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Black Holes Need Refreshing Cold Gas to Keep Growing


How were supermassive black holes able to grow so rapidly in the early Universe? Galactic mergers were believed to be the answer, providing fresh material to feed black hole growth. According to researchers, that's not enough; the process also requires reservoirs of cold gas at the center of the host galaxy. Actively feeding black holes blast radiation, heating gas so it won't collapse. Cold gas can be pulled into accretion disks and fuel black hole growth.

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Black Holes

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refreshing cold gas

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