Unveiling Cosmic Mysteries: The Flickering X-ray Signals of a Distant Black Hole

In a breakthrough discovery, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, in collaboration with the UR Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO, and Haifa University, Israel, have identified a unique X-ray signal pattern emanating from a distant black hole. This pattern was observed using data from India's AstroSat space observatory.

The team found that the X-ray brightness from the black hole vacillates between bright and dim phases, each lasting several hundred seconds. Notably, rapid X-ray flickering, repeating nearly 70 times per second, appeared during these bright phases. This flickering is linked to modulation in the black hole's corona, which varies in size and temperature depending on the phase.

Published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, these findings enhance our understanding of black hole behavior, including how they grow and influence their cosmic surroundings, potentially shaping the development of entire galaxies. Such research highlights the dynamic nature of black holes and their powerful gravitational and energetic influences.

(With inputs from agencies.)