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Simulation Explains Supermassive Black Holes

Posted by Zonk on from the that-sinking-feeling dept.

Spy der Mann writes "Using a new computer model of galaxy formation, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have shown that growing black holes release a blast of energy that fundamentally regulates galaxy evolution and black hole growth itself. According to its creators, 'the model explains for the first time observed phenomena and promises to deliver deeper insights into our understanding of galaxy formation and the role of black holes throughout cosmic history'. Hi res pictures and animations (divX) are also available."

7 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Pretty Interesting by mbrother · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is my area of expertise, from the observational side. I've just finished writing a proposal (due today!) to observe "post-starburst quasars" in the infrared with the Spitzer Space Telescope. These are quasars that still show clear signs of massive starbursts, observations that can in principle test simulations like the ones discussed in the article. I've seen Di Matteo give a talk on this topic a year or two ago, and she strikes me as very good. I'm going to have to check out the new work closely -- I have suspicions that their explanation will fail in some details. But that's what makes science fun, finding the problems with ideas and fixing them, or forcing everyone to move on.

    --
    Professor of Astronomy, Author of Spider Star & Star Dragon (Tor)
    1. Re:Pretty Interesting by js7a · · Score: 2, Interesting

      so, how long are quasars resulting from supermassive black hole collisions expected to last?

    2. Re:Pretty Interesting by Ev0lution · · Score: 4, Interesting
      This is my area of expertise, from the observational side

      This was my area of expertise too, although I've now left astronomy. I worked indirectly with Volker Springel, who is extremely good (his simulation code, GADGET, was depressingly better than mine!). The bit that's new is the treatment of radiative transfer, which is extremely hard to model (the full treatment is a time-dependent function of six variables, so you have to simplify it somehow). Doing it well is an achievement in itself, but it's also where the numerics are likely to be wrong. The non-radiative aspect of the simulations isn't new (I did similar simulations for galaxy clusters in my thesis, and although I did them better - at the time - it wasn't new then).

  2. Bold claims by ralphclark · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Surely the word "may" belongs in there somewhere?

  3. Re:Whoa, massive blackhole... by Flendon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    i always have wondering since nothing can escape then why is it emitting something out of it? Just a thought.

    The blackholes don't actually emit anything. The accretion disk is what does the emitting. Imagine water going down a drain. Most of the matter approaching a blackhole is not on a direct collision course but rather the blackhole sucks it close where it spirals downward. The spiraling excites the atoms creating huge bursts of energy, sometimes enough to blast nearby matter out of the gravitational field.

    --
    chown -R us ./base
  4. Implications for our own galaxy? by kcbrown · · Score: 5, Interesting
    If I'm not mistaken, the Milky way and the Andromeda galaxy will collide (or have a near-miss, I'm not sure which) about a billion years hence.

    If both galaxies have black holes at their centers, and the simulation is correct, then I have to wonder what the consequences will be for life within either galaxy, as I would imagine the burst of radiation from the collision of the black holes (and the resulting quasar) will be deadly.

    Anyone wanna chime in with some numbers?

    Maybe the Pierson's Puppeteers have the right idea after all...

    --
    Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
    1. Re:Implications for our own galaxy? by kamikasei · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This is gone over in one of Alastair Reynolds' books - Redemption Ark I believe it was. From what I can remember the main problem wasn't colliding stars but colliding gas clouds and such, prompting new star formation, leading quickly to supernovas, which due to their size or location or both would basically sterilize most of the galaxy. Not quite a boring night sky...