A direct depiction of gas recycling around a massive galaxy 11 billion years ago. Credit: Department of Astronomy, Tsinghua University
An international team of astronomers has discovered that observing a stream of gas cloud heading for a massive galaxy may provide evidence of recycling of gas matter. In their paper published in the journal Sciencesthe group describes their observations and analysis of a gas cloud surrounding a dense cluster of galaxies 11 billion light-years away, and what they learned from their work.
Astronomers have predicted, for many years, that the fertile gases surrounding galaxies could be drawn into such galaxies and end up as material for making new stars. They have also suggested that such gases could be present due to a supernova explosion escaping from their galaxy. Thus, those gases, when they are drawn back into the galaxy, are recycled. In this new effort, the research team believes it may have found evidence of such recycling.
The researchers analyzed data from the Subaru and Keck II telescopes, which focused on a massive galaxy at redshift 2.3 that is surrounded by a nebula (a cloud of gas and dust) called MAMMOTH-1. When the nebula was first discovered in 2017, it was considered a mystery. But a new examination indicates that the galaxy is pulling material from the nebula even closer, via three distinct gaseous streams. They found that two of the streams pointed to a single quasar, which they suspect lives in the galaxy.
Further study of the streams showed that in addition to hydrogen and helium, they also contain a lot of carbon, which previous research showed forms inside stars. Thus, the carbon in the gas stream must have been present in the star before, but is no longer there now – a reference to ejection due to the supernova. The fact that the gas in which carbon is present is part of a stream heading to the galaxy, indicates that it will soon be used to participate in the formation of new stars.
The team performed kinematics modeling of the galaxy and nebula and showed that streams of gas are spiraling into the galaxy, indicating that they are likely part of a massive recycling process where stars explode and material left over from the explosions ends up as material used to build new stars.
more information:
Shiwu Zhang et al, Inspirational outflows of enriched gas were observed around a massive galaxy 11 billion years ago, Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abj9192
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