JWST reveals unexpected dust structure around supermassive black hole

A team of international scientists led by Newcastle University have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to discover an unexpected structure of dust around a supermassive black hole in the galaxy ESO 428-G14, located 70 million light-years away. Contrary to previous assumptions, the study reveals that the dust is not being heated by radiation from the black hole, but by high-energy collisions of gas, or shocks, moving at a speed close to that of light.

This discovery was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and led by Houda Haidar, a PhD student in the School of Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics at the University of Newcastle.

The Galactic Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS), which Haidar and her team are part of, focuses on the centers of nearby galaxies using JWST. The team’s work with early JWST data has been crucial in revealing detailed images of the galaxy core.

In many active galactic nuclei (AGN), supermassive black holes are obscured by thick clouds of dust and gas. JWST’s infrared capabilities penetrate this dust, allowing scientists to observe the hidden core and the intricate structure of dust over large distances.

The new images show that the dust is spread along the radio jet coming from the black hole. This unexpected link suggests that the radio jet could be responsible for heating and shaping the dust.
Dr David Rosario, a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle and co-author of the study, commented: “The role of radio jets in transferring energy to their surroundings has been debated. This finding challenges previous understanding and highlights the significant impact of these jets.”

By understanding how dust and gas interact near supermassive black holes, we will advance our knowledge of the formation and evolution of galaxies, and gain insight into how these cosmic giants influence the galaxies in their vicinity.