The source of intense radiation seen in several narrow beams across the cosmos is linked to a supermassive black hole. This finding was reported by a university press service in Birmingham, outlining how the bright signal began life in the distant universe.
The AT 2022cmc signal appeared in early 2022 as astronomers scanned the skies. It stood out across X-ray, optical, and radio wavelengths for its exceptional brightness, which initially made precise classification challenging. Researchers around the world began to piece together what could be causing such a luminous and persistent beacon from a location so far away. (citation: University of Birmingham)
New work from teams at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Birmingham now points to a tidal disruption event, a dramatic process in which a black hole tears a star apart and the debris forms elongated, spaghetti-like streams. AT 2022cmc is unusually bright for a tidal disruption scenario and lies about 8.5 billion light-years from Earth, representing the most distant example of this type observed to date. The object’s nature was further supported by optical observations from the Very Large Telescope in Chile, where measurements confirmed the emission originated from hot gas. A spectrometer indicated gas temperatures above 30,000 degrees, a value that aligns with expectations for tidal disruption activity, while the extreme brightness is more about geometry and energy flow than a simple thermal signature. (citation: VLT observations; MIT and Birmingham teams)
The extraordinary luminosity is driven not solely by higher temperatures but by the directed jet of matter that points toward Earth. Doppler boosting enhances the apparent brightness when material moves toward us at relativistic speeds. In addition, the duration and intensity of the emission suggest a sustained jet powered by a supermassive black hole actively accreting stellar material. Some estimates equate the annual mass intake to roughly half the Sun’s mass, underscoring the powerful engines at the center of massive galaxies. (citation: Doppler boosting and accretion physics)