A ring-like accretion structure in M87 connecting its black hole and jet

Ru-Sen Lu (), Keiichi Asada (), Thomas P. Krichbaum (), Jongho Park, Fumie Tazaki, Hung-Yi Pu, Masanori Nakamura, Andrei Lobanov, Kazuhiro Hada (), Kazunori Akiyama, Jae-Young Kim, Ivan Marti-Vidal, José L. Gómez, Tomohisa Kawashima, Feng Yuan, Eduardo Ros, Walter Alef, Silke Britzen, Michael Bremer, Avery E. Broderick, Akihiro Doi, Gabriele Giovannini, Marcello Giroletti, Paul T. P. Ho, Mareki Honma, David H. Hughes, Makoto Inoue, Wu Jiang, Motoki Kino, Shoko Koyama, Michael Lindqvist, Jun Liu, Alan P. Marscher, Satoki Matsushita, Hiroshi Nagai, Helge Rottmann, Tuomas Savolainen, Karl-Friedrich Schuster, Zhi-Qiang Shen, Pablo Vicente, R. Craig Walker, Hai Yang, J. Anton Zensus, Juan Carlos Algaba, Alexander Allardi, Uwe Bach, Ryan Berthold, Dan Bintley, Do-Young Byun, Carolina Casadio, Shu-Hao Chang, Chih-Cheng Chang, Song-Chu Chang, Chung-Chen Chen, Ming-Tang Chen, Ryan Chilson, Tim C. Chuter, John Conway, Geoffrey B. Crew, Jessica T. Dempsey, Sven Dornbusch, Aaron Faber, Per Friberg, Javier González García, Miguel Gómez Garrido, Chih-Chiang Han, Kuo-Chang Han, Yutaka Hasegawa, Ruben Herrero-Illana, Yau- De Huang, Chih-Wei L. Huang, Violette Impellizzeri, Homin Jiang, Hao Jinchi, Taehyun Jung, Juha Kallunki, Petri Kirves, Kimihiro Kimura, Jun Yi Koay, Patrick M. Koch, Carsten Kramer, Alex Kraus, Derek Kubo, Cheng-Yu Kuo, Chao-Te Li, Lupin Chun-Che Lin, Ching-Tang Liu, Kuan-Yu Liu, Wen-Ping Lo, Li-Ming Lu, Nicholas MacDonald, Pierre Martin-Cocher, Hugo Messias, Zheng Meyer-Zhao, Anthony Minter, Dhanya G. Nair, Hiroaki Nishioka, Timothy J. Norton, George Nystrom, Hideo Ogawa, Peter Oshiro, Nimesh A. Patel, Ue-Li Pen, Yurii Pidopryhora, Nicolas Pradel, Philippe A. Raffin, Ramprasad Rao, Ignacio Ruiz, Salvador Sanchez, Paul Shaw, William Snow, T. K. Sridharan, Ranjani Srinivasan, Belén Tercero, Pablo Torne, Efthalia Traianou, Jan Wagner, Craig Walther, Ta-Shun Wei, Jun Yang and Chen-Yu Yu
Additional contact information
Ru-Sen Lu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Keiichi Asada: Academia Sinica
Thomas P. Krichbaum: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Jongho Park: Academia Sinica
Fumie Tazaki: Tokyo Electron Technology Solutions
Hung-Yi Pu: Academia Sinica
Masanori Nakamura: Academia Sinica
Andrei Lobanov: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Kazuhiro Hada: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Kazunori Akiyama: Harvard University
Jae-Young Kim: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Ivan Marti-Vidal: Universitat de València
José L. Gómez: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía–CSIC
Tomohisa Kawashima: The University of Tokyo
Feng Yuan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Eduardo Ros: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Walter Alef: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Silke Britzen: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Michael Bremer: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
Avery E. Broderick: University of Waterloo
Akihiro Doi: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Gabriele Giovannini: Università di Bologna
Marcello Giroletti: INAF
Paul T. P. Ho: Academia Sinica
Mareki Honma: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
David H. Hughes: Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica
Makoto Inoue: Academia Sinica
Wu Jiang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Motoki Kino: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Shoko Koyama: Academia Sinica
Michael Lindqvist: Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory
Jun Liu: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Alan P. Marscher: Boston University
Satoki Matsushita: Academia Sinica
Hiroshi Nagai: The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
Helge Rottmann: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Tuomas Savolainen: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Karl-Friedrich Schuster: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
Zhi-Qiang Shen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Pablo Vicente: Observatorio de Yebes, IGN
R. Craig Walker: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Hai Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
J. Anton Zensus: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Juan Carlos Algaba: Universiti Malaya
Alexander Allardi: University of Vermont
Uwe Bach: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Ryan Berthold: East Asian Observatory
Dan Bintley: East Asian Observatory
Do-Young Byun: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Carolina Casadio: Foundation for Research and Technology
Shu-Hao Chang: Academia Sinica
Chih-Cheng Chang: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
Song-Chu Chang: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
Chung-Chen Chen: Academia Sinica
Ming-Tang Chen: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
Ryan Chilson: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
Tim C. Chuter: East Asian Observatory
John Conway: Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory
Geoffrey B. Crew: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory
Jessica T. Dempsey: East Asian Observatory
Sven Dornbusch: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Aaron Faber: Western University
Per Friberg: East Asian Observatory
Javier González García: Observatorio de Yebes, IGN
Miguel Gómez Garrido: Observatorio de Yebes, IGN
Chih-Chiang Han: Academia Sinica
Kuo-Chang Han: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
Yutaka Hasegawa: Osaka Metropolitan University
Ruben Herrero-Illana: European Southern Observatory
Yau- De Huang: Academia Sinica
Chih-Wei L. Huang: Academia Sinica
Violette Impellizzeri: University of Leiden
Homin Jiang: Academia Sinica
Hao Jinchi: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
Taehyun Jung: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Juha Kallunki: Aalto University
Petri Kirves: Aalto University
Kimihiro Kimura: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Jun Yi Koay: Academia Sinica
Patrick M. Koch: Academia Sinica
Carsten Kramer: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
Alex Kraus: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Derek Kubo: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
Cheng-Yu Kuo: National Sun Yat-Sen University
Chao-Te Li: Academia Sinica
Lupin Chun-Che Lin: National Cheng Kung University
Ching-Tang Liu: Academia Sinica
Kuan-Yu Liu: Academia Sinica
Wen-Ping Lo: Academia Sinica
Li-Ming Lu: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
Nicholas MacDonald: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Pierre Martin-Cocher: Academia Sinica
Hugo Messias: European Southern Observatory
Zheng Meyer-Zhao: Academia Sinica
Anthony Minter: Green Bank Observatory
Dhanya G. Nair: Universidad de Concepción
Hiroaki Nishioka: Academia Sinica
Timothy J. Norton: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
George Nystrom: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
Hideo Ogawa: Osaka Metropolitan University
Peter Oshiro: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
Nimesh A. Patel: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Ue-Li Pen: Academia Sinica
Yurii Pidopryhora: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Nicolas Pradel: Academia Sinica
Philippe A. Raffin: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
Ramprasad Rao: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Ignacio Ruiz: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
Salvador Sanchez: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
Paul Shaw: Academia Sinica
William Snow: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
T. K. Sridharan: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Ranjani Srinivasan: Academia Sinica
Belén Tercero: Observatorio de Yebes, IGN
Pablo Torne: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
Efthalia Traianou: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Jan Wagner: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Craig Walther: East Asian Observatory
Ta-Shun Wei: Academia Sinica
Jun Yang: Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory
Chen-Yu Yu: Academia Sinica

Nature, 2023, vol. 616, issue 7958, 686-690

Abstract: Abstract The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a prime target for studying black hole accretion and jet formation1,2. 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 $${8.4}_{-1.1}^{+0.5}$$ 8.4 − 1.1 + 0.5 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.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05843-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:616:y:2023:i:7958:d:10.1038_s41586-023-05843-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05843-w

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().