GMVA16B-312

Imaging the Global Magnetic-Field Structure Near Sgr A*: 3mm VLBI with GMVA+ALMA

Abstract

The Galactic Center supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), is vastly under-luminous, emitting nine orders of magnitude below its Eddington luminosity and providing an important prototype of the ubiquitous class of low luminosity galactic nuclei. At 3.5-mm wavelength, the emission from Sgr A* occurs within ~15 Schwarzschild radii of the black hole, although its origin is not yet understood. Our recent very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations using VLBA+LMT+GBT resulted in the detection of non-zero closure phases indicating asymmetric emission at 3.5 mm. Here, we ask for dual-polarization GMVA+ALMA observations at 3.5 mm. With these we will be able to study the properties of the accretion and outflow from Sgr A* with unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity, on timescales from months to minutes, revealing the magnetic field structure and dynamics throughout the accretion flow on scales from thousands to tens of Schwarzschild radii.

Investigators

Name	Institution
Christiaan Brinkerink *	Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit
Michael Johnson	California at Santa Barbara, University of; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Lindy Blackburn	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Cornelia Mueller	Würzburg, Universität; Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit; Astronomical Institute of the University of Erlangen-Nuremburg
Geoffrey Bower	Academia Sinica
Heino Falcke	Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy; Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit
Laurent Loinard	México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
Shep Doeleman	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Vincent Fish	Haystack Observatory
Thomas Krichbaum	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Jonathan Len-Tavares	Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Instituto Nacional de
Antonio Hernandez	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Remo Tilanus	Arizona, University of
Gisela Ortiz	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de; México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de; Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Instituto Nacional de
Raquel Fraga-Encinas	Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit
Ciriaco Goddi	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian; European Southern Observatory; Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry European Research Infrastructure Consortium; Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit
Adam Deller	Swinburne University of Technology
Tony Zensus	National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
David Hughes	Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Instituto Nacional de
David Sanchez-Arguelles	Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Instituto Nacional de
Alfredo Montana	Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Instituto Nacional de
Grant Wilson	Massachusetts at Amherst, University of
Monika Moscibrodzka	Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit
Jason Dexter	Colorado at Boulder, University of
Kazuhiro Hada	Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ; Nagoya City University
Guangyao Zhao	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute; Andalucía, Instituto de Astrofísica de
Motoki Kino	National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ; Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Bong Won Sohn	Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Jonathan McKinney	Maryland, University of
Katherine Rosenfeld	Harvard University
Andrew Chael	Princeton University
Hotaka Shiokawa	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Keiichi Asada	Academia Sinica
Ilse van Bemmel	Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry European Research Infrastructure Consortium
Katherine Bouman	Massachusetts Institute of Technology; California Institute of Technology
Mareki Honma	National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Kazunori Akiyama	Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Haystack Observatory
Huib van Langevelde	Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry European Research Infrastructure Consortium; Leiden, University of
Michael Kramer	Manchester, University of; Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Luciano Rezzolla	Frankfurt am Main, Goethe-Universität
Roman Gold	Maryland, University of; Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics; Syddansk Universitet
Avery Broderick	Waterloo, University of
Edgar Castillo	Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Instituto Nacional de
Richard Plambeck	California at Berkeley, University of
Rusen Lu	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, CAS
Jim Moran	Harvard University; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Jim Cordes	Cornell University
John Wardle	Brandeis University
GBT Operator	Green Bank Observatory

* indicates the PI