Astronomers using the LOFAR radio array have made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting a vast “mini-halo” of high-energy particles around galaxy cluster SpARCS1049. This find doubles the previous distance record and reveals that colossal clusters have been bathed in charged particles since the universe’s youth.
The mini-halo, stretching over a million light-years, is a diffuse glow of radio waves emanating from space filled with high-energy particles and magnetic fields. The discovery demonstrates that entire galaxy clusters, among the largest structures in the universe, have been immersed in high-energy particles for most of their existence.
This finding provides a rare look at what galaxy clusters were like just after they formed, revealing that black holes and/or high-energy particle collisions have been enriching the environment of galaxy clusters much earlier than expected. The researchers believe that this discovery will allow them to study where these high-energy particles come from and understand how energetic processes shape the universe.
The international team behind the discovery was led by Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo and Roland Timmerman, who analyzed data from the LOFAR radio telescope network in Europe. With newer telescopes like the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) being developed, scientists will be able to detect even fainter signals and further explore the role of magnetic fields, cosmic rays, and energetic processes.
The discovery gives astronomers a new window into how galaxy clusters grow and evolve, driven by both black holes and high-energy particle physics. This finding has significant implications for our understanding of the universe’s evolution and will likely lead to further breakthroughs in the field of cosmology.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/a-ghostly-radio-halo-just-changed-what-we-know-about-the-early-universe