Caltech’s astrophysicists have created the first simulation depicting the journey of primordial gas turning into a disk that feeds a supermassive black hole, challenging previous beliefs and shedding light on unknown aspects. The simulation, combining the FIRE and STARFORGE collaborations, shows that magnetic fields play a crucial role in shaping the fluffy disks of material around these black holes, in contrast to previous assumptions. This breakthrough allows researchers to better understand how black holes and galaxies evolve. The study also uncovers mysteries surrounding the formation of accretion disks and offers new opportunities for future research on galactic phenomena.
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