The tidal disruption event called J2150 could reveal the origin of black holes. And it could also give new clues to understanding dark matter.

Astronomers have captured an intermediate black hole that swallows a cluster star associated with a lenticular galaxy located about 800 million light years away. This phenomenon could help uncover the elusive origins of black holes.

In a new article, published in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers from the University of Arizona detail their analysis of the gigantic aftermath left after the star’s devouring by a black hole, the so-called “tidal disruption event.”

The phenomenon was recorded through the huge burst of radiation that emanated from its location, dwarfing the combined light from all the stars in the black hole’s host galaxy.

Extraordinary opportunity

“The fact that we were able to capture this black hole while it was devouring a star offers an extraordinary opportunity to observe what would otherwise be invisible,” said Ann Zabludoff, professor of astronomy at UArizona and co-author of the paper.

“Not only that, by analyzing the flare we were able to better understand this elusive category of black holes, which could well represent the majority of black holes at the centers of galaxies.”

Thus, the X-rays emitted by the tidal disruption event called J2150 allowed the team of astronomers led by Sixiang Wen, a researcher at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory, to make the first measurements of the black hole’s mass and spin.

“The fact that we were able to capture this black hole while it was devouring a star offers an extraordinary opportunity to observe what would otherwise be invisible,” said Ann Zabludoff, professor of astronomy at UArizona and co-author of the paper.

“Not only that, by analyzing the flare we were able to better understand this elusive category of black holes, which could well represent the majority of black holes at the centers of galaxies.”

Thus, the X-rays emitted by the tidal disruption event called J2150 allowed the team of astronomers led by Sixiang Wen, a researcher at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory, to make the first measurements of the black hole’s mass and spin.

In the past, other tidal disruption events have been observed. However, previous data has never been detailed enough to show that a single tidal disruption flare was driven by an intermediate black hole.

“Thanks to modern astronomical observations, we know that the centers of almost all galaxies similar to or larger than our Milky Way are home to central supermassive black holes,” explains Nicholas Stone, a co-author of the study and a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Understand the origins of black holes
The origins of supermassive black holes are a mystery, although many theories attempt to explain how they came into being. According to scientists, intermediate-mass black holes could be the seeds from which supermassive black holes grow.

“So if we get to know better how many bona fide intermediate black holes exist, this can help determine which theories of supermassive black hole formation are correct,” said co-author Peter Jonker of Radboud University.

Dark matter: black holes as laboratories for particle physics

Finally, the measurements could help black hole researchers test hypotheses about their nature – dark matter, which is believed to make up most things in the universe. Dark matter contains particles of elements that have not yet been found in laboratory tests. The candidates have hypothetical particles called ultralight bosons, which could demonstrably be interacting with the space giant.

“If those particles exist and have masses in a certain range, they will prevent an intermediate mass black hole from spinning rapidly,” said Nicholas Stone, a co-author of the study. “However, the J2150 black hole spins fast. Thus, our spin measurement rules out a wide class of ultralight boson theories, showing the value of black holes as extraterrestrial laboratories for particle physics.”