Scientists have discovered supermassive black hole winds blowing at speeds up to 36 million miles per hour (58 million km/h). The winds were detected coming from the quasar SBS 1408+544, located 13 billion light years away.
By observing the quasar over 8 years, the researchers noticed shifts in the spectrum of light being absorbed by carbon. This indicated gases were being pushed farther away by radiation from the quasar. The increased shifting over time shows the winds are accelerating as they are pushed by radiation from the quasar’s accretion disk.
These are some of the fastest supermassive black hole winds ever observed. The study provides direct evidence that bright quasars can drive powerful galactic-scale winds capable of influencing the evolution of their host galaxies and neighboring galaxies. The winds could potentially cut off star formation or trigger new stars by compressing gas.
The quasar powering these winds is almost as old as the universe itself, dating back 13 billion years. It allows scientists to study the role of supermassive black holes in shaping galaxies early in the universe’s history. The findings help scientists better understand how galaxies evolved over cosmic time.
Source: Space
