The most luminous galaxy inwards the universe has been caught inwards the deed of stripping away nearly one-half the volume from at to the lowest degree iii of its smaller neighbors, according to a novel written report published inwards the journal Science. The low-cal from this galaxy, known equally W2246-0526, took 12.4 billion years to attain us, thus nosotros are seeing it equally it was when our universe was entirely well-nigh a 10th of its acquaint age.
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| Artist impression of W2246-0526, the most luminous known galaxy, too iii companion galaxies [Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF, S. Dagnello] |
The connecting tendrils betwixt the galaxies comprise well-nigh equally much cloth equally the galaxies themselves. ALMA's amazing resolution too sensitivity allowed the researchers to discovery these remarkably faint too distant trans-galactic streamers.
"We knew from previous information that at that topographic point were iii companion galaxies, but at that topographic point was no show of interactions betwixt these neighbors too the key source," said Tanio Díaz-Santos of the Universidad Diego Portales inwards Santiago, Chile, atomic number 82 writer of the study. "We weren't looking for cannibalistic demeanour too weren't expecting it, but this deep dive amongst the ALMA observatory makes it really clear."
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| ALMA ikon reveals how W2246-0526 is existence fed yesteryear iii companion galaxies through trans-galactic streamers of gas. The principal galaxy too 1 of its companions are inwards the center. To the lower left is only about other companion too its large tidal tail that connects it to the principal galaxy. The upper left concentration is the 3rd such companion galaxy [Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO),T. Díaz-Santos et al.; S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF)] |
The researchers emphasize that the sum of gas existence devoured yesteryear W2246-0526 is plenty to croak along it forming stars too feeding its key dark hole for hundreds of millions of years.
This galaxy's startling luminosity is non due to its private stars. Rather, its brightness is powered yesteryear a tiny, yet fantastically energetic disk of gas that is existence superheated equally it spirals inwards on the supermassive dark hole. The low-cal from this blazingly brilliant accretion disk is thus absorbed yesteryear the surrounding dust, which re-emits the liberate energy equally infrared light.
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| Composite ikon of W2246-0526 too its iii companion galaxies shown inwards the ALMA subdivision of the image (orange). The blueish background is an optical ikon of the same portion from Hubble [Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO);T. Díaz-Santos et al.; N. Lira] |
Much of the dust too gas existence siphoned away from the iii smaller galaxies is probable existence converted into novel stars too feeding the larger galaxy's key dark hole. This galaxy's gluttony, however, may atomic number 82 to its self-destruction. Previous interrogation suggests that the liberate energy of the AGN volition ultimately jettison much, if non all of the galaxy's star-forming fuel.
An before operate led yesteryear co-author Chao-Wei Tsai of UCLA estimates that the dark hole at the middle of W2246-0526 is well-nigh four billion times the volume of the Sun. The volume of the dark hole conduct influences how brilliant the AGN tin flame become, but -- according to this before interrogation -- W2246-0526 is well-nigh 3 times to a greater extent than luminous than what should live on possible. Solving this apparent contradiction volition need additional observations.
Source: National Radio Astronomy Observatory [November 15, 2018]
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