First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. III. Imaging of the Galactic Center Supermassive Black Hole

Standard

First Sagittarius A^* Event Horizon Telescope Results. III. Imaging of the Galactic Center Supermassive Black Hole. / The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

In: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 930, No. 2, L14, 01.05.2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

BibTeX

@article{5f97bf74917a4a95b107f1e977f562eb,

title = "First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. III. Imaging of the Galactic Center Supermassive Black Hole",

abstract = "We present the first event-horizon-scale images and spatiotemporal analysis of Sgr A* taken with the Event Horizon Telescope in 2017 April at a wavelength of 1.3 mm. Imaging of Sgr A* has been conducted through surveys over a wide range of imaging assumptions using the classical CLEAN algorithm, regularized maximum likelihood methods, and a Bayesian posterior sampling method. Different prescriptions have been used to account for scattering effects by the interstellar medium toward the Galactic center. Mitigation of the rapid intraday variability that characterizes Sgr A* has been carried out through the addition of a “variability noise budget” in the observed visibilities, facilitating the reconstruction of static full-track images. Our static reconstructions of Sgr A* can be clustered into four representative morphologies that correspond to ring images with three different azimuthal brightness distributions and a small cluster that contains diverse nonring morphologies. Based on our extensive analysis of the effects of sparse (u, v)-coverage, source variability, and interstellar scattering, as well as studies of simulated visibility data, we conclude that the Event Horizon Telescope Sgr A* data show compelling evidence for an image that is dominated by a bright ring of emission with a ring diameter of ∼50 μas, consistent with the expected “shadow” of a 4 × 106 M☉ black hole in the Galactic center located at a distance of 8 kpc.",

author = "{The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration} and Kazunori Akiyama and Antxon Alberdi and Walter Alef and Algaba, {Juan Carlos} and Richard Anantua and Keiichi Asada and Rebecca Azulay and Uwe Bach and Baczko, {Anne Kathrin} and David Ball and Mislav Balokovi{\'c} and John Barrett and Michi Baub{\"o}ck and Benson, {Bradford A.} and Dan Bintley and Lindy Blackburn and Raymond Blundell and Bouman, {Katherine L.} and Bower, {Geoffrey C.} and Hope Boyce and Michael Bremer and Brinkerink, {Christiaan D.} and Roger Brissenden and Silke Britzen and Broderick, {Avery E.} and Dominique Broguiere and Thomas Bronzwaer and Sandra Bustamante and Byun, {Do Young} and Carlstrom, {John E.} and Chiara Ceccobello and Andrew Chael and Chan, {Chi Kwan} and Koushik Chatterjee and Shami Chatterjee and Chen, {Ming Tang} and Yongjun Chen and Xiaopeng Cheng and Ilje Cho and Pierre Christian and Conroy, {Nicholas S.} and Conway, {John E.} and Cordes, {James M.} and Crawford, {Thomas M.} and Crew, {Geoffrey B.} and Alejandro Cruz-Osorio and Yuzhu Cui and Jordy Davelaar and {De Laurentis}, Mariafelicia and Svetlana Jorstad",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022. The Author(s)",

year = "2022",

month = may,

day = "1",

doi = "10.3847/2041-8213/ac6429",

language = "English",

volume = "930",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal Letters",

issn = "2041-8205",

publisher = "IOP Publishing Ltd.",

number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. III. Imaging of the Galactic Center Supermassive Black Hole

AU - The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration

AU - Akiyama, Kazunori

AU - Alberdi, Antxon

AU - Alef, Walter

AU - Algaba, Juan Carlos

AU - Anantua, Richard

AU - Asada, Keiichi

AU - Azulay, Rebecca

AU - Bach, Uwe

AU - Baczko, Anne Kathrin

AU - Ball, David

AU - Baloković, Mislav

AU - Barrett, John

AU - Bauböck, Michi

AU - Benson, Bradford A.

AU - Bintley, Dan

AU - Blackburn, Lindy

AU - Blundell, Raymond

AU - Bouman, Katherine L.

AU - Bower, Geoffrey C.

AU - Boyce, Hope

AU - Bremer, Michael

AU - Brinkerink, Christiaan D.

AU - Brissenden, Roger

AU - Britzen, Silke

AU - Broderick, Avery E.

AU - Broguiere, Dominique

AU - Bronzwaer, Thomas

AU - Bustamante, Sandra

AU - Byun, Do Young

AU - Carlstrom, John E.

AU - Ceccobello, Chiara

AU - Chael, Andrew

AU - Chan, Chi Kwan

AU - Chatterjee, Koushik

AU - Chatterjee, Shami

AU - Chen, Ming Tang

AU - Chen, Yongjun

AU - Cheng, Xiaopeng

AU - Cho, Ilje

AU - Christian, Pierre

AU - Conroy, Nicholas S.

AU - Conway, John E.

AU - Cordes, James M.

AU - Crawford, Thomas M.

AU - Crew, Geoffrey B.

AU - Cruz-Osorio, Alejandro

AU - Cui, Yuzhu

AU - Davelaar, Jordy

AU - De Laurentis, Mariafelicia

AU - Jorstad, Svetlana

PY - 2022/5/1

Y1 - 2022/5/1

N2 - We present the first event-horizon-scale images and spatiotemporal analysis of Sgr A* taken with the Event Horizon Telescope in 2017 April at a wavelength of 1.3 mm. Imaging of Sgr A* has been conducted through surveys over a wide range of imaging assumptions using the classical CLEAN algorithm, regularized maximum likelihood methods, and a Bayesian posterior sampling method. Different prescriptions have been used to account for scattering effects by the interstellar medium toward the Galactic center. Mitigation of the rapid intraday variability that characterizes Sgr A* has been carried out through the addition of a “variability noise budget” in the observed visibilities, facilitating the reconstruction of static full-track images. Our static reconstructions of Sgr A* can be clustered into four representative morphologies that correspond to ring images with three different azimuthal brightness distributions and a small cluster that contains diverse nonring morphologies. Based on our extensive analysis of the effects of sparse (u, v)-coverage, source variability, and interstellar scattering, as well as studies of simulated visibility data, we conclude that the Event Horizon Telescope Sgr A* data show compelling evidence for an image that is dominated by a bright ring of emission with a ring diameter of ∼50 μas, consistent with the expected “shadow” of a 4 × 106 M☉ black hole in the Galactic center located at a distance of 8 kpc.

AB - We present the first event-horizon-scale images and spatiotemporal analysis of Sgr A* taken with the Event Horizon Telescope in 2017 April at a wavelength of 1.3 mm. Imaging of Sgr A* has been conducted through surveys over a wide range of imaging assumptions using the classical CLEAN algorithm, regularized maximum likelihood methods, and a Bayesian posterior sampling method. Different prescriptions have been used to account for scattering effects by the interstellar medium toward the Galactic center. Mitigation of the rapid intraday variability that characterizes Sgr A* has been carried out through the addition of a “variability noise budget” in the observed visibilities, facilitating the reconstruction of static full-track images. Our static reconstructions of Sgr A* can be clustered into four representative morphologies that correspond to ring images with three different azimuthal brightness distributions and a small cluster that contains diverse nonring morphologies. Based on our extensive analysis of the effects of sparse (u, v)-coverage, source variability, and interstellar scattering, as well as studies of simulated visibility data, we conclude that the Event Horizon Telescope Sgr A* data show compelling evidence for an image that is dominated by a bright ring of emission with a ring diameter of ∼50 μas, consistent with the expected “shadow” of a 4 × 106 M☉ black hole in the Galactic center located at a distance of 8 kpc.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132347164&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/7c94d5db-4dd2-3a14-9e0c-4bd67c9892f8/

U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/ac6429

DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/ac6429

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85132347164

VL - 930

JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters

SN - 2041-8205

IS - 2

M1 - L14

ER -

ID: 99847092