JWST Detects ‘Monster’ Black Holes Sprouting From Massive Cosmic ‘Seeds’  

MIT astronomers have studied far-off quasars by using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to explore the mysteries underlying the formation of black holes.

With its unmatched capabilities, the James Webb Space Telescope has looked back over 13 billion years and captured elusive light from extinct quasars. Driven by black holes, these bright objects provide light on the early phases of the universe’s formation. Interestingly, Webb’s studies have shown that, compared to their modern counterparts, the black holes that powered these quasars were disproportionately more significant than their host galaxies.

Minghao Yue of MIT emphasises the importance of these discoveries and draws attention to the “monster” black holes’ explosive expansion in the early cosmos. Fueled by cosmic debris, these primordial seeds set the stage for forming the enormous black holes we see today. There is still disagreement on the precise nature of these seeds; hypotheses range from direct collapse events to supernova remnants.

The MIT assistant professor of physics, Anna-Christina Eilers, highlights the significance of their findings, speculating that supermassive black holes might have formed their mass independently of their host galaxies. There was a complex interaction between black holes and galaxy formation in the early universe, as evidenced by the mass ratio between core black holes and host galaxies that was very different from present-day levels.

Due to their tremendous brightness and the difficulties of differentiating between the emissions of the black hole and the stars of the host galaxy, quasars present many obstacles to light detection. However, the MIT team overcame these challenges with Webb’s superior sensitivity and resolution, which provided previously unheard-of insights into cosmic processes.

These results, published in the Astrophysical Journal, represent a critical turning point in our understanding of the black hole’s origin and the universe’s evolution.