2023-12-22 11:54:11
Illustration of a disturbed galactic disk. – BLAND-HAWTHORN/TEPPER-GARCIA/ U. SYDNEY
MADRID, 22 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Observations with the ALMA telescope, in Chile, have revealed a seismic wave in the oldest and most distant spiral galaxy known in the universe: BRI 1335-0417 is more than 12 billion years old.
“Specifically, we were interested in how gas moved into and through the galaxy,” he said. it’s a statement Dr. Takafumi Tsukui, astrophysicist at ANU (Australian National University) and lead author of the research. “Gas is a key ingredient for star formation and can give us important clues about how a galaxy is actually fueling its star formation.”
In this case, the researchers were not only able to capture the movement of gas around BRI 1335-0417, but also revealed the formation of a seismic wave, a novelty in this type of primitive galaxy.
The galaxy’s disk, a flattened mass of rotating stars, gas and dust, moves in a manner similar to the ripples that spread in a pond after a stone is thrown.
“The vertical oscillation motion of the disk is due to an external sourceeither from new gas flowing into the galaxy or from contact with other smaller galaxies,” Dr. Tsukui said.
“Both possibilities would bombard the galaxy with new fuel for star formation.”
“In addition, our study revealed a bar-like structure in the disk. Galactic bars can disrupt gas and transport it toward the center of the galaxy. The bar discovered in BRI 1335-0417 is the most distant known structure of its type. Taken together, these results show the dynamical growth of a young galaxy.”
Because BRI 1335-0417 is so far away, its light takes longer to reach Earth. The images seen today through a telescope are a throwback to the early days of the galaxy, when the Universe was only 10 percent of its current age.
“It has been found that early galaxies formed stars at a much faster rate than modern galaxies. This is true for BRI 1335-0417, which, despite having a mass similar to that of our Milky Way, forms stars at a rate a few hundred times faster“said co-author Emily Wisnioski, associate professor.
“We wanted to understand how gas is supplied to maintain this rapid rate of star formation. Spiral structures are rare in the early Universe, and exactly how they form is also unknown. This study also gives us crucial information about the most likely scenarios,” he added.
“While it is impossible to observe the evolution of the galaxy directly, since our observations only give us a snapshot, computer simulations can help reconstruct history“he commented.
The study has been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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