Astronomers have observed an early quasar emitting enormous amounts of X-ray radiation, potentially playing a key role in ending the Dark Ages and triggering the Epoch of Reionization. The quasar, J1429+5447, is located 12 billion light-years away and existed just 1.6 billion years after the Big Bang. Its intense X-ray emissions, observed to double in just four months, are likely caused by a jet of particles traveling near the speed of light from its supermassive black hole. This discovery sheds light on the accelerated growth of objects in the early universe and the crucial role quasars played in its evolution.
After the Big Bang came the Dark Ages , a period lasting hundreds of millions of years when the universe was largely without light. It ended in the epoch of reionization when neutral hydrogen atoms became charged for the first time and the first generation of stars started to form. The question that has perplexed astronomers is what caused the first hydrogen atoms to charge.
The full-sky image of the temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, made from nine years of WMAP observations. These are the seeds of galaxies, from a time when the universe was under 400,000 years old. Credit: NASA/WMAP The quasar identified by the team goes by the catchy title J1429+5447. It’s found in the constellation of Lyra and is so far away that its light takes 12 billion years to reach us, this means we see it now as it was just 1.6 billion years after the Big Bang. Studying it gives us a real insight into the early evolution of the universe. At its centre is a supermassive black hole which accretes matter and in the process emits intense amounts of radiation across the whole electromagnetic spectrum.
Dark Ages Reionization Quasar Black Hole X-Ray Radiation
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