Unveil the secret of cosmic drops in growing galaxies

Mysterious gas droplets in remote areas of the universe are no longer a mystery, according to astronomers at Chandra X-ray Observatory (NASA).

Large hydrogen gas reservoirs were discovered about a decade ago through surveys of distant young galaxies. The droplets of space glow brightly under ordinary light, but the powerful energy needed to maintain that light has not been clarified.

(Photo: NASA / CXC / A.Hobart )

Now, in the new photographs captured by Chandra Observatory, scientists have found evidence that gas droplets are being heated by the growth of nearby galaxies that contain massive supermassive black holes. in the center. In the picture, stillness shows how black holes in spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way, emit thermal pulses that illuminate the surrounding air.

Galaxies grow when gas clusters alternate between stars linked by gravity to cool down and thicken to form new stars. But in the end, the heat buildup in the surrounding gas has slowed the galaxy down.

"We are seeing signs that galaxies and black holes inside the cosmic droplet are maturing and they push the gases back," said Bret Lehmer, co-author of Durham University in the UK. again to stop the speed of growth. Large galaxies are forced to go through this stage or they will form too many stars and eventually they will be unusually large. '

The findings are published in the July 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

(Photo: NASA / CXC / M.Weiss)
The depiction published in June 2009 represents a panoramic view of the cosmic droplet, surrounding a spiral galaxy in a bright red dust cloud.

According to astronomers, cosmic droplets are so far away from us that the light of the earth today is from the time the universe was only 2 billion years old, or in other words the universe has only reached 15% of its age now.

(Photo: NASA / CXC / M.Weiss)

The matter that falls into the supermassive black hole at the center of a hot galaxy, they emit a radiant stream of radiation as shown in the illustration image.

The energy flows in both directions above the galaxy, which may be the factor that creates the great glowing droplets in the distant universe, citing researchers in the article published in June. 2009.

They observed X-ray light from 29 of these cosmic droplets in the far neighborhood called SSA 22. Five of them revealed a story related to the development of super black holes. great.

(Photo: NASA / CXC / M.Weiss)
Young galaxies often produce great stars. However, these giant monsters often die young, they disappear quickly after powerful explosions.

In addition to the energy from the central black hole, successive supernova explosions within developing galaxies also produce energy that heats the surrounding gas and forms cosmic droplets, as observed in the figure.

Finally, heat accumulates to a level that cannot be formed any more, scientists said.

Researcher James Geach of Durham University in England said: 'Cosmic droplets may be a relatively short period of existence in the development of galaxies. The amount of time they can be observed is relatively short. '

(Optical images: NASA / ESA / STScI / IoA / S.Chapman et al; Optical images Lyman-alpha: NAOJ / Subaru / Tohoku Univ./T.Hayashino et al .; Infrared photos: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Durham Univ./J.Geach et al.)
The image combines visible light and infrared rays combined by three telescopes to show the true glow of gas droplets (yellow) in the deep universe, which are in the midst of galaxies (color white) engulfed in hot air (red).

Until now, access to the heat source of air droplets is still challenging because the light observed from the object inside the droplet has been obscured by dense gas and dust, according to the authors. Research on the article published in June 2009. However, Chandra's X-ray market has been able to penetrate that curtain.

The X-ray images captured by Chandra Observatory, published in June 2009. In the image it is possible that the blue light spots seem to suddenly appear between the large gas cloud.

According to astronomers, this blue light appears to be a large source of energy emitted by giant black holes that reside at the center of growing galaxies.

Geach's research director said: 'Within the last decade, the secret of cosmic droplets has been hiding us, but now we have discovered their energy source. We can establish some important arguments about the role of these cosmic droplets in the formation of galaxies and black holes. '