Temperature Mapping of Ancient Galaxy’s Dust Reveals Insights into Growth and Evolution – ALMA Telescope

Astronomers have used the ALMA telescope to create a detailed temperature map of an ancient galaxy’s dust, providing insights into its evolution and growth. The multinational team of astronomers developed the temperature map for the cosmic dust within one of the universe’s oldest spiral galaxies, shedding light on the galaxy’s rate of growth. Previous measurements of distant galaxies’ temperatures have been limited to broad terms, but this research reveals clear evidence of temperature variation within the galaxy. The study highlights the existence of two unique heat sources – a supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s core and the heat generated by newly-formed stars in the surrounding rotating disk. By mapping the temperature region by region, the researchers were able to determine the individual sources of heat. The findings show a distinction between warm dust in the central region, heated by the supermassive black hole, and colder dust in the outer region, heated by star formation. This discovery aids in understanding how galaxies and central massive black holes form and grow in the early Universe. The research was made possible by the ALMA telescope, operated by the European Southern Observatory in Chile. The ALMA telescope’s detailed mapping ability contributed to the study, providing insights into the galaxy’s temperature variations. ALMA is the world’s largest ground-based astronomical project, consisting of 66 high-precision antennas spread over distances of up to 16 kilometers. The research, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, enhances our understanding of ancient galaxies’ evolution and the role of heat sources in their growth.