Scientists discover largest collection of intermediate-mass black holes

Scientists using early data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) have identified the largest sample of dwarf galaxies with actively feeding black holes, along with the most extensive collection of intermediate-mass black hole candidates to date ScienceDaily said. This discovery sheds new light on black hole evolution and their role in galaxy formation.

DESI, mounted on the Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope in Arizona, is surveying 40 million galaxies over five years. The research team, led by Ragadeepika Pucha of the University of Utah, analyzed spectra from 410,000 galaxies, including 115,000 dwarf galaxies, uncovering 300 intermediate-mass black hole candidates—more than doubling the previously known count.

Intermediate-mass black holes, theorized as the seeds of supermassive black holes, remain poorly understood. Interestingly, only 70 of the newly found candidates overlap with dwarf galaxies’ active galactic nuclei, raising new questions about black hole formation. Researchers hope these findings will provide deeper insights into black holes’ role in the universe’s evolution.