1. A ring-like accretion structure in M87 connecting its black hole and jet.
- Author
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Lu RS, Asada K, Krichbaum TP, Park J, Tazaki F, Pu HY, Nakamura M, Lobanov A, Hada K, Akiyama K, Kim JY, Marti-Vidal I, Gómez JL, Kawashima T, Yuan F, Ros E, Alef W, Britzen S, Bremer M, Broderick AE, Doi A, Giovannini G, Giroletti M, Ho PTP, Honma M, Hughes DH, Inoue M, Jiang W, Kino M, Koyama S, Lindqvist M, Liu J, Marscher AP, Matsushita S, Nagai H, Rottmann H, Savolainen T, Schuster KF, Shen ZQ, de Vicente P, Walker RC, Yang H, Zensus JA, Algaba JC, Allardi A, Bach U, Berthold R, Bintley D, Byun DY, Casadio C, Chang SH, Chang CC, Chang SC, Chen CC, Chen MT, Chilson R, Chuter TC, Conway J, Crew GB, Dempsey JT, Dornbusch S, Faber A, Friberg P, García JG, Garrido MG, Han CC, Han KC, Hasegawa Y, Herrero-Illana R, Huang YD, Huang CL, Impellizzeri V, Jiang H, Jinchi H, Jung T, Kallunki J, Kirves P, Kimura K, Koay JY, Koch PM, Kramer C, Kraus A, Kubo D, Kuo CY, Li CT, Lin LC, Liu CT, Liu KY, Lo WP, Lu LM, MacDonald N, Martin-Cocher P, Messias H, Meyer-Zhao Z, Minter A, Nair DG, Nishioka H, Norton TJ, Nystrom G, Ogawa H, Oshiro P, Patel NA, Pen UL, Pidopryhora Y, Pradel N, Raffin PA, Rao R, Ruiz I, Sanchez S, Shaw P, Snow W, Sridharan TK, Srinivasan R, Tercero B, Torne P, Traianou E, Wagner J, Walther C, Wei TS, Yang J, and Yu CY
- Abstract
The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a prime target for studying black hole accretion and jet formation
1,2 . Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87 in 2017, at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, revealed a ring-like structure, which was interpreted as gravitationally lensed emission around a central black hole3 . Here we report images of M87 obtained in 2018, at a wavelength of 3.5 mm, showing that the compact radio core is spatially resolved. High-resolution imaging shows a ring-like structure of [Formula: see text] Schwarzschild radii in diameter, approximately 50% larger than that seen at 1.3 mm. The outer edge at 3.5 mm is also larger than that at 1.3 mm. This larger and thicker ring indicates a substantial contribution from the accretion flow with absorption effects, in addition to the gravitationally lensed ring-like emission. The images show that the edge-brightened jet connects to the accretion flow of the black hole. Close to the black hole, the emission profile of the jet-launching region is wider than the expected profile of a black-hole-driven jet, suggesting the possible presence of a wind associated with the accretion flow., (© 2023. The Author(s).)- Published
- 2023
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