Discover a new black hole that may have been formed directly from a collapsed star | sorae Portal site to space

Leuven Catholic UniversityTomer ShenarThe research team led by is the “Large Magellanic Cloud” (also known as the Large Magellanic Cloud), which is one of the companion galaxies (satellite galaxies) of the Milky Way galaxy, about 160,000 light-years away.Stellar black hole

We announced the research result that we discovered (a black hole whose mass is several to several tens of times that of the sun).

*… At the time of research, the University of Amsterdam is nowStellar black holes have been thought to form when heavy stars undergo a supernova explosion, but in recent yearsPossibility of direct black hole formation without supernova explosion

Has also been pointed out. The black hole discovered this time seems to be one of the evidences that a black hole will be born without a supernova explosion.

■ The black hole of VFTS 243 may have been formed directly without a supernova explosion.Shenar and his colleagues are the Emission Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud.“Dorado 30 (30 Doradus)”,alias“Tarantula Nebula”We searched for nearly 1000 supermassive stars in the area that may have formed a binary star with a stellar black hole. as a result,「VFTS 243」A binary star calledA binary star consisting of a supermassive star and a stellar black hole

It is said that it became clear that.According to the research teamMassive stars have about 25 times the mass of the Sun、Stellar black hole mass is at least about 9 times that of the Sunand,The orbital period is 10.4 daysIt has been with.In this study, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile“Very Large Telescope (VLT)”

The observation data acquired over about 6 years is used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPsKvxV8Lj4
[▲ Imagination of the binary star “VFTS 243” (video version)]

(Credit: ESO/L. road)A star that is more than eight times heavier than the Sun is a type of supernova explosion at the end of its life.“Type II Supernova”It is thought to causeand leave neutron stars and stellar mass black holes. According to the research team, if a star weighs more than 15 times the Sun at birth, all that remains is a black hole.If the last massive star was a binary star with another star, like VFTS 243

Black hole binary

(Binary stars including black holes) will be born.

*… It is also called “core collapse type” or “gravitational collapse type” because the core (nucleus) of a star that cannot support its own weight due to the energy of the fusion reaction collapses and the outer layer is blown away by the reaction.Related: NASA releases a video depicting a black hole binary star of various sizesHowever, according to the research team, features such as the orbit of the VFTS 243, which is close to a perfect circle, are

No supernova explosion in the pastIt seems to suggest that. “The star that formed the black hole in VFTS 243 seems to have completely collapsed, there is no evidence of an explosion so far,” Shenar said.In recent years, it has been pointed out that when the core of a massive star collapses, a black hole may be formed directly without a supernova explosion.“Direct collapse scenario”or

“Failed supernova”

Is called. Shenar says that this achievement is arguably one of the direct signs of this phenomenon and is of great significance in understanding the origin of black hole binaries.

• Related: Direct evidence of an “isolated black hole” wandering in space
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Image Credit: ESO/L. road