Supermassive Black Hole Challenges Astrophysics

January 24, 2025

An international team used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Chandra X-ray Observatory to discover a unique black hole, LID-568. LID-568 is feeding on matter at a rate 40 times higher than what scientists believed was possible

Background on Supermassive Black Holes

Supermassive black holes are prevalent in galaxies, often residing at their centres.
They possess masses ranging from millions to billions of solar masses.
For instance, Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole in the Milky Way, weighs about 4.3 million solar masses.
However, the mechanisms behind their substantial growth remain a mystery.

About LID-568

Location & Discovery: LID-568 is a low-mass supermassive black hole from 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. It was first detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and later studied with JWST’s infrared technology.
Exceptional Growth: The black hole has a mass 10 million times that of the Sun, growing at a rate far beyond the Eddington limit, challenging traditional models of black hole growth.
Primordial Black Hole: It might be a primordial black hole, possibly formed from collapsing gas clouds or early star explosions, rather than traditional stellar collapse.

Feeding Mechanism and Eddington Limit

The feeding rate of black holes is constrained by the Eddington limit, which describes the balance of gravitational pull and radiation pressure from infalling matter.
The Eddington limit is the maximum rate at which a black hole can accrete material without being counteracted by outward radiation pressure.
LID-568 has exceeded this limit , with a feeding rate nearly 40 times higher than expected. This phenomenon, termed super-Eddington accretion, allows black holes to grow at unprecedented rates.

Significance of the Findings

The discovery of LID-568 challenges existing models of black hole formation. Traditional theories suggest that supermassive black holes form from the remnants of early stars or through the collapse of primordial gas clouds. However, these models struggle to account for the rapid growth of such massive black holes in the early universe, where matter was scarce.

Implications for Black Hole Growth Models

The existence of LID-568 implies that black holes may gain mass through short-lived yet intense feeding episodes. This finding suggests an alternative mechanism for black hole formation, allowing them to achieve mass quickly without relying solely on prolonged accretion of large amounts of matter.

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