Black-Hole Jets May Heat Gas Far Beyond Galaxies
A new study of 324 galaxies reveals that supermassive black hole jets heat and ionize gas far beyond the host galaxy. This process helps explain why galaxies do not form stars as rapidly as expected by preventing gas from cooling and collapsing.
Why it matters
This discovery provides critical insight into the evolution of galaxies and the role of black holes in regulating star formation across the universe.
Select Preferred on Google News Black-Hole Jets Reach Beyond Galaxies A study of 324 galaxies has found evidence that powerful jets launched by supermassive black holes can energise gas far beyond their host galaxies, potentially affecting the material needed to form new stars.
The gas, known as the circumgalactic medium (CGM), can extend 10–20 times farther than a galaxy itself. It acts as a reservoir that can eventually supply material for star formation. Yet galaxies do not produce stars at the enormous rates that might be expected if all this gas cooled and collapsed.
Astronomers have long suspected that supermassive black holes could help prevent this cooling. The new study, led by Namrata Roy, Assistant Professor in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Division at the Raman Research Institute, provides observational evidence for one possible mechanism.
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