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National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Dense molecular gas disks drive the growth of supermassive black holes - Are supernova explosions the key?

| Science

Dense molecular gas disks drive the growth of supermassive black holes
A conceptual rendition of gas being driven into a supermassive black hole following a supernova explosion. Strong turbulence caused by supernova explosions inside a dense molecular gas disk in the central region of a galaxy disturbs the stable motion of gas. This causes the gas to flow further inward toward the supermassive black hole at the center. Original size (1MB)

A joint team of University of Tokyo researchers and their collaborators, using ALMA and other telescopes that utilize radio waves for space observation, revealed that dense molecular gas disks a few hundred light years in scale located at the centers of galaxies supply gas to supermassive black holes situated within them. This finding provides important insights on the growth of supermassive black holes over cosmic time.

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