Astronomers have obtained important new evidence that narrow jets of hot plasma expelled from supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies can affect surrounding gas even at distances far beyond the visible portion of the galaxy.
This phenomenon is of significant cosmic importance, as such a strong impact can directly interfere with the gas cooling process required for the formation of new stars. Consequently, the natural course of an entire galaxy's evolution could be fundamentally altered.
The activity of supermassive black holes has long been considered one of the key factors shaping galactic evolution, but impact scales of this magnitude open up new perspectives in astrophysics. As plasma jets extend beyond visible boundaries, they prevent gas condensation and cooling, effectively stopping the birth of new stars. This explains why some giant galaxies lose their star-formation potential.
Further research will show whether this is a universal pattern for all supermassive black holes or a characteristic unique to systems in specific active phases.
