What came first: supermassive black holes or galaxies?

A hole, something previously thought impossible. The researchers published their findings in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and suggest that a new theory of galaxy formation is needed to explain the existence of supermassive black holes. Traditional theories of galaxy formation assume that stars and galaxies form gradually over billions of years, and that black holes emerge after the first stars form and act as regulators to maintain galaxy balance. ing. However, JWST observations showed that the first galaxies in the universe were brighter than expected, many of them coexisting with stars and supermassive black holes to form quasars. Quasars are the brightest objects in the universe. They are the result of gas accretion (a process in which an object’s mass increases due to the gravitational pull of matter from surrounding space) onto a massive black hole at the center of a galaxy, producing a huge luminosity that exceeds that of its parent galaxy. It is explained. scientists. These observations led researchers to reconsider existing theories of galaxy formation, suggesting that black holes formed at the same time as the first stars, followed by the rest of the galaxies. Computer simulations are needed to confirm new theories about the mutual formation of stars and black holes and to further study such processes. The researchers noted that current computer simulations are very primitive and require high resolution to understand anything, which requires a lot of computing power and budget. However, the astronomical community can take other steps to revise and confirm new theories. The experts added that next steps will be based on improved observations. Her JWST’s full capacity to study the spectra of the most distant galaxies will be revealed in the coming years.

source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.02482