Black Hole Simulations Reveal Energy Regulation in Galaxy Clusters
A research team, led by astrophysicist Peter Schneider, has simulated a black hole with a billion solar masses at the heart of a galaxy cluster, a thousand times heavier than the Milky Way. The study, conducted on the Frontier supercomputer, offers new insights into how these cosmic giants regulate energy and maintain stability over billions of years.
The team's simulations, published in The Astrophysical Journal, revealed that galaxy clusters rely on magnetic fields to control energy. Black holes, billions of times more massive than the Sun, power active galactic nuclei, which pump heat, dust, and gas into their environments. The research, which demanded 700,000 node hours and over 17,000 GPUs using AthenaPK, an open-source astrophysical code, also uncovered new details about gas filaments surrounding galaxy clusters, a mystery until now.
The team hopes to build on this work by incorporating more physics, such as cosmic rays and plasma effects. Schneider, who investigates the structure formation of galaxy clusters and the role of black holes in stabilizing the largest structures of the universe, led the research group. The simulations, conducted on ORNL's Frontier supercomputer, offered the clearest portrait yet of how galaxies regulate energy over vast timescales.
The study, conducted on Frontier's 2-exaflop speed, has provided a clearer understanding of how galaxy clusters regulate themselves over the age of the universe. The findings, which suggest that black holes play a crucial role in stabilizing these cosmic giants, have been published in The Astrophysical Journal.
