An international research team has identified potential signs of an intermediate-mass black hole within the IRS 13 star cluster, located near the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center. This discovery suggests that such black holes play a crucial role in forming supermassive black holes. The IRS 13 cluster’s proximity to the galactic center and its unexpectedly orderly stellar movements, alongside evidence from multi-wavelength telescope observations, hint at the black hole’s presence. Future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope will provide further insights into the processes within the star cluster.
The study found that the IRS 13 star cluster moves in an unusually orderly pattern, which could be due to its interaction with the supermassive black hole or the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole at the center. Multi-wavelength observations suggest that characteristic X-rays and ionized gas are rotating around a suspected location of the intermediate-mass black hole.
The discovery also implies high density in the star cluster, higher than any other known density in our Milky Way. According to Dr. Florian Peißker, first author of the study, “IRS 13 appears to be an essential building block for the growth of our central black hole SgrA*.” The team plans future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope to confirm the presence of the intermediate-mass black hole and gain insights into its role in forming supermassive black holes.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/cosmic-detective-work-leads-to-stunning-black-hole-discovery-in-our-galaxy/