Precessing jet nozzle connecting to a spinning black hole in M87

Yuzhu Cui (), Kazuhiro Hada, Tomohisa Kawashima, Motoki Kino, Weikang Lin, Yosuke Mizuno, Hyunwook Ro, Mareki Honma, Kunwoo Yi, Jintao Yu, Jongho Park, Wu Jiang, Zhiqiang Shen, Evgeniya Kravchenko, Juan-Carlos Algaba, Xiaopeng Cheng, Ilje Cho, Gabriele Giovannini, Marcello Giroletti, Taehyun Jung, Ru-Sen Lu, Kotaro Niinuma, Junghwan Oh, Ken Ohsuga, Satoko Sawada-Satoh, Bong Won Sohn, Hiroyuki R. Takahashi, Mieko Takamura, Fumie Tazaki, Sascha Trippe, Kiyoaki Wajima, Kazunori Akiyama, Tao An, Keiichi Asada, Salvatore Buttaccio, Do-Young Byun, Lang Cui, Yoshiaki Hagiwara, Tomoya Hirota, Jeffrey Hodgson, Noriyuki Kawaguchi, Jae-Young Kim, Sang-Sung Lee, Jee Won Lee, Jeong Ae Lee, Giuseppe Maccaferri, Andrea Melis, Alexey Melnikov, Carlo Migoni, Se-Jin Oh, Koichiro Sugiyama, Xuezheng Wang, Yingkang Zhang, Zhong Chen, Ju-Yeon Hwang, Dong-Kyu Jung, Hyo-Ryoung Kim, Jeong-Sook Kim, Hideyuki Kobayashi, Bin Li, Guanghui Li, Xiaofei Li, Zhiyong Liu, Qinghui Liu, Xiang Liu, Chung-Sik Oh, Tomoaki Oyama, Duk-Gyoo Roh, Jinqing Wang, Na Wang, Shiqiang Wang, Bo Xia, Hao Yan, Jae-Hwan Yeom, Yoshinori Yonekura, Jianping Yuan, Hua Zhang, Rongbing Zhao and Weiye Zhong
Additional contact information
Yuzhu Cui: Zhejiang Laboratory
Kazuhiro Hada: The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
Tomohisa Kawashima: The University of Tokyo
Motoki Kino: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Weikang Lin: Yunnan University
Yosuke Mizuno: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Hyunwook Ro: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Mareki Honma: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Kunwoo Yi: Seoul National University
Jintao Yu: Air Force Early Warning Academy
Jongho Park: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Wu Jiang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhiqiang Shen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Juan-Carlos Algaba: Universiti Malaya
Xiaopeng Cheng: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Ilje Cho: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Gabriele Giovannini: DIFA Bologna University
Marcello Giroletti: INAF-Istituto di Radioastronomia
Taehyun Jung: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Ru-Sen Lu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kotaro Niinuma: Yamaguchi University
Junghwan Oh: Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC
Ken Ohsuga: University of Tsukuba
Satoko Sawada-Satoh: Osaka Metropolitan University
Bong Won Sohn: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Hiroyuki R. Takahashi: Komazawa University
Mieko Takamura: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Fumie Tazaki: Tokyo Electron Technology Solutions Limited
Sascha Trippe: Seoul National University
Kiyoaki Wajima: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Kazunori Akiyama: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Tao An: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Keiichi Asada: Academia Sinica
Salvatore Buttaccio: INAF-Istituto di Radioastronomia
Do-Young Byun: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Lang Cui: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yoshiaki Hagiwara: Toyo University
Tomoya Hirota: The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
Jeffrey Hodgson: Sejong University
Noriyuki Kawaguchi: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Jae-Young Kim: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Sang-Sung Lee: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Jee Won Lee: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Jeong Ae Lee: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Giuseppe Maccaferri: INAF-Istituto di Radioastronomia
Andrea Melis: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari
Alexey Melnikov: Russian Academy of Sciences
Carlo Migoni: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari
Se-Jin Oh: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Koichiro Sugiyama: National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Public Organization)
Xuezheng Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yingkang Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhong Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ju-Yeon Hwang: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Dong-Kyu Jung: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Hyo-Ryoung Kim: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Jeong-Sook Kim: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Hideyuki Kobayashi: The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
Bin Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guanghui Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiaofei Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhiyong Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qinghui Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiang Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chung-Sik Oh: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Tomoaki Oyama: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Duk-Gyoo Roh: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Jinqing Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Na Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shiqiang Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Bo Xia: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hao Yan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jae-Hwan Yeom: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Yoshinori Yonekura: Ibaraki University
Jianping Yuan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hua Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Rongbing Zhao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Weiye Zhong: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature, 2023, vol. 621, issue 7980, 711-715

Abstract: Abstract The nearby radio galaxy M87 offers a unique opportunity to explore the connections between the central supermassive black hole and relativistic jets. Previous studies of the inner region of M87 revealed a wide opening angle for the jet originating near the black hole1–4. The Event Horizon Telescope resolved the central radio source and found an asymmetric ring structure consistent with expectations from general relativity5. With a baseline of 17 years of observations, there was a shift in the jet’s transverse position, possibly arising from an 8- to 10-year quasi-periodicity3. However, the origin of this sideways shift remains unclear. Here we report an analysis of radio observations over 22 years that suggests a period of about 11 years for the variation in the position angle of the jet. We infer that we are seeing a spinning black hole that induces the Lense–Thirring precession of a misaligned accretion disk. Similar jet precession may commonly occur in other active galactic nuclei but has been challenging to detect owing to the small magnitude and long period of the variation.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06479-6

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