학술논문
First Sagittarius A * Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way
Document Type
Author
Akiyama, Kazunori; Alberdi, Antxon; Alef, Walter; Algaba, Juan-Carlos; Anantua, Richard; Azulay, R.; Asada, K.; Bach, U.; Baczko, A. K.; Ball, David; Baloković, Mislav; Barrett, John; Bauböck, M.; Benson, Bradford A.; Bintley, Dan; Blackburn, Lindy; Blundell, R.; Bouman, K. L.; Bower, G. C.; Boyce, Hope; Bremer, M.; Brinkerink, C. D.; Brissenden, Roger; Britzen, Silke; Broderick, Avery E.; Broguière, D.; Bronzwaer, Thomas; Bustamante, Sandra; Byun, Do Young; Carlstrom, J. E.; Ceccobello, Chiara, 1984; Chael, A.; Chan, Chi Kwan; Chatterjee, Koushik; Chatterjee, S.; Chen, Ming Tang; Chen, Yongjun; Cheng, Xiaopeng; Cho, I.; Christian, Pierre; Conroy, Nicholas S.; Conway, John, 1963; Cordes, James M.; Crawford, Thomas M.; Crew, G.; Cruz-Osorio, Alejandro; Cui, Yuzhu; Davelaar, Jordy; De Laurentis, Mariafelicia; Deane, R. P.; Dempsey, Jessica; Desvignes, Gregory; Dexter, Jason; Dhruv, Vedant; Doeleman, S.; Dougal, Sean; Dzib, Sergio A.; Eatough, Ralph P.; Emami, Razieh; Falcke, H.D.; Farah, Joseph R.; Fish, V.; Fomalont, E.; Ford, H. Alyson; Fraga-Encinas, R.; Freeman, William T.; Friberg, P.; Fromm, Christian M.; Fuentes, Antonio; Galison, Peter; Gammie, Charles F.; Gentaz, Olivier; Georgiev, Boris; Garcia, Roberto; Goddi, C.; Gold, R.; Gómez-Ruiz, Arturo I.; Gomez, J. L.; Gu, Minfeng; Gurwell, M.; Hada, K.; Haggard, Daryl; Haworth, Kari; Hecht, Michael H.; Hesper, R.; Heumann, Dirk; Ho, Luis C.; Ho, P. T. P.; Honma, M.; Huang, Chih Wei L.; Huang, Lei; Hughes, D.; Ikeda, Shiro; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Inoue, Makoto; Issaoun, S.; James, David J.; Jannuzi, Buell T.; Janssen, Michael; Jeter, Britton
Source
Astrophysical Journal Letters. 930(2)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2041-8213
2041-8205
2041-8205
Abstract
We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the Galactic center source associated with a supermassive black hole. These observations were conducted in 2017 using a global interferometric array of eight telescopes operating at a wavelength of λ = 1.3 mm. The EHT data resolve a compact emission region with intrahour variability. A variety of imaging and modeling analyses all support an image that is dominated by a bright, thick ring with a diameter of 51.8 ± 2.3 μas (68% credible interval). The ring has modest azimuthal brightness asymmetry and a comparatively dim interior. Using a large suite of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the EHT images of Sgr A* are consistent with the expected appearance of a Kerr black hole with mass ∼4 × 106 M☉, which is inferred to exist at this location based on previous infrared observations of individual stellar orbits, as well as maser proper-motion studies. Our model comparisons disfavor scenarios where the black hole is viewed at high inclination (i > 50°), as well as nonspinning black holes and those with retrograde accretion disks. Our results provide direct evidence for the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and for the first time we connect the predictions from dynamical measurements of stellar orbits on scales of 103-105 gravitational radii to event-horizon-scale images and variability. Furthermore, a comparison with the EHT results for the supermassive black hole M87* shows consistency with the predictions of general relativity spanning over three orders of magnitude in central mass.