Scientists have identified a new category of black hole that is too massive to have originated from a star yet still too slender to serve as a foundation for an entire galaxy. These black holes are now being called “lite” intermediate-mass black holes (IMBH), and they are particularly challenging to detect due to the low frequencies of their signals.
The search for these IMBHs has arisen because we have encountered ultramassive black holes that can reach millions of times the mass of our sun, while others can be as small as 50 solar masses or less. Astronomers were eager to determine where mid-sized black holes might be positioned, prompting them to intensify their search.
Their findings confirmed that lite intermediate-mass black holes do exist. Nevertheless, locating them proves to be a challenge. To facilitate this process, researchers utilized Virgo and LIGO, two gravitational wave observatories. With the help of these detectors, astronomers successfully identified several black holes varying from 100 to 300 times the mass of the sun.
Although still considerable in size, these black holes lack the power necessary to have formed from dying stars or to bind galaxies together. So, what role do they play in the universe? Researchers speculate that they may have formed through mergers occurring throughout the cosmos. During a observational run from 2019 to 2020, the LIGO and Virgo network recorded 11 mergers that could correspond to these cosmic entities.
A report detailing the findings is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. In this publication, the researchers explain how they identified this new class of black holes, outlining the precise methods used in their discovery and the significance of their work. The expectation is that some of these smaller black holes might provide insight into the era when the first stars lived and perished.
As we continue to discover more of these lite intermediate-mass black holes, researchers believe there is even more reason to be enthusiastic about them. Gaining an understanding of these black holes could not only reveal the mysteries of the early universe but also enhance the models we use to comprehend the universe in its entirety.
