James Webb telescope spots 'impossible' black holes, mystery tied to rare dark matter

New Model May Explain How Supermassive Black Holes Formed Quickly (Image: AI generated)

A recent study has uncovered a possible explanation for the rapid formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe. By proposing a new physics model, researchers suggest that dark matter played a crucial role in this process.

Dark Matter: The Key to Understanding Early Black Holes
Dark matter remains one of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics. Although invisible, it forms the backbone of galaxy structure. The standard model assumes dark matter only interacts through gravity, but this framework struggles to explain the rapid growth of supermassive black holes.

The researchers introduced the idea of ultra self-interacting dark matter. Unlike normal dark matter, this form interacts strongly with itself, allowing it to clump together in galactic centres. This concentration could lead to the formation of black hole seeds, which would grow quickly in the early universe.

A group of astronomers analysed data from the James Webb Space Telescope, examining multiple surveys to create one of the largest collections of “little red dots” (LRDs) so far. They began with the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey and later expanded their research to other extragalactic legacy fields, such as the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) and the Next Generation Deep Extragalactic Exploratory Public (NGDEEP) survey. (Image: NASA)

Testing the Model with Quasars
The team tested their model by examining three quasars observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. The model successfully matched the observed parameters of these distant objects. The next step is to examine intermediate-mass black holes in dwarf galaxies, as predicted by the new theory.

This study, published on January 14 in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, offers a promising explanation for the rapid formation of supermassive black holes. With more data from telescopes like JWST, the model’s predictions could soon be tested further.