Tenali scientist's breakthrough

DISCOVERY sheds light on BLACK HOLES

- BANDHAVI ANNAM @Guntur

The sky is not the limit, proves a 32-year-old young astrophysicist from Tenali, who is making significant strides in the field of astrophysics with a discovery that could reshape current understanding of the universe.

Dr Ragadeepika Pucha, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah, has led a ground-breaking study identifying one of the largest known intermediate-mass black holes within a highly active dwarf galaxy. The findings have the potential to unlock critical insights into the origins of black holes and galaxy formation.

Her research paper titled 'Tripling the Census of Dwarf AGN Candidates Using DESI Early Data', was published in The Astrophysical Journal.

For decades, scientists have established that large galaxies merge over time and that nearly every massive galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole. However, the existence of black holes within dwarf galaxies—widely considered the fundamental building blocks of the universe—has remained uncertain. Analyzing data from more than 2,500 dwarf galaxies, Ragadeepika's study revealed that approximately 2% of them may harbor black holes, contributing to the ongoing debate over whether black holes precede galaxy formation or emerge within existing galaxies.