Powerful jets from supermassive black holes can disturb star-forming gas far beyond a galaxy’s visible edge, leaving a glowing trail hundreds of thousands of light-years long. By keeping this gas hot and preventing it from falling inward, the jets may help determine whether a galaxy keeps forming stars or becomes quiet. Black hole jets may decide the fate of entire galaxies.
The that these jets do not light up the surrounding gas equally in all directions. Instead, the hydrogen gas glows (shown in red) most strongly along the path of the radio jets. This suggests that black holes can send energy far beyond the galaxy’s center and shape the larger gas reservoir that regulates star formation and fate of galaxies.
We use optical data from the DESI survey and radio observations from the LOFAR Two meter Sky Survey (LoTss). Large galaxies, including the Milky Way, are surrounded by an enormous reservoir of this material known as the circumgalactic medium, or CGM. The CGM extends roughly 10-20 times farther than the visible part of a galaxy.
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