Milky Way’s Black Hole: A Near-Light-Speed Spin Revealed by AI

Our galaxy’s heart beats with a cosmic whirlwind. Scientists have used artificial intelligence to reveal that Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, is spinning at an astonishing speed – nearly the theoretical maximum.

A team led by Michael Janssen at Radboud University employed a groundbreaking approach. They trained a neural network on millions of simulated black hole models, each requiring millions of supercomputer hours to generate. This AI powerhouse was then tasked with analyzing data from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a global network of observatories.

The results? The AI determined Sagittarius A* is spinning at 80-90% of its maximum possible speed. This finding, while aligning with some previous suspicions, surpasses the precision of earlier methods. It also highlighted a mismatch between the observed magnetic fields and existing models, prompting further research.

While experts like Dimitrios Psaltis at the Georgia Institute of Technology acknowledge the counterintuitive nature of such precise spin measurement, and Yosuke Mizuno at Shanghai Jiao Tong University points to room for improvement in the models, they all agree on the transformative power of AI in astrophysics.

This achievement, however, isn’t without its caveats. The AI’s findings require rigorous verification, a process Janssen’s team is actively pursuing through extensive cross-checks and analysis of future EHT data. The use of AI in such complex analyses marks a significant leap forward in our understanding of these enigmatic cosmic giants.

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