Supermassive black holes, often billions of times the mass of our Sun, serve as the gravitational anchors at the centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. When actively accreting matter, these cosmic behemoths blaze as quasars, some of the brightest and most energetic objects observable in the universe. Quasars emit copious radiation as gas and dust spiral inward, heated to extreme temperatures in their accretion disks. This light flickers irregularly as the black hole feeds, a phenomenon providing key insights into the dynamics of accretion and black hole growth. The detection of such flickering from one of the universe’s earliest quasars marks a significant milestone in astrophysics.

The quasar flicker detected by the MIT-led team represents the earliest known variability observed from such an object, emerging from what astronomers term the “cosmic dawn.” This period, occurring roughly 850 million years post-Big Bang, was thought to host only nascent galaxies and immature black holes. Contradicting previous assumptions, the observed quasar exhibited variability patterns similar to those found in more contemporary quasars, suggesting that the physical processes governing black hole accretion were already established at these primordial times.

Gene Leung, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, explains that prior detections of quasars from the early universe showed bright, steady light sources but lacked the tell-tale flickering patterns that reveal underlying accretion processes. The detection of flicker is critical because it directly relates to fluctuations in how material is ingested by the black hole. Such fluctuations imprint themselves in the light output, encoding information about the accretion disk’s geometry and the feeding mechanisms at work.

Unexpectedly, the flickering quasar’s accretion disk appeared surprisingly flat and thin, resembling a “pancake” rather than the puffier, chaotic structures anticipated for black holes at such early stages of growth. This finding puzzles astronomers, as conventional wisdom suggests that youthful black holes in the young universe should exhibit turbulent, unstable accretion disks, reflecting ongoing rapid growth phases. Instead, this quasar’s disk mirrors the more orderly structures typically associated with mature, settled black holes.

Anna-Christina Eilers, an assistant professor of physics at MIT and a co-author on the study, interprets this evidence as suggesting that the tumultuous, rapid growth stages of supermassive black holes precede the luminous quasar phase visible to current telescopes. In other words, the messy early feeding epochs might occur so swiftly and early that by the time we observe the quasar’s brilliant light, the black hole’s accretion disk has already stabilized into a flat, well-organized structure.

This revelation adds to one of cosmology’s deepest enigmas: How did supermassive black holes form and reach immense mass so quickly in the early universe? The presence of such sophisticated accretion disks at cosmic dawn implies that significant growth and structural organization happened on remarkably short timescales, challenging existing models of black hole evolution and opening new avenues for theoretical and observational research.

Detecting flickering from such a distant quasar was a formidable technical challenge. Owing to cosmic expansion, the quasar’s emitted light is not only stretched to longer, infrared wavelengths — a phenomenon known as redshift — but its temporal flickering expands correspondingly. What might be a variation over weeks in the quasar’s frame becomes a gradual fluctuation observed over many months or years from Earth. This necessitated infrared observations over extended durations with high sensitivity.

The team turned to data collected by NASA’s NEOWISE mission, a space-based infrared survey telescope with a 14-year archive monitoring the entire sky at infrared wavelengths. High-quality, time-resolved infrared data provided the ideal dataset to detect the subtle, long-term flickering signal from the distant quasar. Utilizing refined data processing techniques developed by former MIT postdoc Kishalay De, now at Columbia University, the researchers extracted the earliest evidence of quasar variability from the cosmic dawn.

The flickering exhibited stochastic variations in brightness by up to 20 percent, equivalent to luminosity shifts of approximately 2 trillion times that of our Sun. Such variations imply fluctuating accretion rates and provide a rare glimpse into the black hole’s feeding habits in an epoch close to the universe’s infancy. By analyzing flicker behavior across multiple wavelengths, the researchers could infer temperature gradients within the disk, enabling them to map its structure and confirm its thin, flat morphology.

This discovery not only underscores that the physical mechanics of black hole accretion recognized in the modern universe were already in place shortly after the Big Bang but also poses profound implications for models of galaxy and black hole coevolution. Supermassive black holes exert powerful influence on their host galaxies, regulating star formation and galactic growth through energetic feedback processes. Understanding how early black holes matured thus impacts our grasp of galaxy formation and evolution across cosmic time.

Looking ahead, the team aims to push observational boundaries even further, seeking to identify flickering quasars at even earlier times. Capturing the nascent stages of black hole development promises to unravel the initial phases of black hole assembly and accretion disk formation. Such insights will illuminate the conditions prevailing in the first billion years and potentially solve the mystery of how black holes achieved such enormous masses so rapidly after the dawn of the universe.

Funded in part by NASA, this study represents a collaborative effort between MIT Kavli and multiple global institutions. It advances our cosmic understanding through innovative reuse of archival data and sets a benchmark for future infrared time-domain surveys. The insights gained from this flickering quasar discovery herald a new era in the study of black hole physics, galaxy evolution, and the earliest chapters of cosmic history.

Written by Jennifer Chu, MIT News

Subject of Research: Early Universe Quasar Variability and Supermassive Black Hole Accretion Disk Structure

Article Title: “Discovery of Cosmic Dawn Quasar Variability and Early Accretion Disk Signatures”

News Publication Date: 2024

Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02897-4

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Keywords

Quasar flickering, supermassive black holes, cosmic dawn, accretion disk, early universe, NEOWISE, infrared astronomy, black hole growth, galaxy evolution, cosmic redshift, astrophysics, variability detection

Traditionally, cosmologists have conceived black hole formation in a hierarchical framework, beginning with “light seeds.” This involves the collapse of massive stars—a process where a star exhausts its nuclear fuel and gravitationally implodes, leaving behind a black hole with a comparatively modest mass of tens to hundreds of solar masses. Over cosmic time, these smaller black holes were thought to merge and accrete matter incrementally, gradually growing into the supermassive behemoths observed today. However, the early appearance of gargantuan black holes reveals a discrepancy in this model’s timeline, indicating that the standard evolutionary pathway might be insufficient for explaining these ancient leviathans.

Addressing this profound puzzle, Professor Volker Bromm of the University of Texas at Austin, a leading figure in theoretical astronomy and co-director of the Cosmic Frontier Center, has co-authored a groundbreaking study investigating enigmatic astronomical phenomena dubbed “Little Red Dots” (LRDs). Published in the Astrophysical Journal in February 2026, the research utilizes advanced computational cosmology to model these compact, intensely redshifted objects. LRDs exhibit spectral signatures and physical characteristics challenging to reconcile with conventional theories, hinting instead at a radically different black hole formation mechanism than previously considered.

Central to Bromm’s study is the “heavy seed” hypothesis, which boldly posits that some black holes originated from the direct and rapid collapse of immense primordial gas clouds composed predominately of hydrogen and helium. These Direct Collapse Black Holes (DCBHs) bypass the slow stellar evolution process entirely, forming massive black hole seeds with initial masses significantly larger than those of star remnants. This model provides a plausible pathway for the emergence of supermassive black holes within the brief window post-Big Bang that JWST observations suggest.

LRDs, according to the heavy seed paradigm, represent black holes ensconced within dense gas cocoons—high-density clouds that both obscure and fuel the nascent supermassive objects. These gas envelopes result in characteristic emissions and spectral redshifts, which Bromm and his team simulated and compared against the JWST’s LRD data. The striking concordance between the heavy seed models and the observed LRD populations lends robust support to this alternative formation pathway, potentially rewriting a chapter in cosmic history.

The computational rigor underpinning this breakthrough was made possible by leveraging the formidable capabilities of supercomputers Lonestar6 and Stampede3, housed at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC). Bromm secured allocations on these machines via the University of Texas Research Cyberinfrastructure program, enabling the intricate modeling of galaxy formation physics. Starting from initial cosmological conditions informed by the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation—the relic radiation from the Big Bang—these simulations encompass the nonlinear interactions between dark matter and baryonic matter, a notoriously complex regime defying simple analytic solutions.

Bromm emphasizes that the coupling of dark matter with baryons engenders a computationally formidable challenge, necessitating the massive parallel processing power and large memory architectures offered by TACC’s systems. “The moment you couple dark matter with baryons, you enter an inherently nonlinear domain,” he explains, underscoring that only through such computational might can these multifaceted phenomena be realistically resolved.

The team’s computer simulations utilized the Ancient Stars and Local Observables by Tracing Halos (A-SLOTH) galaxy formation code. This sophisticated software populates the early universe’s virtual landscape with DCBHs and compares the resulting statistical properties against those derived from stellar remnant seeds. Their findings reveal superior alignment between the DCBH-based models and the real LRD data, particularly when analyzing host dark matter halo structures and population statistics, further signalling the viability of the heavy seed hypothesis.

A remarkable aspect of the research involved decoding the “genetics” of LRDs through a novel technique akin to constructing an evolutionary family tree. Bromm’s team employed merger tree methodologies to retrace the intricate lineage of individual LRDs, essentially unraveling their cosmic progenitors across millions of years. This approach integrated not only gravitational and hydrodynamic processes but also astrophysical mechanisms such as star formation, supernova feedback, and subsequent chemical enrichment, providing a comprehensive framework that mirrors the complex interplay shaping cosmic structures.

While the study’s simulations themselves did not directly harness artificial intelligence (AI), Bromm acknowledges that AI and machine learning techniques played supporting roles in distilling key properties from the JWST imaging data. These computational tools facilitated nuanced data analysis, helping to isolate the LRD signals amidst a cacophony of cosmic emissions, thereby enabling more precise model calibration.

Looking forward, the synergy between cutting-edge supercomputing and JWST insights heralds a new era in unraveling the primordial universe’s secrets. The formidable challenge lies in solving the coupled differential equations governing the dynamics of dark matter and baryonic matter as they evolve over cosmic time—a task that remains deeply computational and intractable without elite computational resources. Enhancing the fidelity of these models will be pivotal in bridging the luminous universe observed by JWST with the elusive nature of the underpinning dark matter scaffolding.

Philosophically, Bromm reflects on the monumental significance of these advances, highlighting humanity’s unprecedented capability to reconstruct nearly 14 billion years of cosmic history. This synthesis of observational astronomy and supercomputing marks an extraordinary leap in our quest to comprehend the universe’s genesis and evolution, placing us on the cusp of profound cosmological revelation.

The implications of this research extend beyond mere astrophysical curiosity: understanding the origins and growth of black holes informs broader fundamental physics, galaxy formation theories, and the intricate dance between visible matter and dark matter that shapes the cosmos. The study represents a quintessential example of the power of interdisciplinary science, combining observational prowess, theoretical insight, and computational excellence to address one of the most enigmatic questions in modern cosmology.

As JWST continues to collect data, and supercomputing architectures grow ever more powerful, the collaboration between telescopic observation and computational modeling stands poised to illuminate the shadowy corridors of our universe’s earliest epochs. Bromm and his collaborators have laid a robust foundation, guiding future investigations into the origins of supermassive black holes, the nature of primordial galaxies, and the grand narrative of cosmic evolution itself.

Subject of Research: Not applicable

Article Title: Little Red Dots and Their Progenitors from Direct Collapse Black Holes

News Publication Date: 6-Feb-2026

Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae3725

References: Jeon, J., Bromm, V., Taylor, A.J., Kokorev, V., Chisholm, J., Finkelstein, S.L., Liu, B., Fujimoto, S., Larson, R.L., Kocevski, D.D. (2026). Little Red Dots and Their Progenitors from Direct Collapse Black Holes. Astrophysical Journal.

Image Credits: Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC)

Keywords

James Webb Space Telescope, supermassive black holes, direct collapse black holes, Little Red Dots, cosmology, galaxy formation, supercomputing, Texas Advanced Computing Center, cosmic microwave background, dark matter, astrophysical simulations, early universe