Projects per year
Abstract
Very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of active galactic nuclei at millimetre wavelengths have the power to reveal the launching and initial collimation region of extragalactic radio jets, down to 10-100 gravitational radii (r(g) equivalent to GM/c(2)) scales in nearby sources(1). Centaurus A is the closest radio-loud source to Earth(2). It bridges the gap in mass and accretion rate between the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in Messier 87 and our Galactic Centre. A large southern declination of -43 degrees has, however, prevented VLBI imaging of Centaurus A below a wavelength of 1 cm thus far. Here we show the millimetre VLBI image of the source, which we obtained with the Event Horizon Telescope at 228 GHz. Compared with previous observations(3), we image the jet of Centaurus A at a tenfold higher frequency and sixteen times sharper resolution and thereby probe sub-lightday structures. We reveal a highly collimated, asymmetrically edge-brightened jet as well as the fainter counterjet. We find that the source structure of Centaurus A resembles the jet in Messier 87 on similar to 500 r(g) scales remarkably well. Furthermore, we identify the location of Centaurus A's SMBH with respect to its resolved jet core at a wavelength of 1.3 mm and conclude that the source's event horizon shadow(4) should be visible at terahertz frequencies. This location further supports the universal scale invariance of black holes over a wide range of masses(5,6).
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1017-1028 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Nature Astronomy |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2021 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Event Horizon Telescope observations of the jet launching and collimation in Centaurus A'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 6 Finished
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NT-VGOS: From quasars to geodesy: how astronomy can enable a new era in ultra-precise geodetic measurements
Savolainen, T. (Principal investigator), Chamani Velasco, W. (Project Member) & Xu, M. (Project Member)
01/09/2018 → 28/02/2023
Project: Academy of Finland: Other research funding
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Physics of Black Hole-Powered Jets
Savolainen, T. (Principal investigator) & Chamani Velasco, W. (Project Member)
01/09/2017 → 31/08/2019
Project: Academy of Finland: Other research funding
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Physics of Black Hole-Powered Jets
Savolainen, T. (Principal investigator)
01/01/2016 → 31/08/2019
Project: Academy of Finland: Other research funding
Equipment
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Metsähovi Radio Observatory
Tammi, J. (Manager)
School of Electrical EngineeringFacility/equipment: Facility