Black-hole-triggered star formation in the dwarf galaxy Henize 2-10

Zachary Schutte () and Amy E. Reines
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Zachary Schutte: Montana State University
Amy E. Reines: Montana State University

Nature, 2022, vol. 601, issue 7893, 329-333

Abstract: Abstract Black-hole-driven outflows have been observed in some dwarf galaxies with active galactic nuclei1, and probably play a role in heating and expelling gas (thereby suppressing star formation), as they do in larger galaxies2. The extent to which black-hole outflows can trigger star formation in dwarf galaxies is unclear, because work in this area has previously focused on massive galaxies and the observational evidence is scarce3–5. Henize 2-10 is a dwarf starburst galaxy previously reported to have a central massive black hole6–9, although that interpretation has been disputed because some aspects of the observational evidence are also consistent with a supernova remnant10,11. At a distance of approximately 9 Mpc, it presents an opportunity to resolve the central region and to determine if there is evidence for a black-hole outflow influencing star formation. Here we report optical observations of Henize 2-10 with a linear resolution of a few parsecs. We find an approximately 150-pc-long ionized filament connecting the region of the black hole with a site of recent star formation. Spectroscopy reveals a sinusoid-like position–velocity structure that is well described by a simple precessing bipolar outflow. We conclude that this black-hole outflow triggered the star formation.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04215-6

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