Until recently, scientists could not say exactly how giant elliptical galaxies, whose stellar “nuclei” resemble convex spherical structures, formed in the early universe. Observational data obtained with the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) radio telescope provided important information about their formation; The results of the study may end up being an inadequate piece of the astrophysics puzzle.

The flat, rotating disk of the Milky Way (and other modern galaxies) consists of relatively young stars in near-circular orbits. At the same time, the halo consists of ancient luminaries moving along long orbits and has a spherical (spherical) shape.

As you may recall, most stars in the universe are located in such elliptical structures, but scientists did not know exactly how dust-rich, star-forming “nuclei” form – gas clouds or the gradual flow of matter inwards from the disk as a result of the merger, collapse of galaxies.

Now, an international research team led by Qing-Hua Tan of the Jijinshan Observatory (China) and Emanuele Daddi of the University of Paris-Saclay (France) has revealed an unexpected stage in the formation of bulky, spherical structures of large galaxies (spheroids). .

For the first time, with the help of the ultra-sensitive ALMA radio telescope, it was possible to study in detail the structure of space inhabitants formed in the relatively early universe (when its age was less than half of the current universe). The results of the scientific study are presented in the journal. Nature .

By analyzing archival observational data for 146 bright galaxies in the submillimeter range (terahertz radiation) at high redshifts
(that is, in a relatively old universe), researchers applied computer modeling and with its help they restored the shape and size of dust-shining regions – “nuclei”.

It turns out that ancient galaxies formed their nearly spherical cores directly from stars and dust during intense bursts of star formation (most often observed after the collision of two galaxies or the close passage of one into another). They often indicate possible connections with large spheroid formations, but it was difficult to observe them in the optical and infrared ranges due to dense dust clouds.