Farthest ‘mini-halo’ ever detected could improve our understanding of the early universe
While analyzing a radio signal of 10 billion billion billion, astronomers discovered a “mini -halo” – a cloud of energetic particles – around a distant group of galaxies. Unexpected results could deepen our understanding of Early universe.
This mini-halo is the furthest ever detected, located twice as far from the earth as the next mini-halo. It is also massive, covering more than 15 times the width of The Milky Wayand contains strong magnetic fields. The results have been accepted for publication in astrophysical newspaper letters and are available on the preparatory server arxiv.
“It’s amazing to find a radio signal as strong at this distance”, ” Roland TimmermanRadioastronome from the University of Durham who co-directed the study, said in a statement.
How did the mini-halo formed?
The mini-halos are small groups of loaded particles which emit radio and radiographic waves in the void of space between the galaxies. They were detected around the clusters of galaxies in the local universe, but never as far in space and time as that reported in the new study.
According to the researchers, two theories could explain the collection of particles.
A possible cause is the Supermassive black holes In the centers of large galaxies in the remote cluster. These black holes can draw high energy particles in space, but it is not clear how particles would move from a powerful black hole and in a mini-halo without losing significant energy.
Another possible means of creation is the collision of particles loaded in the plasma In a Galaxy cluster. When these high energy particles break each other, often near the speed of lightThey can separate into particles that can be seen from the earth.
In relation: The James Webb telescope unveils the largest card in the universe, covering more than 13 billion years
Implications for astronomy
The observations of the mini-halo come from the light so old that it modifies the image of the formation of galaxies, proving that these charged particles surrounded galaxies for billions of years more than what was known.
“Our discovery implies that clusters of galaxies have been immersed in such particles since their formation”, ” Julie Hlavacek-LarrondoAn astrophysicist at the University of Montreal who also led research, told Live Science in an email. It is “something that we do not expect at the beginning”.
Scientists can now study the origin of these mini-halos to determine whether black holes or particle collisions are responsible for them.
These particles also have a hand in other astrophysical processes, such as star training. They can affect energy and gas pressure in a galaxy or torque with magnetic fields uniquely. These processes can prevent gas clouds from collapsing, in turn modifying how the stars are formed in gas.
“We still learn a lot about these structures, so unfortunately, the more quantitative image is still in development,” Timmerman told Live Science in an e-mail.
New radiotelescopes, such as Ska observatoryare developing to help astronomers still detect signals and learn more about mini-halos.
“We are only scratching the surface of the energy of the early universe,” said Hlavacek-Larrondo.
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