In a cosmic revelation that defies expectations, supermassive black holes may have an unforeseen delivery service for sustenance, allowing them to devour cosmic matter at an accelerated rate. Instead of the previously presumed feeding span of hundreds or thousands of years, these cosmic titans may gorge themselves over mere months. This groundbreaking discovery could illuminate the enigmatic process through which supermassive black holes consume their surroundings and its profound impact on galactic evolution.
Supermassive black holes, with masses dwarfing that of the sun by millions or even billions of times, reside at the cores of most galaxies. When encircled by expansive plates of gas and dust known as accretion disks, they give birth to quasars. These luminous beacons, the radiant hearts of active galaxies, can outshine the collective luminosity of every star within their host galaxies.
This newfound insight into the feeding rates of black holes may offer critical clues about how these cosmic giants absorb surrounding material and the consequential effects on galaxy evolution.
The research stems from high-resolution 3D simulations conducted by a team of scientists aiming to decipher the dynamics of black holes. To their astonishment, they uncovered an unexpectedly swift feeding rate. This revelation aligns with real-world observations of some quasars that exhibit rapid brightening and fading cycles on a timescale of months.
Nick Kaaz, the team leader and an astronomer at Northwestern University, commented, “How gas gets to a black hole to feed it is the central question in accretion-disk physics. If you know how that happens, it will tell you how long the disk lasts, how bright it is, and what the light should look like when we observe it with telescopes.”
The traditional concept of accretion disk theory assumed alignment between the disk and the black hole’s rotation. However, gas feeding supermassive black holes might not possess this innate knowledge. Thus, the assumption of alignment is being challenged, leading to a new perspective on the chaotic and turbulent environment around these voracious celestial entities.
The key to this revelation is the Lense-Thirring effect, which intensifies closer to the central black hole, causing the accretion disk to wobble and divide into inner and outer “subdisks.” Supermassive black holes initiate their cosmic feast by consuming the inner disk, and as they do, matter from the outer disk filters in to fill the gaps, perpetuating the feeding cycle.
Remarkably, the entire process, from eating to refilling, can unfold within a matter of months, a significantly shorter timescale than previously thought. This swift behavior may explain the rapid fluctuations observed in some quasars.
Kaaz noted, “Classical accretion disk theory predicts that the disk evolves slowly. But some quasars — which result from black holes eating gas from their accretion disks — appear to drastically change over time scales of months to years. This variation is so drastic.”
The simulations unveiled a dynamic environment where the accretion disk becomes more like the rings of a gyroscope than a flat spinning plate. The interplay between the Lense-Thirring effect, the warping of the disk system, and gas collisions generates bright shocks and funnels material closer to the black hole. Eventually, the wobbling effect becomes so powerful that the accretion disk splits, with the inner and outer disks evolving independently.
The frenetic feeding process initiates at the “tearing region” where the two disks meet, driven by friction and the relentless influence of the black hole’s rotation. The inner disk is devoured, pushing the remaining outer disk closer to the black hole. As a result, the entire accretion disk shifts from a spinning plate to the rings of a gyroscope.
This groundbreaking discovery unveils the extraordinary feeding dynamics of supermassive black holes, reshaping our understanding of these enigmatic cosmic entities and the evolving galaxies in which they reside. It challenges conventional theories and offers a glimpse into the turbulent and mesmerizing cosmos that surrounds them.
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