Astrophysicists make exciting discovery about radio signals in black holes
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 4:30 pm
Astrophysicists make exciting discovery about radio signals in black holes
https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/a ... les/25887/
A research team led by Tohoku University have confirmed the presence of plasma loading mechanism within black holes.
Galaxies within space, including the Milky Way, host supermassive black holes in their centres. They are a common occurrence in our Universe, sitting at the heart of most large galaxies.
Their masses are millions to billions of times larger than the Sun, and some black holes launch fast-moving plasma outflows. Plasma activity emits strong radio signals, known as radio jets.
The discovery was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The history of radio jets
The strong gravitational fields of black holes allow them to suck in and obliterate objects that get too close to them. While they absorb most of this celestial matter, a small fraction escapes and blasts back out into space. These emissions, known as radio jets, emit radio waves that travel at nearly the speed of light.
Radio jets within black holes were first discovered in the 1970s; however, much remains unknown about how they are produced, especially their energy source and plasma loading mechanism.
Previous studies have claimed that black holes are highly magnetised, because magnetised plasma inside galaxies carries magnetic fields into the black hole. Then, neighbouring magnetic energy transiently releases its energy via magnetic reconnection, energising the plasma surrounding the black hole. These magnetic reconnections provide the energy source for solar flares.
Recently, the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration uncovered radio images of nearby black holes at the centre of the giant elliptical galaxy, M87. This observation supported the theory that the spin of the black hole powers radio jets; however, produced little information to clarify the plasma loading mechanism.
https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/a ... les/25887/
A research team led by Tohoku University have confirmed the presence of plasma loading mechanism within black holes.
Galaxies within space, including the Milky Way, host supermassive black holes in their centres. They are a common occurrence in our Universe, sitting at the heart of most large galaxies.
Their masses are millions to billions of times larger than the Sun, and some black holes launch fast-moving plasma outflows. Plasma activity emits strong radio signals, known as radio jets.
The discovery was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The history of radio jets
The strong gravitational fields of black holes allow them to suck in and obliterate objects that get too close to them. While they absorb most of this celestial matter, a small fraction escapes and blasts back out into space. These emissions, known as radio jets, emit radio waves that travel at nearly the speed of light.
Radio jets within black holes were first discovered in the 1970s; however, much remains unknown about how they are produced, especially their energy source and plasma loading mechanism.
Previous studies have claimed that black holes are highly magnetised, because magnetised plasma inside galaxies carries magnetic fields into the black hole. Then, neighbouring magnetic energy transiently releases its energy via magnetic reconnection, energising the plasma surrounding the black hole. These magnetic reconnections provide the energy source for solar flares.
Recently, the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration uncovered radio images of nearby black holes at the centre of the giant elliptical galaxy, M87. This observation supported the theory that the spin of the black hole powers radio jets; however, produced little information to clarify the plasma loading mechanism.