New 3D computer simulations have found that, if they do exist, intermediate-mass black holes likely devour wayward stars and then fling the remains across the galaxy.
Northwestern astrophysicists led by Fulya Kıroğlu modeled black holes of varying masses and then hurled stars past them to see what might happen.
“We obviously cannot observe black holes directly because they don’t emit light,” said Northwestern’s Fulya Kıroğlu, who led the study. “So, instead, we have to look at the interactions between black holes and their environments. We found that stars undergo multiple passages before being ejected. After each passage, they lose more mass, causing a flair of light as its ripped apart. Each flare is brighter than the last, creating a signature that might help astronomers find them.”
Not only do these new simulations hint at the behaviors of intermediate-mass black holes, they also provide astronomers with clues to pinpoint these hidden giants in the night sky.
Kıroğlu is an astrophysics graduate student at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA). She is advised by paper co-author Frederic Rasio, the Joseph Cummings Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Weinberg and member of CIERA.
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