Cambridge, UK – In a groundbreaking observation, the James Webb Space Telescope has detected a pair of black holes colliding in the ancient universe for the first time. This phenomenon occurred when the universe was only 740 million years old, shedding light on the presence of monster black holes in early galaxies. The merger of these massive black holes offers insight into the rapid growth of supermassive black holes, such as the one at the center of the Milky Way.
According to Prof Roberto Maiolino from the University of Cambridge, the discovery of frequent massive mergers in the infant universe could help explain the extraordinary sizes of supermassive black holes. The observations suggest that the merging of galaxies may contribute significantly to the growth of these celestial giants. Recent models propose that during galaxy mergers, one black hole might be ejected into space, becoming a “wandering black hole.”
Using the advanced capabilities of the Webb telescope, astronomers were able to witness the first glimpse of galactic mergers in the distant past. Through this process, black holes consume large amounts of matter and emit significant amounts of energy, allowing astronomers to identify these collisions. The ongoing collision observed in the ZS7 system involves one black hole estimated to be 50 million times the mass of the sun.
Further studies revealed that approximately one-third of the black holes detected during this time period were in the process of merging. This finding suggests that black hole collisions could be a crucial factor in the rapid growth of early black holes. Prof Andrew Pontzen, a cosmologist at University College London, notes that understanding the origins of giant black holes is a significant puzzle in the cosmic history book. The evidence from the Webb telescope indirectly supports the idea of black hole collisions playing a vital role in their formation.
Future research aims to directly measure ancient collisions using next-generation gravitational wave detectors, like the recently approved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (Lisa) mission by the European Space Agency. The findings of this observation have been documented in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.