Breaking a 50-Year Law: New Evidence Challenges Fundamental Black Hole Physics
janrinok writes:
New observations suggest that the relationship between light emitted by quasars has changed over cosmic time, hinting that the structure around supermassive black holes may not be as universal as once thought.
Astronomers from around the world have uncovered strong evidence suggesting that the material surrounding supermassive black holes has not remained the same throughout the history of the universe.
If confirmed, the findings from a study led by the National Observatory of Athens and published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society could overturn a key assumption that has shaped black hole research for nearly fifty years.
Quasars, which were first recognized in the 1960s, rank among the most luminous objects ever observed. Their extraordinary brightness comes from supermassive black holes that draw in nearby matter through intense gravitational forces. As this material falls inward, it forms a rapidly rotating disc that ultimately feeds the black hole.
The disc heats up to extreme temperatures as particles collide and rub against one another while orbiting the black hole. This process releases an astonishing amount of energy, producing between 100 and 1,000 times more light than an entire galaxy made up of roughly 100 billion stars. The resulting ultraviolet radiation is so powerful that telescopes can detect quasars across immense distances, even near the farthest reaches of the observable universe.
The ultraviolet light of the disc is also believed to be the fuel for the much more energetic X-ray light produced by quasars: the ultraviolet light rays as they travel through space intercept clouds of highly energetic particles very close to the black hole, a structure also known as the "corona".
As they bounce off these energetic particles, the ultraviolet rays are boosted in energy and generate intense X-ray light that our detectors can also spot.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.