Author: Xin Zhang

Key Laboratory of Cosmology and Astrophysics (Liaoning) & College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China

A wealth of recent observational data points to the existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed numerous early SMBHs at high redshifts (see, e.g., Larson et al. 2023). In addition, the nano-Hertz stochastic gravitational wave background observed by Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) experiments may be indicative of a population of SMBH binaries, as suggested by studies such as Agazie et al. (2023), Xu et al. (2023), and Antoniadis et al. (2023). Despite these findings, the formation of such SMBHs remains a puzzle for conventional astrophysical accretion models.

The new paper by Huang et al. (2024) introduces a novel perspective, exploring the possibility of supermassive primordial black holes (PBHs) resulting from the collapse of false vacuum bubbles that formed during the inflationary period. Their findings suggest that the mass distribution of PBHs originating from supercritical bubbles could peak within the supermassive range, potentially accounting for the existence of SMBHs. This mechanism presents a primordial scenario for the emergence of SMBHs, which could explain the gravitational wave signals detected by PTA and the early galaxies observed by JWST.

Investigating the origins of these SMBHs is essential for both theoretical and observational cosmology. The innovative research presented in this paper suggests that the observed SMBHs may have a primordial origin. The implications of this study reach beyond our understanding of the early universe, with potential insights for gravitational wave astrophysics and the formation of cosmic structures.

References:   

Larson, R. L., Finkelstein, S. L., Kocevski, D. D., et al. 2023, ApJL, 953, L29

Agazie, G., et al. 2023, Astrophys. J. Lett., 951, L8

Xu, H., et al. 2023, Res. Astron. Astrophys., 23, 075024

Antoniadis, J., et al. 2023, Astron. Astrophys., 678, A50

Huang, H.-L., Cai, Y., Jiang, J.-Q., Zhang, J., & Piao, Y.-S. 2024, Res. Astron. Astrophys., 24, 091001