New photo shows magnetic fields at the edge of black hole – Science

For the first time, astronomers have managed to measure polarization – a hallmark of magnetic fields – close to the edge of a black hole, the European Southern Observatory ESO has announced. This was the black hole in galaxy M87, the first ever photographed.

On April 10, 2019, scientists presented the very first image of a black hole, showing a bright ring-like structure around a dark center – the shadow of the black hole. Since then, the data has been searched deeper and it has been discovered that a significant fraction of the light around this black hole is polarized.

Light becomes polarized when it passes through certain filters, such as the lenses of polarized sunglasses, or when it is emitted from hot areas of space that are magnetized. Just as polarized sunglasses allow us to see better by reducing the reflections and flare from bright surfaces, astronomers can improve their view of the surroundings of a black hole by observing how the light it produces is polarized. More specifically, polarization allows astronomers to map the magnetic field lines along the edge of the black hole.

The polarization images now published are crucial to our understanding of how the magnetic field enables the black hole to ‘gobble up matter and launch powerful jets,’ said Andrew Chael of the collaborative that took the famous photo.

The bright jets of energy and matter that spring from the core of M87, extending at least 5,000 light-years from its core, are among the most mysterious and energetic features of this galaxy. Most of the matter close to the edge of a black hole falls inward. But some of the particles in the environment manage to escape in the nick of time and are blown far into space in the form of jets.

The observations thus provide new information about the structure of the magnetic fields just outside the black hole.

The observations suggest that the magnetic fields at the edge of the black hole are strong enough to push the hot gas back and it helps to resist gravity. Only gas that slips through the field can spiral towards the event horizon, ”said Jason Dexter, associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Two articles about this research have been published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Astrophysical Journal.

On April 10, 2019, scientists presented the very first image of a black hole, showing a bright ring-like structure around a dark center – the shadow of the black hole. Since then, the data has been searched deeper and it has been discovered that a significant fraction of the light around this black hole is polarized. Light becomes polarized when it passes through certain filters, such as the lenses of polarized sunglasses, or when it is emitted from hot areas of space that are magnetized. Just as polarized sunglasses allow us to see better by reducing the reflections and flare from bright surfaces, astronomers can improve their view of the surroundings of a black hole by observing how the light it produces is polarized. More specifically, polarization allows astronomers to map the magnetic field lines along the edge of the black hole. The polarization images now published are crucial to our understanding of how the magnetic field enables the black hole to ‘gobble up matter and launch powerful jets,’ said Andrew Chael of the collaborative that took the famous photo. The bright jets of energy and matter that spring from the core of M87, extending at least 5,000 light-years from its core, are among the most mysterious and energetic features of this galaxy. Most of the matter close to the edge of a black hole falls inward. But some of the particles in the environment manage to escape in the nick of time and are blown far into space in the form of jets. The observations thus provide new information about the structure of the magnetic fields just outside the black hole. The observations suggest that the magnetic fields at the edge of the black hole are strong enough to push the hot gas back and it helps to resist gravity. Only gas that slips through the field can spiral towards the event horizon, ”said Jason Dexter, associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Two articles about this research have been published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Astrophysical Journal.

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