Seismic Ripples in Ancient Spiral Galaxy BRI 1335-0417: Illuminating Galaxy Formation and Milky Way Origins
Scientists have detected seismic ripples in BRI 1335-0417, an ancient spiral galaxy over 12 billion years old, providing valuable insights into galaxy formation and shedding light on the origins of our Milky Way. Utilizing the advanced ALMA telescope, researchers scrutinized the galaxy’s gas dynamics, a crucial aspect for comprehending star formation processes. The observations unveiled not only the gas motion around BRI 1335-0417 but also a seismic wave within its disk—a phenomenon unprecedented in early galaxies. The vertically oscillating disk motion, attributed to external influences like new gas influx or interactions with smaller galaxies, indicates a dynamic growth phase for this ancient galaxy. The study also disclosed a distant bar-like structure in the disk, a unique finding that enhances our understanding of early galactic evolution. Given BRI 1335-0417’s considerable distance, the observations provide a glimpse into its past, showcasing the galaxy’s formative years when the universe was only a fraction of its present age. The rapid star formation rate observed in BRI 1335-0417, despite its similarity in mass to the Milky Way, underscores the need to comprehend gas supply mechanisms supporting such accelerated star formation. This research offers crucial information on spiral structures’ rarity in the early universe and contributes to unraveling the mysteries of galaxy evolution through a combination of direct observations and computer simulations.