JWST Spots 1.5 Billion-Solar-Mass Winds Quenching Early Galaxies 1 Billion Years After Big Bang
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 22
JWST Spots 1.5 Billion-Solar-Mass Winds Quenching Early Galaxies 1 Billion Years After Big Bang
3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 22
Summary
CRISTAL-02, seen 1 billion years after the Big Bang, shows a gas outflow of 1.5 billion solar masses escaping at hundreds of miles per second, giving astronomers direct evidence that star-driven winds can shut down star formation.
The merger is forming about 260 solar-mass stars a year but losing more than 500 solar masses annually—roughly twice the star-formation rate—suggesting it could exhaust its fuel in under 100 million years.
JWST and ALMA data indicate the outflow was likely powered by a collision-triggered starburst and supernovae, though the researchers said they cannot fully rule out a dormant black hole as the driver.
A comparison with 99 similar outflows across 12 billion years found feedback efficiency has stayed broadly constant, supporting the idea that galaxy mergers could explain why many massive early galaxies quickly became quiescent.
How can a massive boom in star birth paradoxically lead to a galaxy's ultimate and rapid demise?
What is the true killer of galaxies: their own newborn stars or their central supermassive black holes?
Our galaxy will collide with Andromeda; could this cosmic crash trigger winds that 'kill' our galactic descendant?
JWST Discovers Massive Galaxies Stopped Forming Stars Early Due to Powerful Black Hole Winds
Overview
Recent discoveries reveal that massive galaxies in the early universe stopped forming stars much sooner and faster than scientists expected. This rapid 'silencing' happened about 1 to 2 billion years after the Big Bang and challenges our current understanding of how galaxies evolve. The main cause appears to be powerful winds driven by supermassive black holes at the centers of these galaxies, known as quasar feedback. These winds quickly removed or heated the gas needed for star formation, leading to the early 'death' of these galaxies and significantly shaping the evolution of galaxies throughout cosmic history.