Astronomers Think Powerful , Magnetic Winds Drive Growth , of Supermassive Black Holes.<br />'Newsweek' reports that scientists may have <br />unraveled the mystery of how supermassive <br />black holes are able to become so massive.<br />According to a new paper, a powerful magnetic <br />wind, comparable to water swirling around <br />a drain, is what allows these massive cosmic <br />phenomena to reach such immense sizes.<br />A supermassive black hole is typically millions to <br />billions of times more massive than our own sun <br />and is often found at the center of most galaxies. .<br />The paper, which was published in the journal 'Astronomy <br />and Astrophysics,' focused on the black hole at the <br />center of a galaxy about 120 million light-years from Earth.<br />This galaxy, known as ESO320-G030, is much more <br />active than our own Milky Way, with a rate of star <br />formation 10 times that of our own galaxy.<br />Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope, <br />researchers found a strong, rotating, magnetized <br />wind spinning around the center of the black hole.<br />Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope, <br />researchers found a strong, rotating, magnetized <br />wind spinning around the center of the black hole.<br />Since this galaxy is very <br />luminous in the infrared, <br />telescopes can resolve <br />striking details in its center. , Susanne Aalto, study co-author and a professor <br />of radio astronomy at Chalmers University <br />of Technology, via 'Newsweek'.<br />'Newsweek' reports that the team now hopes to observe the <br />centers of other galaxies to confirm if this process is what <br />enables a supermassive black hole's immense growth.<br />Far from all questions about this <br />process are answered. In our <br />observations we see clear evidence <br />of a rotating wind that helps <br />regulate the growth of the <br />galaxy's central black hole. , Mark Gorski, study co-author and an astronomer <br />at Chalmers University of Technology and <br />Northwestern University, via 'Newsweek'.<br />Now that we know what to look for, <br />the next step is to find out how <br />common a phenomenon this is. <br />And if this is a stage which all <br />galaxies with supermassive <br />black holes go through, <br />what happens to them next?, Mark Gorski, study co-author and an astronomer <br />at Chalmers University of Technology and <br />Northwestern University, via 'Newsweek'
