http://arxiv.org/abs/1912.05555
In the local universe, black hole masses have been inferred from the observed increase in the velocities of stars at the centres of their host galaxies. So far, masses of supermassive black holes in the early universe have only been inferred indirectly, using relationships calibrated to their locally observed counterparts. Here, we use the latest observational constraints on the evolution of stellar masses in galaxies to predict that the region of influence of a central supermassive black hole at the epochs where the first galaxies were formed is $\mathit{directly \ resolvable}$ by current and upcoming telescopes. Such measurements will usher in a new era of discoveries unraveling the formation of the first supermassive black holes based on subarcsecond-scale spectroscopy with the $ALMA$, $JWST$ and the $SKA$. The measured mass distribution of black holes will allow forecasting of the future detection of gravitational waves from the earliest black hole mergers.
H. Padmanabhan and A. Loeb
Fri, 13 Dec 19
37/75
Comments: 5 pages; 2 figures