An international team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery of a massive galaxy structure known as “Cosmic Vine,” measuring about 13 million light-years in length and containing at least 20 massive galaxies. This colossal entity was observed at a redshift of 3.44, suggesting it appeared when the universe was just 2.5 billion years old. The discovery sheds new light on the formation and evolution of massive galaxies, as well as the emergence of galaxy clusters.
The presence of two of the largest galaxies ever discovered at such a high redshift, Galaxy A and Galaxy E, within the Cosmic Vine structure has led researchers to believe that these giants may have been quenched substantial energy releases from a supermassive black hole before becoming part of the Vine. This challenges prior models that suggested these massive, quiescent galaxies could only form in the cores of mature galaxy clusters.
The findings of this discovery have significant implications for understanding galaxy formation and the process of quenching star formation in galaxies. Further examination of quiescent cluster galaxies at high redshifts is crucial for gaining a deeper understanding of these giants. The recently launched Euclid Space Telescope, designed to study the structure and history of large-scale structures in the universe, is expected to advance this research.
The research findings have been shared in a preprint journal and can be accessed at the following link: [https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2311.04867](https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2311.04867).