Researchers from the Faculty of Physics at the Technion and the University of Tokyo present new discoveries about the emission of winds at 20-30% of the speed of light from black holes
New research published in the journal Nature Discovers a significant phenomenon that occurs in black holes: winds that move at 30-20 percent of the speed of light. The study was led by Prof. Ehud Bachar from the Faculty of Physics at the Technion and Prof. Koichi Hagino from the University of Tokyo and focused on the massive black hole PDS 456.
The study was conducted in collaboration with the Japanese Space Agency JAXA and was based on data from the XRISM space telescope, which measures X-rays and is designed to lead to new discoveries about the formation of the universe, the evolution of galaxy clusters and the edge of space-time around black holes. This technology is already helping to map important phenomena in the universe and to understand dynamic processes related to the formation of elements and the evolution of cosmic structures.
Background: At the center of most galaxies are supermassive black holes. Their mass is directly proportional to the mass of the center of the galaxy (bulge) in which they reside, so researchers assume that they evolve together with their galaxy. This joint evolution is probably related to strong winds emitted from the vicinity of the black hole. These winds can be detected using X-ray observations, but existing observation technologies have not made it possible to accurately map the motion of these winds and their structure. This problem has now been solved thanks to the XRISM observations.
Key revelations:
- The intense winds erupting from the black hole carry 1,000 times more energy than the known galactic winds.
- These winds do not move in a uniform flow but in clumps, a kind of "projectiles."
- They are emitted in many directions at the same time.
- The estimated rate of emission of the gas that makes up these winds is hundreds of solar masses each year. This is an enormous emission rate even in galactic terms.
About the XRISM project
XRISM is a joint project of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA with a contribution from ESA (the European Space Agency). Prof. Bachar is the only researcher on the telescope's scientific team who is not from one of these countries, and he was personally appointed by the director of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. XRISM was built based on lessons learned from previous Japanese telescopes that were shut down at various stages due to malfunctions. The XRISM mission is designed to create a sequence of X-ray observations - a sequence that could have been disrupted by the time gap between previous X-ray telescopes and the ATHENA telescope, which will be launched no earlier than 2035. XRISM will be the only telescope of its kind for at least 13 years, thus ensuring that observational sequence that is essential for deepening our knowledge of the astrophysics of the violent universe at high energies.
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One response
A black hole is a body from which nothing escapes, so what is the source of the matter of these winds and how do they move in the opposite direction to the gravity of the black hole?