According to new simulations, the spiral arms of the galaxy are responsible for collecting gas to feed the supermassive black hole in the center. For the first time, Northwestern University in the United States showed in detail how gas flows through the universe to the center of a supermassive black hole, which is sufficient to fully explain the powerful simulation of the evolution and factors affecting the supermassive black hole, and it also provides rare insights into the mysterious nature of quasars. Quasars are the most powerful active galactic nuclei and the brightest celestial bodies, even brighter than the entire galaxy.
The Northwestern University research team showed that the light observed from distant quasars is generated when gas falls into a supermassive black hole and heats up. Simulation results show that galaxy structures such as spiral arms use gravitational “brake”, otherwise the gas will always orbit the center of the galaxy . The research was published in the journal Astrophysical.
A supermassive black hole equivalent to millions or even billions of solar masses can swallow about 10 times the mass of the sun in a year. But some supermassive black holes enjoy a continuous food supply, while some black holes dormant for millions of years, only suddenly awakened by accidental influx of gas.
The details of how gas travels through the universe to feed supermassive black holes are still a problem. To solve this mystery, the research team developed new simulations that will include cosmic expansion, large-scale galaxy environments, gravitational gas fluid dynamics, and massive stars Key processes such as feedback are integrated into the model. Because powerful events such as supernovae inject large amounts of energy into the surrounding medium, they will affect the way galaxies evolve, so it is necessary to combine all the details and physical processes. The new technology has increased the resolution of the model by more than a thousand times. The previous model can tell us what is happening near the black hole, but does not contain information about other parts of the galaxy and the surrounding environment. It turns out that it is very important to connect all processes at the same time.
The existence of a supermassive black hole is surprising in itself. To form a supermassive black hole, a large amount of matter needs to be packed into a small space. How does the universe do this? So far, astronomers have not reached a consensus. The new simulation can help researchers understand the origin of the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way and the M87 Virgo galaxy. The next goal is to count a large number of galaxies and the central black hole to better understand how black holes form and develop under various conditions.
German: Ute Kraus, Physics Didactics Ute Kraus, University of Hildesheim, Tempolimit Light Speed, (Milky Way Panorama in the Background: Axel Mellinger) English: Ute Kraus, Physics Education Group H Kraes, University Travel, (background image of the milky way: Axel Mellinger), CC BY-SA 2.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons）
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