A series of studies sheds light on the origins and characteristics of intermediate-mass black holes. In the world of black holes, there are generally three size categories: stellar-mass black holes (about five to 50 times the mass of the sun), supermassive black holes (millions to billions of times the mass of the sun), and intermediate-mass black holes with masses somewhere in between.

While we know that intermediate-mass black holes should exist, little is known about their origins or characteristics – they are considered the rare “missing links” in black hole evolution.

However, four new studies have shed new light on the mystery. The research was led by a team in the lab of Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Karan Jani, who also serves as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Lunar Labs Initiative. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Vanderbilt Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.