Little Red Dots Are The Seeds of Quasars and Supermassive Black Holes

The James Webb Space Telescope discovered Little Red Dots (LRDs), reddish, point-like objects seen in the early universe. These objects are thought to be overmassive black holes, as they form in computer simulations of the early cosmos. The study suggests that LRDs are the seeds of galactic black holes and powerful quasars, and their spectra match those of overmassive black holes and primordial stars. The radiative environment of the early Universe helps push gas toward the black hole, allowing it to consume matter at a super-Eddington rate, thus accelerating its growth.

LRDs are believed to be young, overmassive black holes that formed in the early universe. They are not typical active black holes, as they do not emit strong radio or X-ray light. Instead, they resemble primordial stars in their spectra and exhibit rapid rotation, which is unusual for the first stars. The simulations suggest that gas clouds in the early universe are prevented from forming stellar nurseries due to ultraviolet light, leading to the formation of primordial superstars that collapse into black holes. These black holes have an initial mass on the order of a million Suns and can consume matter at a super-Eddington rate, allowing them to grow rapidly. The study provides a model that explains why LRDs' spectra resemble both black holes and primordial stars, and it supports the idea that LRDs are the seeds of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

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