GMVA17B-304

Lifting the Curtain in M87: From Accretion to Jet Formation

Abstract

Understanding the processes of mass accretion and jet-launching in supermassive black holes (SMBH) is one of the central quests in modern astrophysics. The radio galaxy M87 contains the nearest and largest active SMBH, offering the best opportunity for probing the site of mass accretion and jet launching near a SMBH. Here we propose polarization imaging of M87 at 86 GHz with 7 Rs resolution, to determine the strength and topology of the magnetic field, detect the accretion flow and discriminate between two major jet launching scenarios (Blandford & Payne (BP) or Blandford and Znajek (BZ)). In combination with near-in-time space-VLBI imaging at 22 GHz (RadioAstron) and planned 230 GHz VLBI imaging (EHT), we aim to determine the frequency dependence of the polarization vectors, which in turn will allow us to determine the _intrinsic_ B-field, corrected for Faraday rotation effects. Additional science goals are (i) the determination of the slope of the jet collimation profile, and (ii) the magnetization of flow and jet. The accurate measurement of the collimation profile will allow us to prove/disprove the reality of electromagnetic jet launching in M87 and help to determine the BH spin.

Investigators

Name	Institution
GBT Operator	Green Bank Observatory
Cornelia Mueller	Würzburg, Universität; Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit; Astronomical Institute of the University of Erlangen-Nuremburg
Hiroshi Nagai	National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Masanori Nakamura	Academia Sinica; National Institute of Technology, Hachinohe College
Gopal Narayanan	Massachusetts at Amherst, University of
Scott Noble	Tulsa, University of
Monica Orienti	Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; Bologna, Universita degli Studi di
Hung-Yi Pu	Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Eduardo Ros	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; València, Universitat de
Helge Rottmann	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Karl Schuster	Institut de Radio Astronomique Millimétrique
Hotaka Shiokawa	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Pablo de Vicente	Yebes, Centro Astronómico de
R. Craig Walker	National Radio Astronomy Observatory
John Wardle	Brandeis University
Tony Zensus	National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Jae-Young Kim	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; Kyungpook National University
Silke Britzen	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Tuomas Savolainen	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; Aalto yliopisto
Rebecca Azulay	València, Universitat de
Rusen Lu *	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, CAS
Keiichi Asada	Academia Sinica
Thomas Krichbaum	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Kazuhiro Hada	Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ; Nagoya City University
Kazunori Akiyama	Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Haystack Observatory
Walter Alef	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Lindy Blackburn	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Geoffrey Bower	Academia Sinica
Michael Bremer	Institut de Radio Astronomique Millimétrique
Avery Broderick	Waterloo, University of
Vivek Dhawan	National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Shep Doeleman	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Akihiro Doi	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Heino Falcke	Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy; Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit
Vincent Fish	Haystack Observatory
Gabriele Giovannini	Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica
Jose L. Gomez	Andalucía, Instituto de Astrofísica de
Marcello Giroletti	Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica
Paul Ho	Academia Sinica; East Asian Observatory
Mareki Honma	National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
David Hughes	Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Instituto Nacional de
Makoto Inoue	Academia Sinica
Michael Johnson	California at Santa Barbara, University of; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Motoki Kino	National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ; Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Shoko Koyama	National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ; Academia Sinica
Michael Lindqvist	Chalmers University of Technology
Andrei Lobanov	Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Ivan Marti-Vidal	València, Universitat de
Alan Marscher	Boston University
Satoki Matsushita	Academia Sinica
Monika Moscibrodzka	Nijmegen, Radboud Universiteit
Shin Mineshige	Kyoto University
Jonathan McKinney	Maryland, University of

* indicates the PI