Unlocking the Universe: Astronomers Discover Hidden Supermassive Black Holes from the ‘Cosmic Dawn’ Era!

Using the Subaru Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have found seven hidden quasars powered by supermassive black holes. These quasars existed less than a billion years after the Big Bang, during a time known as “Cosmic Dawn.” This period marks the universe’s infancy, making these discoveries particularly exciting.

Researchers have long believed that supermassive black holes were common during this era, but evidence has been hard to come by. The latest findings suggest that these quasars might be twice as frequent as previously thought. Team leader Yoshiki Matsuoka from Ehime University explained that the unique capabilities of both telescopes made this discovery possible. The Subaru Telescope’s broad survey helped identify rare, bright galaxies, while JWST captured their faint infrared light.

Supermassive black holes, some billions of times heavier than the Sun, sit at the centers of galaxies. They operate differently: some, like the one in our Milky Way, are quiet, while others are actively consuming surrounding matter, creating bright quasars. When matter spirals into these black holes, it heats up and emits energy that we can detect from immense distances.

Researchers have been trying to locate quasars that existed during Cosmic Dawn. They suspect that if there were many supermassive black holes at that time, they arose from the remnants of the first stars. If not, then these black holes might have formed under special conditions, like the direct collapse of massive gas clouds.

Typically, astronomers find quasars by their ultraviolet emissions. However, cosmic dust absorbs these emissions, making it tough to spot heavily obscured quasars. To tackle this, the team used a survey technique with the Subaru Telescope, finding bright galaxies that might hint at hidden quasars. JWST then analyzed these galaxies in infrared light, allowing for a clearer view through the dust.

Of the eleven galaxies studied, seven showed signs of being quasars. These quasars emit energy equivalent to trillions of suns, powered by supermassive black holes, similar in characteristics to previously known quasars. Intriguingly, the surrounding dust absorbs 99.9% of the ultraviolet light and 70% of the visible light emitted by these quasars. This discovery points toward a potentially larger population of these cosmic giants than previously estimated.

The researchers now plan to investigate why these shrouded quasars behave differently from those that are not obscured. They aim to seek out more of these hidden black holes in broader regions of the early universe. By doing so, they hope to unfold the mystery surrounding the formation of supermassive black holes at Cosmic Dawn.

This study was featured in the July edition of The Astrophysical Journal. For more on the discovery, you can check the detailed findings in this journal article.

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