Research report 2025 - Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
Are magnetic fields putting black holes on a diet?
Authors
Zensus, J. Anton (M2FINDERS Principal Investigator); Ros, Eduardo; Lobanov, Andrei P.
Departments
Max Planck Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn
Summary
Black holes are known for their insatiable appetites. But the most massive ones in the universe — supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies — may be much more selective than we previously thought. We are finding increasing evidence that magnetic fields, which are twisted and amplified in the immediate vicinity of these cosmic giants, can act as powerful regulators of how much matter they can actually consume. In short: magnetic fields could put black holes on a diet. That is what we aim to find out through the M2FINDERS project.