First pair of feeding supermassive black holes found in a Green Pea galaxy

Scientists have discovered the first documented case of two supermassive black holes actively feeding within a Green Pea galaxy, a compact, star-forming system. This groundbreaking finding was made possible through a combination of deep optical imaging and powerful X-ray and spectroscopic observations. The Green Pea galaxy, designated J1622+3521, is notable for its messy structure and high rate of star formation.

Researchers analyzed the galaxy's components using Chandra X-ray data and Keck spectroscopy, revealing strong emission lines indicative of an actively feeding black hole. Precise measurements indicated that the two black holes have masses of approximately 19.5 million and 20.5 million solar masses, respectively. The discovery of this dual active galactic nucleus in a local Green Pea galaxy could provide valuable insights into the processes of galaxy evolution and supermassive black hole growth.

This finding suggests that galaxy interactions may play a significant role in fueling the simultaneous growth of multiple supermassive black holes, even in compact, low-mass systems. The research has been published on the arXiv preprint server and highlights the importance of studying Green Pea galaxies as analogs for early universe galaxies to better understand the formation and evolution of massive black holes.