New news item about a distant quasar observed, this time pushing back our ability to observe the early universe further than ever before -- with this quasar (named ULAS J1120+0641) we in effect can see the universe as it existed at an age which is 5% of its current age. We excerpt the Science Daily write up:
...The observations show that the mass of the black hole at the centre of the new quasar was about two billion times that of the Sun. This very high mass is hard to explain to early on after the Big Bang. Current theories for the growth of supermassive black holes show a slow build up in mass as the compact object pulls in matter from its surroundings. According to these models, the mass of the quasar's black hole is not expected to be higher than one-quarter of the value now determined for ULAS J1120+0641.
The team is now speculating that the existence of such a massive black hole so early on in the history of the Universe means that current models for the growth of these objects may need to be revised....
...The observations show that the mass of the black hole at the centre of the new quasar was about two billion times that of the Sun. This very high mass is hard to explain to early on after the Big Bang. Current theories for the growth of supermassive black holes show a slow build up in mass as the compact object pulls in matter from its surroundings. According to these models, the mass of the quasar's black hole is not expected to be higher than one-quarter of the value now determined for ULAS J1120+0641.
The team is now speculating that the existence of such a massive black hole so early on in the history of the Universe means that current models for the growth of these objects may need to be revised....
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