Astronomers Spot a Rogue Supermassive Black Hole, Hurtling Through Space Leaving Star Formation in its Wake - by EvanGough2
If you’ve never heard of a runaway SMBH, you’re not alone. SMBHs are normally locked into place at the centers of galaxies, and that’s where they stay. But scientists think that in rare circumstances SMBHs can escape their galaxies. In their paper, the authors explain how an SMBH can be cast out of its host galaxy.
Astronomers recognize a couple of ways that they can identify a runaway SMBH. The easiest way is if the hole is actively absorbing material as an active galactic nucleus and can be identified by its luminosity. “For such objects,” the authors write, “the presence of an SMBH is not in doubt, but it can be difficult to determine whether they are ‘naked’ black holes or the nuclei of merging galaxies.
These images from the Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys show the linear feature that may result from a rogue SMBH. Image Credit: van DokkumWhen an SMBH travels through ionized hydrogen in the CGM, it produces a shock front with a long wake trailing behind it. In the wake, clouds of shocked gas can cool and form stars that look like knots in the trail. The researchers analyzed three of the knots in the linear feature and measured their ages and metallicity.
This figure from the research shows the morphology of the galaxy in F606W and F814W The arrow indicates the direction of the linear feature. The galaxy is compact and shows irregular features, possibly indicating a recent merger and/or a connection to the linear feature. Image Credit: van DokkumThere is, however, another possible explanation for the linear feature. It could be a black hole jet rather than a rogue SMBH.
showing that the circumgalactic medium can have highly assymetric flows, and the SMBH at A is travelling through such a region of relatively dense and cold CGM. Image Credit: van Dokkum“The line ratios, colours, and the overall morphology are consistent with an ejected SMBH moving through the CGM at high speed while triggering star formation,” they write.
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