Massive Discovery: Astronomers Uncover the Largest Black Hole Jet—Equivalent to Three Milky Ways!

Jets of charged particles speed away from certain galaxies, lighting up radio telescopes and revealing how black holes shape the universe. However, their signals become faint over distances, hidden by the microwave background left from the Big Bang.

Astronomers suspected that many early galaxies produced these jets, but until now, detecting them proved challenging. Recent analysis has changed that.

The newly enhanced radio image has revealed twin jets extending about 66,000 light-years from a quasar named J1601+3102. This observation lets us glimpse the quasar as it was over 12.1 billion years ago, when the universe was still quite young, around 1.2 billion years old.

The Focus on Quasar J1601+3102

Quasar J1601+3102 showcases a central black hole that weighs about 450 million suns. Even in those early days, it could pull in gas and dust, generating significant radiation. Typically, jets at such distances fade out before reaching our instruments. The new image, captured by the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), illustrates a vast structure nearly 200,000 light-years across, hinting at a powerful, long-lasting engine fueling these jets.

Anniek Gloudemans, a postdoctoral researcher at NOIRLab, explains, “Our goal was to understand when and how these early jets formed and their role in galaxy evolution.”

LOFAR’s Clarity

LOFAR, which integrates over 50 stations across Europe, excels in capturing long-wavelength radio waves. In these frequencies, even faint clouds of electrons shine, enabling scientists to trace the entire length of a jet.

Frits Sweijen from Durham University adds, “We initially thought the southern jet was just a nearby noise. It was surprising to find detailed structures instead.”

Gathering a Complete Picture

To better understand J1601+3102, researchers used infrared data from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii and visible-light data from the Hobby Eberly Telescope in Texas. By analyzing the magnesium emission line, they learned how quickly matter spirals toward the black hole and how swiftly the galaxy is moving away due to cosmic expansion.

Gloudemans highlights the significance of this discovery, stating, “It’s only because of the extreme nature of this object that we can observe it despite the vast distance. It demonstrates how powerful consolidated telescope efforts can reveal remarkable cosmic details.”

The Structure’s Energy Source

Interestingly, the quasar’s engine isn’t as massive as first thought. The black hole isn’t exceptionally large compared to others. This observation suggests that even smaller black holes can generate powerful jets early in the universe.

The jets suggest interactions with surrounding gas clouds or neighboring cosmic structures. Distinguishing such distant jets is complex because the cosmic microwave background brightens with distance, drowning out weaker signals. Observing such powerful jets is rare, making J1601+3102’s discovery notable.

Implications for Galaxy Evolution

Each newly found jet provides insights into how black holes influence their galaxies. By ejecting gas, these jets can slow star formation or even encourage it. The presence of J1601+3102 indicates that this process was already at play during the universe’s infancy, shaping galaxies as we know them today.

As technology improves, upcoming sensitive radio surveys and infrared telescopes will likely uncover many similar objects. Each discovery will carry messages from a time when the universe was dim, revealing how modest black holes could foster immense jets across vast distances.

The full study is detailed in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

For further reading, check out the original research here.

Source link