US EditionSunyaev–Zeldovich detection of hot intracluster gas at redshift 4.3
The gas in galaxy cluster SPT2349-56 is at least five times hotter than models predict due to energy from multiple supermassive black holes, challenging formation theories.
- On January 5, astronomers reported in Nature that ALMA detected extremely hot intracluster gas in the young galaxy cluster SPT2349-56, observed about 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang.
- Standard cluster-formation theories assume gravity heats intracluster gas slowly, but models indicate gravity alone cannot produce the observed extreme temperatures in SPT2349-56.
- Sunyaev–Zeldovich analysis found a clear, powerful signal with ALMA probing CMB distortion, showing thermal electrons exceed 10 million Kelvin and gas is at least five times hotter than predicted.
- Researchers warn the finding indicates theoretical understanding of cluster evolution is incomplete, and the research team led by Dazhi Zhou plans follow-up observations to hunt for more hot, young clusters and investigate the cluster ecosystem.
- Scientists suspect powerful jets from at least three supermassive black holes inject energy into the cluster, which contains more than 30 active galaxies forming stars over 5,000 times faster and spans about 500,000 light‑years, seen roughly 12 billion years ago.
15 Articles
15 Articles
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Science Alert
Impossibly Hot Object Discovered 1.4 Billion Years After The Big Bang
A 'shadow' cast on the faint, leftover glow of the Big Bang has revealed a giant object in the early Universe that defies our predictions of how the Universe should evolve. It's a galaxy cluster named SPT2349-56. Spotted a mere 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang, the gas within it is far, far hotter than it should be. The gravitational heating of a galaxy cluster ought to be a slow process that takes billions of years to reach the temperature …
“Too Strong to Be Real”: Astronomers Stunned by Boiling Gas in the Early Universe
A massive young galaxy cluster has been found glowing with super-hot gas billions of years earlier than expected, defying current theories. Scientists suspect powerful supermassive black holes triggered an explosive start, forcing a rethink of how galaxy clusters form. An Unexpected Discovery in the Early Universe A global team of astronomers led by researchers in [...]
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