Found a new type of black hole, hidden in dense star clusters

The researchers have found evidence of a new type of black hole, which is 2,200 times the mass of the Sun, hidden in a dense cluster.

Black holes are one of the most mysterious objects in the universe. All black holes fall into two categories: one is small black holes with masses only a few times heavier than the Sun; the second is supermassive black holes with masses equivalent to millions of billions of Sun.

But recently, researchers have found a new type of black hole, called " medium mass black hole , " which weighs 2,200 times the mass of black holes in this type of sun, and they are often hidden in dense star clusters.

Previously, researchers also predicted the existence of medium-mass black holes, but they only estimated its mass at about 100 to 1,000 times the Sun. But recently they have observed the reality of a black hole in this group.

Mid-range black holes hold an important clue about how supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies become so large, this problem is still unexplained based on our understanding of things. physical.

The newly discovered black hole could solve the mystery of super-giant black holes.(Artwork: CfA / M. Weiss).

"We want to find medium-sized black holes, because they are bricks connecting small black holes and supermassive black holes. They can be primitive black holes before they develop into those. Giant monsters are located in the center of the galaxy we see today, "said chief researcher Bulent Kiziltan at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

The newly discovered medium-sized black hole lurks in a globular cluster called 47 Tucanae. This cluster is located 13,000 light-years from Earth, south of the Tucana constellation (Quyen).

Star cluster 47 Tucanae contains thousands of stars and about twenty pulsars (remnants of dead stars) in a spherical space about 120 light-years across. Researchers have long been searching for the existence of a black hole inside the core of this cluster.

The black hole is formed when the star collapses into its own, the end of the star's life. At this time, the entire material of the star collapsed and compressed into the interior, causing the density of matter to become dense.

Usually scientists detect black holes by looking at X-ray light, when they are swallowing matter, the flow of matter will run from a swallowed object and roll around its disk.

But a black hole in the globular cluster is different, they are very difficult to catch because their gravitational pull is so large that it makes the swallowing of material take place without any light coming out.

In addition, this method is only possible when black holes swallow material in a dust-filled area. Star cluster 47 Tucanae has no dust, so even if the black hole is eating violently, we still cannot detect it.

Later, scientists devised another way to detect this black hole, which is to consider the impact of black holes on nearby stars. This method is also used to find black holes at the center of galaxies. Yet, the central region of Tucanae 47 is too crowded, making the method impossible.

"The mid-range black holes we anticipated for decades, but we still do not have a really convincing observation ," Kiziltan added.

In the latest study, the team used two different approaches to acquire this new type of black hole. First, they track the overall movement of stars in the entire cluster, not just tracking one or two specific stars.

Star cluster 47 Tucanae contains thousands of stars and about twenty pulsars.

The team found that there was something like a giant spoon in the universe, stirring a large pot of stars as stars, causing them to move higher and have a longer distance. The most likely explanation for this case is a black hole.

They then observed the pulsars in the cluster . Pulsars are remnants of dead stars , launching massive explosions into space in the form of radio signals. The pulsars in 47 Tucanae also become strange compared to pulsars in other star clusters, and what makes them so is because of a black hole between them.

Performing computer simulations, the researchers calculated that the cluster must contain a medium-sized black hole. This black hole has a mass of about 2,200 solar masses including errors, with at least 1,400 times the highest and 3,700 solar masses.

Researchers will continue to learn more about this new type of black hole to get a clear view of how they work. This technique can be used to find more mid-range black holes in the universe, they have listed potential star clusters to search.

So we got closer to the answer to the mysteries of the supermassive black hole, hoping in the future we will better understand how the monsters work at the galactic centers. this.