The persistent shadow of the supermassive black hole of M87

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observation of M87∗ in 2018 has revealed a ring with a diameter that is consistent with the 2017 observation. The brightest part of the ring is shifted to the southwest from the southeast. In this paper, we provide theoretical interpretations for the multi-epoch EHT observations for M87∗ by comparing a new general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics model image library with the EHT observations for M87∗ in both 2017 and 2018. The model images include aligned and tilted accretion with parameterized thermal and nonthermal synchrotron emission properties. The 2018 observation again shows that the spin vector of the M87∗ supermassive black hole is pointed away from Earth. A shift of the brightest part of the ring during the multi-epoch observations can naturally be explained by the turbulent nature of black hole accretion, which is supported by the fact that the more turbulent retrograde models can explain the multi-epoch observations better than the prograde models. The EHT data are inconsistent with the tilted models in our model image library. Assuming that the black hole spin axis and its large-scale jet direction are roughly aligned, we expect the brightest part of the ring to be most commonly observed 90 deg clockwise from the forward jet. This prediction can be statistically tested through future observations.

Publication Details

Journal
Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Published
2025-01-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202451296/pdf
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

The persistent shadow of the supermassive black hole of M87

Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
article

The persistent shadow of the supermassive black hole of M87

article en

Abstract

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observation of M87∗ in 2018 has revealed a ring with a diameter that is consistent with the 2017 observation. The brightest part of the ring is shifted to the southwest from the southeast. In this paper, we provide theoretical interpretations for the multi-epoch EHT observations for M87∗ by comparing a new general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics model image library with the EHT observations for M87∗ in both 2017 and 2018. The model images include aligned and tilted accretion with parameterized thermal and nonthermal synchrotron emission properties. The 2018 observation again shows that the spin vector of the M87∗ supermassive black hole is pointed away from Earth. A shift of the brightest part of the ring during the multi-epoch observations can naturally be explained by the turbulent nature of black hole accretion, which is supported by the fact that the more turbulent retrograde models can explain the multi-epoch observations better than the prograde models. The EHT data are inconsistent with the tilted models in our model image library. Assuming that the black hole spin axis and its large-scale jet direction are roughly aligned, we expect the brightest part of the ring to be most commonly observed 90 deg clockwise from the forward jet. This prediction can be statistically tested through future observations.

Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, University of Chicago, University of Arizona, National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Compute Canada, Netherlands eScience Center, Space Telescope Science Institute, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Associated Universities, International Max Planck Research School for Environmental, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology, Joint Institute for Computational Fundamental Science, Flatiron Health, Leverhulme Trust, European Commission, National Research Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Academia Sinica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Generalitat Valenciana, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, National Research Foundation of Korea, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Vetenskapsrådet, Ministry of Education, India, China Scholarship Council, European Southern Observatory, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, National Science and Technology Council, Toray Science Foundation, Office of Science, National Nuclear Security Administration, Physics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory
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