The black holes at the heart of galaxies have an unexpected delivery service that helps them feed over months rather than hundreds of years.
Supermassive black holes treat the inner disk as an appetizer, in a way, because they start their dinner by devouring gas and dust found there first. As this is happening, matter from the outer disk filters in, eventually filling in gaps left behind by the black hole devouring the inner disk. This filled-in disk then becomes the main course, allowing the feeding process to start all over again.
"Classical accretion disk theory predicts that the disk evolves slowly," Kaaz said."But some quasars — which result from "Classical accretion disk theory cannot explain this drastic variation," he said. "But the phenomena we see in our simulations potentially could explain this. The quick brightening and dimming are consistent with the inner regions of the disk being destroyed."Screenshots of a simulation showing a new way in which supermassive black holes feast on surrounding disks of gas and dust.
Screenshots of a simulation showing a new way in which supermassive black holes feast on surrounding disks of gas and dust. "When the inner disk tears off, it will precess independently," Kaaz said."It precesses faster because it’s closer to the black hole and because it’s small, so it’s easier to move."
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