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At least 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Full-polarization millimeter wavelength variability of Sagittarius A * during the 2018 EHT campaign

Context. Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, provides a unique laboratory to study accretion dynamics and plasma processes near the event horizon. Aims. We investigated the variability and polarization properties of Sgr A* using ALMA observations during the 2018 Event Horizon Telescope campaign. Methods. We analyzed high-cadence full-polarization light curves from ALMA at millimeter wavelengths, performed time-series analysis, and investigated the temporal behavior during an X-ray flare observed by Chandra on 2018 April 24. The variability characteristics are compared with expectations from standard accretion flow models. Results. We find low variability in total intensity (σ/μ < 10%), but significantly higher variability in linear and circular polarization (∼30% and ∼50%, respectively). A time-series analysis reveals red-noise variability, with power spectral densities between −2 and −3 across all Stokes parameters. Polarized intensity shows stable intra-day timescales, while total intensity exhibits more variable timescales, suggesting distinct emission regions, with polarization likely arising from a coherent structure. On April 24, a statistically significant inter-band delay in polarized intensity coincides with a near-simultaneous X-ray and millimeter peak that deviates from the typical delayed flare scenario. This event also features enhanced millimeter variability and coherent polarization loop evolution. The observed simultaneity challenges standard models of transient synchrotron emission with cooling delays, favoring instead a scenario of continuous energy injection in an optically thin region. Conclusions. Our results offer new constraints on the physical mechanisms driving variability in Sgr A*, and provide key observational input for refining theoretical models of accretion and plasma behavior in the vicinity of supermassive black holes.

Galaxy: center↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quantifying biases in stellar masses of JWST high- z quasar host galaxies caused by quasar subtraction

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has enabled dozens of high-z quasar host galaxy detections. Many of these observations imply galaxies with black holes that are overmassive compared to their low-z counterparts. However, the bright quasar point source removal can cause significant biases in recovered host magnitudes and stellar mass measurements due to the degeneracy in host galaxy and quasar light. We develop a statistical method to disentangle the quasar host galaxy stellar mass measurements from observational biases during the point source removal assuming the PSF is modelled perfectly. We use the BlueTides simulation to generate mock images and perform point source removal on thousands of simulated high-z quasar host galaxies, constructing corrected host magnitude posteriors. We find that removing a bright quasar in JWST photometry tends to either correctly recover or modestly misestimate host magnitudes, with a maximum magnitude underestimate of 0.2 mag. With our corrected magnitude posteriors, we perform SED fitting on each quasar host galaxy and compare the stellar mass measurement before and after the correction. We find that stellar mass estimates are generally robust, or misestimated by $<$ 0.3 dex. We also find that the stellar masses of a subset of hosts (J0844−0132, J0911+0152, and J1146−0005) remain unconstrained, as key photometric bands provide only flux upper limits. Accounting for observational biases does not resolve the apparent mismatch between black hole and host galaxy growth at high-z, where some quasars appear to host overmassive black holes while others reside in relatively massive galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Catastrogenesis: DM, GWs, and PBHs from ALP string-wall networks

Axion-like particles (ALPs), a compelling candidate for dark matter (DM), are the pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons of a spontaneously and explicitly broken global U(1) symmetry. When the symmetry breaking happens after inflation, the ALP cosmology predicts the formation of a string-wall network which must annihilate early enough, producing gravitational waves (GWs) and primordial black holes (PBHs), as well as non-relativistic ALPs. We call this processcatastrogenesis. We show that, under the generic assumption that the potential has several degenerate minima, GWs from string-wall annihilation at temperatures below 100 eV could be detected by future CMB and astrometry probes, for ALPs with mass from 10 -16 to 10 6 eV. In this case, structure formation could limit ALPs to constitute a fraction of the DM and the annihilation would produce mostly "stupendously large" PBHs. For larger annihilation temperatures, ALPs can constitute 100% of DM, and the annihilation could produce supermassive black holes with a mass of up to 10 9 M ⊙ as found at the center of large galaxies. Furthermore our model can solve two mysteries, the nature of the DM and the origin of these black holes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. IX. Detection of Near-horizon Circular Polarization

Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations have revealed a bright ring of emission around the supermassive black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy. EHT images in linear polarization have further identified a coherent spiral pattern around the black hole, produced from ordered magnetic fields threading the emitting plasma. Here we present the first analysis of circular polarization using EHT data, acquired in 2017, which can potentially provide additional insights into the magnetic fields and plasma composition near the black hole. Interferometric closure quantities provide convincing evidence for the presence of circularly polarized emission on event-horizon scales. We produce images of the circular polarization using both traditional and newly developed methods. All methods find a moderate level of resolved circular polarization across the image ( $\langle$| v |$\rangle$ < 3.7%), consistent with the low image-integrated circular polarization fraction measured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (| v int |< 1%). Despite this broad agreement, the methods show substantial variation in the morphology of the circularly polarized emission, indicating that our conclusions are strongly dependent on the imaging assumptions because of the limited baseline coverage, uncertain telescope gain calibration, and weakly polarized signal. We include this upper limit in an updated comparison to general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulation models. This analysis reinforces the previously reported preference for magnetically arrested accretion flow models. We find that most simulations naturally produce a low level of circular polarization consistent with our upper limit and that Faraday conversion is likely the dominant production mechanism for circular polarization at 230 GHz in M87*.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM

Using XRISM/Resolve 439 ks time-averaged spectra of the well-known Seyfert-1.5 active galactic nucleus (AGN) in NGC 3783, we investigated the nature of the Fe Kα emission line at 6.4 keV, the strongest and most common X-ray line observed in AGNs. Even the narrow component of the line is resolved with evident Fe Kα 1 (6.404 keV) and Kα 2 (6.391 keV) contributions with a 2:1 flux ratio, fully consistent with a neutral gas with negligible bulk velocity. The narrow and intermediate-width components have a full width at half maximum of 350 ± 50 km/s and 3510 ± 470 km/s, respectively, suggesting that they arise in the outer disk/torus and/or broad line region. We detect a 10% excess flux around 4–7 keV that is not described well by a symmetric Gaussian line but is consistent with a relativistically broadened emission line. In this study we took the simplest approach, modelling the asymmetric line as a single emission line (assuming neutral, He-like, or H-like iron) convolved with a relativistic disk line model. As expected, the inferred inclination angle (i) is highly sensitive to the assumed ionisation state and ranges between 17 and 44°. This model also constrains the black hole spin via the extent of the red wing: the required gravitational redshift in the fitted disk-line profile disfavours a non-spinning (Schwarzschild) black hole. The derived inner radius is close to the radius of the innermost stable circular orbit (rISCO) and is strongly correlated with the black hole spin. To better constrain the spin, we fixed the inner radius to r ISCO and derived a lower limit on the spin of a ≥ 0.29 at the 3σ confidence level. A Compton shoulder is detected in our data as well as a 2–3σ detection of the Cr Kα and Ni Kα lines.

Astronomy and AstroPhysics↗
DOE OSTI2024

De Sitter space is sometimes not empty

Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the Hilbert space of an isolated de Sitter universe is one dimensional but can appear larger when probed by a gravitating observer. To test this idea, we compute the von Neumann entropy of a field theory in a two-dimensional de Sitter universe which is entangled in a thermal-like state with the same field theory on a disjoint, asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) black hole. Previously, it was shown that the replica trick for computing the entropy of such entangled gravitating systems requires the inclusion of a non-perturbative effect in quantum gravity — novel wormholes connecting the two spaces. Here we show that: (a) the expected wormholes connecting de Sitter and AdS universes exist, avoiding a no-go theorem via the presence of sources on the AdS boundary; (b) the entanglement entropy vanishes if the nominal entropy of the de Sitter cosmological horizon (S ds = $A^{dS}_{horizon}$/4G N ) is less than the entropy of the AdS black hole horizon (S BH = $A^{AdS}_{horizon}$/4G N ), i.e., S dS < S BH ; (c) the entanglement entropy is finite when S dS > S BH . Thus, the de Sitter Hilbert space is effectively nontrivial only when S dS > S BH . The AdS black hole we introduce can be regarded as an “observer” for de Sitter space. In this sense, our result is a non-perturbative generalization of the recent perturbative argument that the algebra of observables on the de Sitter static patch becomes nontrivial in the presence of an observer.

2D gravity↗
DOE OSTI2021

GR-Athena++: Puncture Evolutions on Vertex-centered Oct-tree Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Numerical relativity is central to the investigation of astrophysical sources in the dynamical and strong-field gravity regime, such as binary black hole and neutron star coalescences. Current challenges set by gravitational-wave and multimessenger astronomy call for highly performant and scalable codes on modern massively parallel architectures. We present GR-Athena++, a general-relativistic, high-order, vertex-centered solver that extends the oct-tree, adaptive mesh refinement capabilities of the astrophysical (radiation) magnetohydrodynamics code Athena++. To simulate dynamical spacetimes, GR-Athena++ uses the Z4c evolution scheme of numerical relativity coupled to the moving puncture gauge. We demonstrate stable and accurate binary black hole merger evolutions via extensive convergence testing, cross-code validation, and verification against state-of-the-art effective-one-body waveforms. GR-Athena++ leverages the task-based parallelism paradigm of Athena++ to achieve excellent scalability. We measure strong-scaling efficiencies above 95% for up to ~1.2 × 10 4 CPUs and excellent weak scaling is shown up to ~10 5 CPUs in a production binary black hole setup with adaptive mesh refinement. GR-Athena++ thus allows for the robust simulation of compact binary coalescences and offers a viable path toward numerical relativity at exascale.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

OzDES Reverberation Mapping Program: Stacking analysis with Hβ, Mg ii , and C iv

ABSTRACT Reverberation mapping is the leading technique used to measure direct black hole masses outside of the local Universe. Additionally, reverberation measurements calibrate secondary mass-scaling relations used to estimate single-epoch virial black hole masses. The Australian Dark Energy Survey (OzDES) conducted one of the first multi-object reverberation mapping surveys, monitoring 735 AGN up to z ∼ 4, over 6 years. The limited temporal coverage of the OzDES data has hindered recovery of individual measurements for some classes of sources, particularly those with shorter reverberation lags or lags that fall within campaign season gaps. To alleviate this limitation, we perform a stacking analysis of the cross-correlation functions of sources with similar intrinsic properties to recover average composite reverberation lags. This analysis leads to the recovery of average lags in each redshift-luminosity bin across our sample. We present the average lags recovered for the Hβ, Mg ii, and C iv samples, as well as multiline measurements for redshift bins where two lines are accessible. The stacking analysis is consistent with the Radius–Luminosity relations for each line. Our results for the Hβ sample demonstrate that stacking has the potential to improve upon constraints on the R–L relation, which have been derived only from individual source measurements until now.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Reflectivity and spectrum of relativistic flying plasma mirrors

Flying plasma mirrors induced by intense lasers via laser wake field acceleration scheme have been proposed as a promising way to generate few-cycle EUV or x-ray lasers. In addition, if such a relativistic plasma mirror can accelerate, then it would serve as an analog black hole to investigate the information loss paradox associated with the black hole Hawking evaporation. Among these applications, the reflectivity, which is usually frequency-dependent, would affect the outgoing photon spectrum and, therefore, impact on the analysis of the physics under investigation. In this paper, these two issues are investigated analytically and numerically with one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Based on our simulation results, we propose a new model that provides a better estimate of the reflectivity than those studied previously. Moreover, we found that the peak frequency of the reflected spectrum of a Gaussian incident wave deviates from the expected value, 4γ 2 ω, due to the dependence of reflectivity on the frequency of the incident wave.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

The sub-leading scattering waveform from amplitudes

We compute the next-to-leading order term in the scattering waveform of uncharged black holes in classical general relativity and of half-BPS black holes in $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 supergravity. We propose criteria, generalizing explicit calculations at next-to-leading or der, for determining the terms in amplitudes that contribute to local observables. For general relativity, we construct the relevant classical integrand through generalized unitary in two distinct ways, (1) in a heavy-particle effective theory and (2) in general relativity minimally-coupled to scalar fields. With a suitable prescription for the matter propagator in the former, we find agreement between the two methods, thus demonstrating the absence of interference of quantum and classically-singular contributions. The classical $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 integrand for massive scalar fields is constructed through dimensional reduction of the known five-point one-loop integrand. Our calculation exhibits novel features compared to conservative calculations and inclusive observables, such as the appearance of master integrals with intersecting matter lines and the appearance of a classical infrared divergence whose absence from classical observables requires a suitable definition of the retarded time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

The structure of quantum singularities on a Cauchy horizon

Spacetime singularities pose a long-standing puzzle in quantum gravity. Unlike Schwarzschild, a generic family of black holes gives rise to a Cauchy horizon on which, even in the Hartle-Hawking state, quantum observables such as ⟨T μν ⟩ — the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor — can diverge, causing a breakdown of semiclassical gravity. Because they are diagnosed within quantum field theory (QFT) on a smooth background, these singularities may provide a better-controlled version of the spacetime singularity problem, and merit further study. Here, I highlight a mildness puzzle of Cauchy horizon singularities: the ⟨T μν ⟩ singularity is significantly milder than expected from symmetry and dimensional analysis. I address the puzzle in a simple spacetime ${\mathcal{W}}_P$, which arises universally near all black hole Cauchy horizons: the past of a codimension-two spacelike plane in flat spacetime. Specifically, I propose an extremely broad QFT construction in which, roughly speaking, Cauchy horizon singularities originate from operator insertions in the causal complement of the spacetime. The construction reproduces well-known outer horizon singularities (e.g., in the Boulware state), and remarkably, when applied to ${\mathcal{W}}_P$, gives rise to a universal mild singularity structure for robust singularities, ones whose leading singular behavior is state-independent. I make non-trivial predictions for all black hole Cauchy horizon singularities using this, and discuss extending the results beyond robust singularities and the strict near Cauchy horizon limit.

black holes↗
DOE OSTI2025

A multifrequency study of sub-parsec jets with the Event Horizon Telescope

Context. The 2017 observing campaign of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) delivered the first very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) images at the observing frequency of 230 GHz, leading to a number of unique studies on black holes and relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei (AGN). In total, eighteen sources were observed, including the main science targets, Sgr A* and M 87, and various calibrators. Sixteen sources were AGN.Aims. We investigated the morphology of the sixteen AGN in the EHT 2017 data set, focusing on the properties of the VLBI cores: size, flux density, and brightness temperature. We studied their dependence on the observing frequency in order to compare it with the Blandford-Königl (BK) jet model. In particular, we aimed to study the signatures of jet acceleration and magnetic energy conversion.Methods. We modeled the source structure of seven AGN in the EHT 2017 data set using linearly polarized circular Gaussian components (1749+096, 1055+018, BL Lac, J0132–1654, J0006–0623, CTA 102, and 3C 454.3) and collected results for the other nine AGN from dedicated EHT publications, complemented by lower frequency data in the 2–86 GHz range. Combining these data into a multifrequency EHT+ data set, we studied the dependences of the VLBI core component flux density, size, and brightness temperature on the frequency measured in the AGN host frame (and hence on the distance from the central black hole), characterizing them with power law fits. We compared the observations with the BK jet model and estimated the magnetic field strength dependence on the distance from the central black hole.Results. Our observations spanning event horizon to parsec scales indicate a deviation from the standard BK model, particularly in the decrease of the brightness temperature with the observing frequency. Only some of the discrepancies may be alleviated by tweaking the model parameters or the jet collimation profile. Either bulk acceleration of the jet material, energy transfer from the magnetic field to the particles, or both are required to explain the observations. For our sample, we estimate a general radial dependence of the Doppler factor δ ∝ r≤0.5. This interpretation is consistent with a magnetically accelerated sub-parsec jet. We also estimate a steep decrease of the magnetic field strength with radius B ∝ r−3, hinting at jet acceleration or efficient magnetic energy dissipation.Key words: techniques: interferometric / galaxies: active / galaxies: jets / galaxies: nuclei / quasars: general / quasars: supermassive black holes⋆⋆ Deceased.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Outflow from Post-Black Hole-Neutron Star Merger Disks [Poster]

Histograms of mass of a given ratio of electron to baryon number in winds from a post-merger disk for four disks of different masses. This ratio determines how many elements heavier than iron, if any, are produced by a black hole-neutron star merger event. Analysis performed by PhD student Sanjana Curtis (NCSU, now graduated) on Capulin in collaboration with her advisor, Carla Frohlich, and LANL staff Jonah Miller.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Scattering amplitudes and N -body post-Minkowskian Hamiltonians in general relativity and beyond

We present a general framework for calculating post-Minskowskian, classical, conservative Hamiltonians for N non-spinning bodies in general relativity from relativistic scattering amplitudes. Novel features for N > 2 are described including the subtraction of tree-like iteration contributions and the calculation of non-trivial many-body Fourier transform integrals needed to construct position space potentials. A new approach to calculating these integrals as an expansion in the hierarchical limit is described based on the method of regions. As an explicit example, we present the O(G 2 ) 3-body momentum space potential in general relativity as well as for charged bodies in Einstein-Maxwell. The result is shown to be in perfect agreement with previous post-Newtonian calculations in general relativity up to O(G 2 v 4 ). Furthermore, in appropriate limits the result is shown to agree perfectly with relativistic probe scattering in multi-center extremal black hole backgrounds and with the scattering of slowly-moving extremal black holes in the moduli space approximation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

X-Ray Spectra from General Relativistic Radiation Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Thin Disks

We compare X-ray emission from several general relativistic, multifrequency, radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations of thin black hole accretion disks with different accretion rates and spins. The simulations were performed using the M1 closure scheme, resolved with 12 frequency (energy) bins logarithmically spaced from 5 × 10 −3 to 5 × 10 3 ​​​ keV. We apply a general relativistic Monte Carlo transport code to postprocess the simulation data with greater fidelity in frequency resolution and Compton scattering treatment. Despite the relatively few energy bins and Kompaneets approximation to Compton scattering utilized in the M1 method, we find generally good agreement between the methods. Both produce prominent thermal profiles with peaks around 2–2.5 keV, where agreement is particularly strong and representative of the soft state. Both also find weaker (lower-luminosity) thermally sourced emission extending out to 100 keV due to the hotter innermost regions of the disks. Inverse Compton scattering becomes increasingly effective at hardening spectral outputs with increasing black hole spin, and becomes the dominant mechanism for photons that escape with energies between 10 to several hundred keV. At very high rates of spin, the radiation flux in this upscattered component becomes comparable to the thermal flux, a phenomenon typically associated with intermediate states. Beyond 10 4 keV, we observe faint, free–free emission from hot, optically thin coronal regions developing near the horizon, common to both spinning and nonspinning black holes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling the inner part of the jet in M87: Confronting jet morphology with theory

The formation of jets in black hole accretion systems is a long-standing problem. It has been proposed that a jet can be formed by extracting the rotation energy of the black hole (“BZ-jet”) or the accretion flow (“disk-jet”). While both models can produce collimated relativistic outflows, neither has successfully explained the observed jet morphology. By using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations and considering nonthermal electrons accelerated by magnetic reconnection that is likely driven by magnetic eruption in the underlying accretion flow, we obtain images by radiative transfer calculations and compared them to millimeter observations of the jet in M87. We find that the BZ-jet originating from a magnetically arrested disk around a high-spin black hole can well reproduce the jet morphology, including its width and limb-brightening feature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

ISCOs in AdS/CFT

Abstract We study stable circular orbits in spherically symmetric AdS black holes in various dimensions and their limiting innermost stable circular orbits. We provide analytic expressions for their size, angular velocity and angular momentum in a large black hole mass regime. The dual interpretation is in terms of meta-stable states not thermalising in typical thermal scales and whose existence is due to non-perturbative effects on the spatial curvature. Our calculations reproduce the binding energy known in the literature, but also include a binding energy in the radial fluctuations corresponding to near circular trajectories. We also describe how particles are placed on these orbits from integrated operators on the boundary: they tunnel inside in a way that can be computed from both complex geodesics in the black hole background and from the WKB approximation of the wave equation. We explain how these two computations are related.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗