Scientists have long suspected that active supermassive black holes could destroy their host galaxies, but new research suggests that these cosmic giants are more like serial killers, spreading their vicious rampage across light years and potentially destroying neighboring galaxies as well.
For scientists, the “death” of a galaxy means a reduction in star formation. supermassive black hole This is known to happen because the gas and dust in the reservoir heats up while actively feeding, causing its contents to emit powerful radiation. This radiation displaces gases, or body components. star — thereby starving the galaxy or black hole itself — or simply heating up its gas, preventing it from getting cold enough to collapse and form star bodies. Both outcomes could slow or stop star formation.
Zhu et al. point out that this effect suggests the existence of a “galactic ecosystem” similar to the linked ecosystems of the Milky Way. earth Changes in one region can have a significant impact on conditions in another region.
“An active supermassive black hole is like a hungry predator that dominates an ecosystem,” he says. “Simply put, it swallows matter and affects how stars in nearby galaxies grow.”
Neighborhood goes!
A supermassive black hole has a mass millions or even billions of times its own mass. solar Though thought to exist at the center of all large galaxies, not all of these celestial bodies are cosmic killers. For example, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is in the center. milky way It may have once quelled star formation in our galaxy, but it is now quiet, existing on a diet equivalent to humans eating one grain of rice every million years.
Active supermassive black holes voraciously feed on material from surrounding swirling clouds called accretion disks. Their massive gravity generates tidal forces on this accretion disk, causing intense friction and resulting high temperatures that cause this region to shine brightly across the electromagnetic spectrum. These turbulent regions, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), are visible from across the Universe in a phenomenon known as .quasar”, often outshining the combined light of all the stars in the host galaxy.
However, not all of the material in the accretion disk is channeled into the black hole. Some of the material is guided to the poles of the supermassive black hole, where it is ejected in twin parallel jets traveling at speeds close to the speed of light. These jets can extend far beyond the limits of galaxies containing active supermassive black holes.
Given the intense radiation of the accretion disk and the intense outflow represented by these twin jets, it is no wonder that active supermassive black holes have a powerful influence on the evolution of their host galaxies.
Since then, james webb space telescope (JWST) began exploring the universe and uncovered interesting patterns about quasars. The more massive and powerful these active supermassive black holes are, the less they appear to be surrounded by neighboring galaxies. This is interesting because large galaxies are usually found clustered together rather than in isolation.
“We were perplexed,” Zhu explained. “Did the expensive JWST break?” he added with a laugh. “We then discovered that galaxies may actually exist, but were difficult to detect because very recent star formation had been suppressed.”
Zhu and his colleagues began to suspect that bright quasars weren’t just inhibiting star formation in their own galaxy’s backyard. It may also be a nuisance to neighboring residents.
To investigate the possibility that active supermassive black holes are disrupting star formation in nearby galaxies, the researchers set out to study J0100+2802, one of the brightest quasars ever observed. This quasar existed when the universe was less than a billion years old, and its central engine is a supermassive black hole with a mass about 12 billion times that of the Sun.
Using JWST, scientists looked for traces of ionized oxygen in the galaxy around J0100+2802, a sign of recent star formation. They found that galaxies within 1 million light-years of this powerful quasar have far less material tracking the star’s birth than galaxies outside that radius. This suggests that star formation in these nearby galaxies is being crushed.
“Black holes are known to ‘eat’ a lot of things, but in the process of active eating and in their bright quasar form, they also emit very intense radiation. The intense heat and radiation split the hydrogen molecules that make up the vast interstellar gas clouds, eliminating the possibility of them accumulating and turning into new stars,” Zhu said. “For the first time, we have evidence that this radiation is affecting the universe on an intergalactic scale.
“Quasars not only suppress stars within their host galaxy, but also stars in nearby galaxies within a radius of at least 1 million light-years.”
The researchers now want to look for this effect in other so-called quasar fields to get a clearer picture of how supermassive black holes affect their cosmic neighbors.
“Understanding how galaxies interacted with each other in the early universe will help us better understand how our galaxy formed,” Zhu said. “We now know that supermassive black holes may have played a much larger role in the evolution of galaxies than once thought. They acted as cosmic predators, influencing the growth of stars in nearby galaxies during the early universe.”
Team results will be announced on December 3, 2025. Astrophysical Journal Letters.