Supermassive black holes halt rapid construction in an ancient celestial city
Galaxy clusters—the great cities of the universe—are home to many giant elliptical galaxies that have finished growing but have not yet formed stars. However, it’s unclear what prevents stars from forming. In a new study, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope to observe the ancestors of galaxy clusters reveal the role of supermassive black holes in slowing star formation and allowing them to evolve into giant elliptical galaxies.
Understanding how galaxies form and complete their growth is a fundamental area of interest in astrophysics. Dense regions of the universe, such as galaxy clusters, are dominated by giant elliptical galaxies—huge, ancient galaxies composed of ancient stars. Although the mechanism by which these giant elliptical galaxies prevent star formation remains controversial, theory predicts that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) may play a key role. Their intense energy can suppress a galaxy’s gas supply, which could lead to the formation of the giant elliptical galaxies seen today.
Against this background, an international research team used data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study giant galaxies in an ancient galaxy cluster called the Spider Web Protocluster located 11 billion light-years away. researched. The research was led by Associate Professor Rhythm Shimakawa of Waseda University, Japan; Dr. Yusei Koyama of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; Professor Tadayuki Kodama of Tohoku University, Japan; Dr. Helmut Dannerbauer and Dr. JM Perez-Martinez from the Institute of Astronomy of the Canary and the University of Laguna, Spain; and others on the team. Their findings were published in Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices: Letters December 18, 2024.
Using the near-infrared camera installed on JWST, the team successfully obtained high-resolution maps of hydrogen recombination lines, which show star formation and the activity of supermassive black holes. Detailed analysis shows that massive galaxies with active SMBHs show no signs of star formation, meaning their growth is severely hampered by SMBHs. The findings support theoretical predictions that the formation of giant elliptical galaxies is related to past supermassive black hole activity.
“Our team has been studying the Spider Web Protocluster for more than a decade using the Subaru Telescope and other facilities. With the new JWST data, we are now able to ‘answer’ our accumulated questions for understanding and predicting galaxy formation,” Shimakawa Dr. commented. He further added: “This study marks an important step forward in expanding our understanding of the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies in celestial cities.”
2024-12-18 18:17:33