CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have for the first time measured the instantaneous power of jets blasting from a black hole. This unprecedented quantification of cosmic forces was reported Thursday by an international research team.
The jet power emanating from the black hole-star system, Cygnus X-1, is equivalent to 10,000 suns. Researchers also tracked the jet speed at approximately 355 million mph (540 million kph), which is half the speed of light.
Quantifying Cosmic Forces
The Cygnus X-1 system is situated 7,200 light-years away from Earth. It consists of a black hole and a blue supergiant star, which are constant companions in their celestial orbit. This black hole holds historical significance as the first one ever identified, a discovery made more than a half-century ago.
The binary system itself was initially discovered in the 1960s. It is located within the Milky Way’s Cygnus, or swan, constellation. A light-year, the unit of distance used in these measurements, spans nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).
University of Oxford’s Steve Prabu and his research team based their findings on 18 years of high-resolution radio imaging. This extensive data was obtained through a global telescope network. Prabu conducted this research while affiliated with Australia’s Curtin University, which led the study now published in Nature Astronomy.
Prabu and his colleagues specifically measured the swift power of what he terms the “dancing jets.” These jets are propelled in opposite directions by the stellar wind originating from the companion star. The group’s calculations were derived from observing how much these jets were bent by the stellar wind, alongside the application of computer modeling.
Prior to this study, the power of a black hole’s jet could only be averaged over spans of tens of thousands of years. A key finding from the research indicates that 10% of all the energy released as matter falls towards the black hole is subsequently carried away by these powerful jets.
The Cygnus X-1 System
The black hole within Cygnus X-1 is described as being on the “skimpy side” compared to other black holes. It continuously pulls gases from its stellar playmate as they orbit each other. This process of material transfer provides the black hole with “something to ‘eat’ and launch as jets,” as explained by Prabu in an email.
Implications for Universal Structures
Prabu stated that these jets can aid scientists in better understanding how black holes contribute to shaping galaxies and other cosmic structures. This shaping occurs through large-scale shocks and turbulence generated by the jets. Prabu has expressed plans to apply similar techniques to investigate other black holes, noting that “It would be exciting to measure jet power in many more systems.”