Scientists from the University of Valencia detect rapid changes in a black hole that may help understand the origin of gamma-ray bursts.
A team from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Valencia has managed to observe the black hole of the active galaxy PKS1830-211 right during the most violent gamma-ray energy event ever registered in that source. Scientists have discovered very rapid changes in the structure of its magnetic field that confirm the predictions of the main models of gamma-ray production in black holes. The phenomenon, observed through the ALMA telescope, contributes new data to the study on the origin of the most energetic radiation in the Universe.
Some of the most massive and distant black holes in the Universe emit an enormous amount of extraordinarily energetic radiation, called gamma rays. This type of radiation occurs, for example, when mass is converted into energy during fission reactions that run nuclear reactors on Earth. But in the case of black holes, gamma radiation is even more energetic than that obtained in nuclear reactors and is produced by very different processes; there, the gamma rays are created by collisions between light rays and highly energetic particles, born in the vicinity of black holes by means of mechanisms still poorly understood.
As a result of these collisions between light and matter, the energetic particles give almost all their momentum to the light rays and turn them into the gamma radiation that ends up reaching Earth.
The astronomical scientific community suspects that these collisions occur in regions permeated by powerful magnetic fields subjected to highly variable processes, such as turbulence and magnetic reconnections magnetic fields that fuse together releasing an astonishing amount of energy that could be occurring in the jets of matter expelled by black holes. But probing these magnetic fields so far from Earth some of these black holes are billions of light-years away requires a very sensitive instrumentation and to find the exact moment when the emission of high energy takes place.
This is precisely what the research team led by Ivn Mart-Vidal, CIDEGENT researcher of the Valencian Government at the Astronomical Observatory and the Department of Astronomy of the University of Valencia, and main author of this work, has achieved. This team has used ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre Array), the most sensitive telescope in the World at millimeter wavelengths, to obtain precise information about the magnetic fields of a distant black hole, in a moment when energetic particles were producing an enormous amount of gamma radiation.
In a recently published article in the journalAstronomy & Astrophysics, the scientists report observations of the black hole called PKS1830-211, located more than ten billion light-years from Earth. These observations demonstrate that the magnetic fields in the region where the most energetic particles of the black-holes jet are produced were changing their structure notably in a time interval of only a few minutes. This implies that magnetic processes are originating in very small and turbulent regions, just as the main models of gamma-ray production in black holes predict, which relate turbulence to gamma radiation, explains Ivn Mart-Vidal. On the other hand, the changes that we have detected took place during a very powerful gamma-ray episode, which allows us to robustly relate them to the high-energy emission. All this brings us a little closer to understanding the origin of the most energetic radiation in the Universe, he adds.
Animation showing the change in the polarization of one of the images of the black hole (upper part) compared to the other image of the same object (lower part), which is delayed about 27 days with respect to the first one. The time-delayed image corresponds to the black hole before the high-energy burst occurred. Credit: University of Valencia
To analyze this data, the team of Mart-Vidal has used an advanced analysis technique that allows them to obtain information of rapidly changing sources from interferometric observations, such as those obtained with ALMA. Interferometry gives us the power to observe the Universe with an unparalleled level of detail; in fact, it is the technique on which the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is also based, which recently obtained the first image of a black hole, says Mart-Vidal. A part of our CIDEGENT project is, in fact, dedicated to developing algorithms like the one we have used in these ALMA observations, but applicable to much more complex data such as those from the EHT, which would allow us to reconstruct, in a near future, movies of black holes, instead of mere images, says the astronomer of the University of Valencia.
Alejandro Mus, CIDEGENT predoctoral researcher at the UV Department of Astronomy and a co-author of the article, develops his doctoral thesis in this field. Within the EHT project, there are many experts from various institutions working against the clock to solve the issue of rapid source variability, says Mus. At the moment, the algorithm we have developed works with the ALMA data and has already allowed us to obtain key information about how the magnetic fields associated to PKS1830-211 change at scales of a few tens of minutes. We hope to be able to contribute soon to the EHT with the more sophisticated algorithms in which we are working, he concludes.
In the study, researchers from the Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory (Sweden), the Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University (USA) and the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, CSIC (Granada) have collaborated with the University of Valencia.
Reference: ALMA full polarization observations of PKS 1830211 during its record-breaking flare of 2019 by I. Marti-Vidal, S. Muller, A. Mus, A. Marscher, I. Agudo and J. L. Gomez, 30 June 2020, Astronomy & Astrophysics.DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202038094
Here is the original post:
- UCLA Division of Astronomy & Astrophysics - July 8th, 2022
- Stellar Lifetimes - Georgia State University - July 8th, 2022
- A Mile Underground in The Quest for Dark Matter - UMass News and Media Relations - July 8th, 2022
- James Bardeen, an Expert on Unraveling Einsteins Equations, Dies at 83 - The New York Times - July 8th, 2022
- How cold is space? Physics behind the temperature of the universe - Space.com - July 8th, 2022
- Record number of UF faculty earn National Science Foundation awards - University of Florida - July 8th, 2022
- Red supergiant stars 'dance' because they have too much gas - Livescience.com - July 8th, 2022
- What is astrophysics? - Big Think - January 25th, 2022
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics job with AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (ANU) | 278733 - Times Higher Education... - January 25th, 2022
- Institute Coordinator - Department of Astrophysics job with UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA | 278512 - Times Higher Education (THE) - January 25th, 2022
- Housed at Rochester, the Flash Center advances cutting-edge physics research - University of Rochester - January 25th, 2022
- Astronomers Find the Biggest Structure in the Milky Way: Filament of Hydrogen 3,900 Light-Years Long - SciTechDaily - January 25th, 2022
- Going beyond the exascale | symmetry magazine - Symmetry magazine - January 25th, 2022
- 'Hear the Stars': Nathan Randall Green's abstractions of astrophysical concepts - The Stanford Daily - January 25th, 2022
- 11 Trailblazing Female Scientists That You Need to Know - My Modern Met - January 25th, 2022
- A New Map of the Suns Local Bubble - The New York Times - January 25th, 2022
- Global Air Cargo Security Control System Market 2021 Trending Technologies and Major Players: 3DX-RAY, American Science and Engineering, Astrophysics,... - January 25th, 2022
- meteor? No, the phenomenon in the sky of Tras-os-Montes was a SpaceX satellite - brytfmonline.com - January 25th, 2022
- Planetary conjunction: Mars, Venus, Moon set to align on July 12-13 - Hindustan Times - July 12th, 2021
- Venus, Mars and crescent moon to align in 'planetary conjunction' during 12-13 July - Firstpost - July 12th, 2021
- Stars and Galaxies . Seeing Some Cosmic X-Ray Emitters Might Be a Matter of Perspective - Jet Propulsion Laboratory - July 12th, 2021
- Worlds largest telescope will see better with Irish technology - The Irish Times - July 12th, 2021
- Researchers Discover Orbital Patterns of Trans-Neptunian Objects Vary Based on Their Color - SciTechDaily - July 12th, 2021
- Taught skills needed for the space sector the space sector - Open Access Government - July 12th, 2021
- NASA will attempt a 'risky' maneuver to fix its broken Hubble Space Telescope as early as next week - Business Insider - July 12th, 2021
- Astronomical Telescope Market Consumption Analysis, Business Overview and Upcoming Trends|Celestron, Meade, Vixen Optics, TAKAHASHI, ASTRO-PHYSICS,... - June 15th, 2021
- Astrophysicists Surprised by Unexpected Effect of Black Holes Beyond Their Own Galaxies - SciTechDaily - June 15th, 2021
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Physics job with DURHAM UNIVERSITY | 257296 - Times Higher Education (THE) - June 15th, 2021
- Enormous strands of galaxies in the cosmic web appear to be spinning - New Scientist News - June 15th, 2021
- CU the site of one of the last government-commissioned reports on UFOs. What does it say? - CU Boulder Today - June 15th, 2021
- Saint Bernard's track and field athlete, Eagle Scout to study astrophysics at Villanova - theday.com - June 15th, 2021
- Looking at the stars, or falling by the wayside? How astronomy is failing female scientists - Space.com - June 15th, 2021
- Astronomy Professor Develops Innovative Medical Imaging Device - The College Today - June 15th, 2021
- Making space commonplace: U of T startup works with NASA on low-cost exoplanet research - News@UofT - June 15th, 2021
- UW astronomer redefines the scientific hero as part of The Great Courses - UW News - June 15th, 2021
- Security Inspection Equipment Market Share by Manufacturer (Astrophysics, Smiths Detection, Garrett, CEIA, Rapiscan Systems) COVID-19 Impact and... - June 15th, 2021
- Exoplanets And Icy Moons Among Major Themes Of European Space - Forbes - June 15th, 2021
- Reflection Telescope Market Statistics, Facts, Key Players and Forecast by 2026 | Celestron, Meade, Vixen Optics, TAKAHASHI, ASTRO-PHYSICS KSU | The... - February 10th, 2021
- Comments on: Puzzling Astrophysics of Quasars in the Early Universe - SciTechDaily - February 10th, 2021
- Student astronomer finds galactic missing matter - News - The University of Sydney - February 10th, 2021
- Program Director, Moore Experimental Physics Investigator Initiative in Palo Alto , CA for Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation - Physics - February 10th, 2021
- The Woman Who Knew The Stars - ZME Science - February 10th, 2021
- Cosmos mapping project tied to YSU | News, Sports, Jobs - Youngstown Vindicator - February 10th, 2021
- Op-ed | Space weather bill will fizzle without funding - SpaceNews - February 10th, 2021
- How Andrei Linde Redefined the Universe - The Atlantic - February 10th, 2021
- 207's Best In Academic Achievement Named For February - Journal & Topics Newspapers Online - February 10th, 2021
- Life on Venus? The Picture Gets Cloudier - The New York Times - February 10th, 2021
- St. Mary's College Board of Trustees Approves Academic Program Changes for Fall 2021 - The Southern Maryland Chronicle - February 10th, 2021
- Widespread Report on the Global Refracting Telescope Market 2020-2028 with the Leading Players Celestron, Vixen Optics, ASTRO-PHYSICS, ORION, Barska,... - September 8th, 2020
- UK Part of New NSF Physics Frontier Center Focused on Neutron Star Modeling in 'Gravitational Wave Era' - UKNow - September 8th, 2020
- University subject profile: physics - The Guardian - September 8th, 2020
- This triple star system warped the protoplanetary discs around it, new research says - CTV News - September 8th, 2020
- Scientists discover first 'intermediate-mass' black hole in massive merger - Big Think - September 8th, 2020
- Looking skin deep at the growth of neutron stars - Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom - September 8th, 2020
- Scientists detect massive galactic collision between black holes that "aren't supposed to exist" - Boing Boing - September 8th, 2020
- China's secretive 'space plane' makes successful return to Earth - CNET - September 8th, 2020
- New High-Res Images of The Sun Show How Creepy Sunspots Look in Closeup - ScienceAlert - September 6th, 2020
- The End of the Universe Will Probably Be Fairly Disappointing - WIRED - September 6th, 2020
- Zooming In Tight on Dark Matter Equivalent of Being Able to See a Flea on the Surface of the Moon - SciTechDaily - September 6th, 2020
- Indian astronomers discover one of the farthest star galaxies in universe - Livemint - September 6th, 2020
- Astronomers Spot a Black Hole so Massive They Werent Sure it Could Exist - Gizmodo Australia - September 6th, 2020
- Space discoveries that will blow your mind | News | helenair.com - Helena Independent Record - September 6th, 2020
- How neutrons and protons arrange themselves in the nucleus? - Tech Explorist - September 6th, 2020
- Warped gas disc torn apart by three stars directly observed for the first time - ZME Science - September 6th, 2020
- Kentucky by Heart: Many Kentuckians have made their mark in fields of science and technology - User-generated content - September 6th, 2020
- Q&A with Astrophysics Professor, Viktor Ambartsumian International Science Prize winner Adam Burrows - The Daily Princetonian - August 17th, 2020
- Astro Bob: Hubble helps solve the mystery of why Betelgeuse faded - Duluth News Tribune - August 17th, 2020
- The Alternative to Dark Matter May be General Relativity Itself - Astrobites - August 17th, 2020
- This is the way the universe ends: not with a whimper, but a bang - Science Magazine - August 17th, 2020
- The Week of August 17, 2020 - FYI: Science Policy News - August 17th, 2020
- Nearly $13 million in federal funding awarded to University of Rochester for Physics Frontier Center - WWTI - InformNNY.com - August 17th, 2020
- The Last Supernovae - Universe Today - August 17th, 2020
- Astronomers find Milky Way look-alike galaxy 12 billion light-years away - BusinessLine - August 17th, 2020
- Dark Matter Breakthrough Allows Probing Three of the Most Popular Theories, All at the Same Time - SciTechDaily - August 17th, 2020
- Exploding Black Dwarfs Could Be the 'Last Interesting Thing to Happen in the Universe' - Gizmodo UK - August 17th, 2020
- Security Inspection Equipment Market is slated to grow rapidly in the coming years Astrophysics, Smiths Detection, Garrett, C.E.I.A., Rapiscan Systems... - August 17th, 2020
- Lovely Professional Universitys Aerospace Engineering student wins international award - The Tribune India - August 17th, 2020
- Minecraft, Bollywood Dance, and Astrophysics Help College Students Connect With Kids Online - NBC Bay Area - August 10th, 2020
- UR #26: Improved Methods for Ground-Based Follow-Up of Young Stars and Planets from the ZEIT Survey - Astrobites - August 10th, 2020
- Investigating the far-flung reaches of the universe - Times Higher Education (THE) - August 10th, 2020