hole’s Dramatic Awakening

European Southern Observatory (ESO) — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:00:34 +0000

Astronomers believe the 2019 brightening of galaxy SDSS1335+0728 may be the first real-time observation of a massive black hole awakening. The galaxy’s persistent increase in light across various wavelengths and the onset of X-ray emissions make this event unprecedented. Unprecedented Brightening Suddenly, in late 2019, the previously unremarkable galaxy SDSS1335+0728 started shining brighter than ever [...]

Echoes of Creation: The Roman Telescope’s Quest for Primordial Black Holes

Ashley Balzer, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 20:21:16 +0000

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope might reveal previously undetected “featherweight” black holes with masses similar to Earth’s. These primordial black holes, formed in the early universe, could significantly impact our understanding of astronomy and particle physics, potentially explaining some of the dark matter in the universe. Astronomers have discovered black holes ranging from a [...]

“Flares” and “Echoes” – Unveiling the Monster Black Hole at Our Galaxy’s Core

Samantha Brichta, Michigan State University — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 15:06:53 +0000

Michigan State University researchers have made important discoveries about the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center, presenting their findings based on NuSTAR X-ray data. Researchers led by Shuo Zhang have presented new findings that will help scientists better understand the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*. Grace Sanger-Johnson, [...]

Dark Matter Decoded: How Neutron Stars May Solve the Universe’s Biggest Mystery

University of Melbourne — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 13:33:19 +0000

Recent research indicates that neutron stars might quickly heat up due to dark matter collisions, offering a new way to detect and study dark matter. Scientists may be one step closer to unraveling one of the universe’s greatest mysteries. Their recent calculations suggest that neutron stars could play a crucial role in shedding light on [...]

Quantum Theory Unveils Surprising Black Hole Shortage

University of Tokyo — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 01:21:40 +0000

Quantum field theory reveals potential flaws in models predicting numerous primordial black holes, suggesting fewer exist, which may impact theories of dark matter and the universe’s structure. Researchers have applied the well-understood and highly verified quantum field theory, usually applied to the study of the very small, to a new target, the early universe. Their [...]

At the Dawn of Time: MIT Physicists Link Dark Matter to “Super-Charged” Microscopic Black Holes

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:21:59 +0000

In the first quintillionth of a second, the universe may have sprouted microscopic black holes with enormous amounts of nuclear charge, according to MIT physicists. MIT researchers propose that primordial black holes, possibly a form of dark matter, could have been formed in the first moments after the Big Bang and carried high levels of [...]

Cosmic Forge: The Creation of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes in Dense Star Clusters

School of Science, The University of Tokyo — Thu, 30 May 2024 18:00:25 +0000

New research utilizes the first-ever simulations of individual stars in forming globular clusters to explore potential formation mechanisms of intermediate-mass black holes. A new study demonstrated a possible formation mechanism of intermediate-mass black holes in globular clusters, star clusters that could contain tens of thousands or even millions of tightly packed stars. The first ever [...]

Vanishing Without a Trace: Why Stars Mysteriously Disappear From the Night Sky

University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science — Wed, 29 May 2024 03:23:50 +0000

Astrophysicists at the University of Copenhagen help explain a mysterious phenomenon, whereby stars suddenly vanish from the night sky. Their study of an unusual binary star system has resulted in convincing evidence that massive stars can completely collapse and become black holes without a supernova explosion. One day, the star at the center of our [...]