IA Portugal: Forecasting the Hunt for the First Supermassive Black Holes

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IA Portugal: Forecasting the Hunt for the First Supermassive Black Holes

Post by bystander » Wed May 08, 2019 3:55 pm

Forecasting the Hunt for the First Supermassive Black Holes
Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) | via SciGlow | 2019 May 08
A study predicting the number of supermassive black holes in the early universe within the reach of future X-ray and radio observatories was led by the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço.

It is believed that the formation and growth of most galaxies across the history of the universe have been fueled by black holes nested in their very centre. These have been growing together with their host galaxy as they collect matter up to attain millions of solar masses. Chasing the early stages of these extreme objects is among the missions of future powerful telescopes, but what will be the reward of their hunting?

A new and comprehensive estimate has now been presented in a study led by researchers of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA). The study predicts the number of very young galaxies with an active supermassive black hole at their core that should have existed when the universe was less than seven percent of its current age, and which are within the reach of future X-ray and radio telescopes already in the making. It was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and presented this week at the SPARCS IX meeting, where the science and technology of the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope are being discussed. ...

The First Super Massive Black Holes: Indications from Models for Future Observations ~ Stergios Amarantidis et al
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