JWST Detects Three Supermassive Black Holes in a Single Galaxy, A First

• The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered three actively accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in a single galaxy, J0148-4214, for the first time.
• The black holes have masses of 80 million, 0.6 million, and 2 million solar masses respectively.
• This discovery supports the theory that black hole mergers are a critical mechanism for the rapid growth of SMBHs in the early Universe.

Observation Details

• The galaxy J0148-4214 is located over 12.5 billion light-years away and is observed as it appeared 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang.
• The team identified the objects as SMBHs by detecting both broad H-alpha emission lines and narrow OIII lines using JWST's NIRSpec, effectively ruling out other phenomena like supernovae.
• Two black holes are positioned centrally, separated by about 620 light-years, while the third is located approximately 5,500 light-years from the center.

Implications and Future Mergers

• Dynamical friction estimates suggest the central pair will merge within roughly 700 million years, with the third black hole eventually following suit.
• The third black hole's position may also be the result of a previous three-body interaction or gravitational recoil, demonstrating that black holes can retain their accretion disks even after such events.
• Researchers conclude that multiple-black-hole systems were likely common in the early Universe, providing a fast track for massive growth during that epoch.