Fastest-Feeding Black Hole of Early Universe Discovered—Does It Defy Physics?

Astromers have discovered hungriest kwn black hole in early universe, shedding new light on how se cosmic giants grew so massive so quickly. Using James Webb Telescope (JWST) and Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have identified a black hole that has amassed more than seven million solar masses in just 12 million years—exceeding oretical growth rate.

"This black hole is having a feast," said Julia Scharwächter, a study co-author from  International Gemini Observatory.

This discovery dresses a longstanding mystery in astrophysics: how black holes in early universe grew to billions of times mass of sun in such a short time. Previous observations by JWST and Hubble Telescope have spotted black holes in early galaxies with masses far exceeding expectations, but exact process behind

 ir rapid growth has remained unclear.

Feeding Frenzy in Early Universe

newly discovered black hole, cataloged as LID-568, existed just 1.5 billion years after Big Bang. It was first identified in a Chandra survey of lumius X-ray-emitting objects. X-rays are produced when matter is gravitationally drawn into a black hole. As gas swirls into a hot disk around black hole, it emits X-rays—more intense when black hole consumes matter at a rapid pace.

However, re is a oretical cap on rate at which black holes can feed. This is kwn as Eddington limit, which describes a balance between infalling matter and riation pushing back against it. Above this limit, accretion of material should slow or stop due to powerful feedback mechanisms.

But LID-568 has defied expectations. Follow-up observations using JWST's Integral Field Spectrograph revealed black hole’s extreme feeding rate, with outflows moving at 500 to 600 kilometers per second. This feedback is estimated to be 40 times stronger than Eddington limit.

Breaking Laws of Physics?

Could LID-568 be violating laws of physics? t necessarily, say astromers. "Super-Eddington" accretion, where a black hole consumes matter faster than oretical limit, has been observed before. Such bursts of rapid feeding can occur for short periods before feedback from riation blows infalling material away.

"This extreme case shows that a fast-feeding mechanism above Eddington limit is one of possible explanations for why we see se very heavy black holes so early in universe," Scharwächter ded.

A Seed Growing Into a Giant

LID-568’s rapid growth could provide valuable insights into early sts of black hole formation. black hole likely began as a smaller "seed," potentially a stellar-mass black hole left behind after a massive star's death, or possibly as an intermediate-mass black hole formed from collapse of a massive gas cloud. team’s models suggest that LID-568 was likely a "light" seed of around 100 solar masses and began its feeding frenzy 12 million years ago within a giant molecular gas cloud that black hole is w devouring.

" discovery of a super-Eddington accreting black hole suggests that a significant portion of mass growth can occur during a single episode of rapid feeding, regardless of wher black hole originated from a light or heavy seed," said Hyewon Suh, le astromer of study.

What’s Next for LID-568?

While this burst of rapid accretion will t last forever, black hole may continue to grow episodically. Even as black hole completes its current "meal," material ejected during process could cool and fall back, potentially restarting feeding cycle. At present, LID-568 is 7.2 million times mass of sun, significantly larger than Sagittarius A*, black hole at center of our Milky Way galaxy, which weighs in at just 4.1 million solar masses.

LID-568 may be finishing its current feeding frenzy, but this hungry black hole could have more meals ahe of it. study provides crucial clues about how black holes can grow to such ermous sizes so early in history of universe.

This new study was published in  Journal Nature Astromy online on vember 4.