Researchers have discovered potential signs of an intermediate-mass black hole within the IRS 13 star cluster near the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center. This finding suggests that such black holes play a critical role in forming supermassive black holes.
The IRS 13 star cluster is located just 0.1 light-years from the galactic center, and its unexpectedly orderly stellar movements, along with evidence from multi-wavelength telescope observations, hint at the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole. This could be confirmed by future observations using the James Webb Space Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope.
The discovery of this intermediate-mass black hole adds weight to the theory that these black holes form shortly after the Big Bang and merge to act as “seeds” for supermassive black holes. The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, provides further insights into the processes within the star cluster.
It is worth noting that alternate explanations exist for the origin of supermassive black holes, such as their formation through the direct collapse of a massive gas cloud or the merger of smaller black holes. However, this observation gives more weight to the theory that intermediate-mass black holes play a key role in forming supermassive black holes.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/cosmic-detective-work-leads-to-stunning-black-hole-discovery-in-our-galaxy/