After successfully capturing the first images of black holes, the revolutionary Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is now set to explore how these cosmic giants launch intense jets into the universe. A research team has demonstrated that the EHT will soon produce remarkable images of a supermassive black hole and its jets in the galaxy NGC 1052. Utilizing a network of linked radio telescopes, they have also verified the presence of robust magnetic fields near the black hole’s edge.
Following the capture of the initial images of black holes, the innovative Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is on the brink of uncovering how these massive entities eject potent jets into the cosmos. A group of researchers, spearheaded by Anne-Kathrin Baczko at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, has illustrated that the EHT is capable of producing captivating images of a supermassive black hole along with its jets in the galaxy NGC 1052. These observations, achieved through a network of connected radio telescopes, have also confirmed the existence of strong magnetic fields in the vicinity of the black hole.
The primary research question for the scientists involved in the project was: how do supermassive black holes produce jets of high-energy particles, extending across galactic distances and moving close to the speed of light? Recent efforts have made significant progress toward answering this inquiry through detailed measurements from the center of the galaxy NGC 1052, located 60 million light-years from our planet.
The team conducted synchronized measurements with multiple radio telescopes, resulting in fresh insights into the dynamics of the galaxy and its supermassive black hole. Their findings have been documented in a paper released in the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on December 17, 2024.
A promising yet challenging target
The research is led by Anne-Kathrin Baczko, an astronomer at Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers University of Technology.
“The nucleus of the galaxy NGC 1052 presents a promising target for imaging with the Event Horizon Telescope, yet it is also faint, intricate, and more difficult than previous sources we’ve tackled,” observes Anne-Kathrin Baczko.
This galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole responsible for two powerful jets that stretch for thousands of light-years into space.
“Our goal is to study not only the black hole itself but also the origins of the jets that emanate from its eastern and western sides, as viewed from Earth,” states Eduardo Ros, a team member and astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany.
The team gathered data using five of the EHT’s global radio telescopes, including ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) in Chile, and arranged their equipment to maximize future observational potential, supplemented by data from additional telescopes.
“Considering the faintness and unknown nature of the target, we were unsure if we would obtain any data at all. However, our approach proved effective, largely due to ALMA’s sensitivity and the additional data collected from numerous other telescopes,” adds Anne-Kathrin Baczko.
Measurements show successful imaging possible in the future
- The team is now optimistic that successful imaging will be achievable in the future, bolstered by two crucial findings: the area surrounding the black hole emits bright signals at the right radio frequencies that the EHT can detect.
- The dimensions of the region where the jets originate closely resemble the size of the ring around M 87*, making it sufficiently large for EHT imaging at its full capability.
From their observations, the researchers have also gauged the magnetic field strength near the black hole’s event horizon. The measurement of 2.6 tesla is approximately 40,000 times stronger than Earth’s magnetic field, aligning with earlier assessments for this galaxy.
“This remarkably strong magnetic field suggests it can prevent material from descending into the black hole, potentially playing a role in launching the galaxy’s two jets,” explains Matthias Kadler.
Despite the challenges posed by this faint target, the future looks promising as radio astronomers gear up for upcoming innovations in telescope networks, such as the NRAO’s next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) and the next generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT).
“Our measurements provide improved insight into how the galaxy’s innermost center radiates across various wavelengths. Its spectrum shines brightly at around one millimeter, where we can capture exceptionally detailed images today. It’s even more luminous at slightly longer wavelengths, making it an excellent target for the next wave of radio telescopes,” notes Matthias Kadler, an astronomer at the University of Würzburg in Germany.
More about the research
The research paper titled “The putative center in NGC 1052,” authored by Anne-Kathrin Baczko (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden) and 286 collaborators, appears in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. The team also includes Chalmers scientists John Conway and Michael Lindqvist (both from Onsala Space Observatory) and Chiara Ceccobello (currently at AI Sweden).
The data was collected by five telescopes within the EHT network: ALMA in Chile, the IRAM 30-meter telescope in Spain, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in Hawaii, and the South Pole Telescope (SPT) in Antarctica. Additional measurements were obtained from 14 other radio telescopes in the Global Millimetre VLBI Array (GMVA) network spanning Spain, Finland, and Germany, including the 20-meter telescope at Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden, and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) telescopes in the United States.
The EHT Collaboration comprises over 400 researchers from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, with the goal of obtaining the most detailed images of black holes by forming a virtual telescope the size of Earth.
