Testing general relativity with the Event Horizon Telescope (original) (raw)
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Astrophysical black holes are expected to be described by the Kerr metric. This is the only stationary, vacuum, axisymmetric metric, without electromagnetic charge, that satisfies Einstein's equations and does not have pathologies outside of the event horizon. We present new constraints on potential deviations from the Kerr prediction based on 2017 EHT observations of Sagittarius A * (Sgr A *). We calibrate the relationship between the geometrically defined black hole shadow and the observed size of the ring-like images using a library that includes both Kerr and non-Kerr simulations. We use the exquisite prior constraints on the mass-to-distance ratio for Sgr A * to show that the observed image size is within ∼10% of the Kerr predictions. We use these bounds to constrain metrics that are parametrically different from Kerr, as well as the charges of several known spacetimes. To consider alternatives to the presence of an event horizon, we explore the possibility that Sgr A * is a compact object with a surface that either absorbs and thermally reemits incident radiation or partially reflects it. Using the observed image size and the broadband spectrum of Sgr A * , we conclude that a thermal surface can be ruled out and a fully reflective one is unlikely. We compare our results to the broader landscape of gravitational tests. Together with the bounds found for stellar-mass black holes and the M87 black hole, our observations provide further support that the external spacetimes of all black holes are described by the Kerr metric, independent of their mass.
Horizon-scale images of black holes (BHs) and their shadows have opened an unprecedented window onto tests of gravity and fundamental physics in the strong-field regime, allowing us to test whether the Kerr metric provides a good description of the space-time in the vicinity of the event horizons of supermassive BHs. We consider a wide range of well-motivated deviations from classical General Relativity solutions, and constrain them using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of Sagittarius A * (SgrA *), connecting the size of the bright ring of emission to that of the underlying BH shadow and exploiting high-precision measurements of SgrA * 's mass-to-distance ratio. The scenarios we consider, and whose fundamental parameters we constrain, include various regular BH models, string-and non-linear electrodynamics-inspired space-times, scalar field-driven violations of the no-hair theorem, alternative theories of gravity, new ingredients such as the generalized uncertainty principle and Barrow entropy, and BH mimickers including examples of wormholes and naked singularities. We demonstrate that SgrA * 's image places particularly stringent constraints on models predicting a shadow size which is larger than that of a Schwarzschild BH of a given mass: for instance, in the case of Barrow entropy we derive constraints which are significantly tighter than the cosmological ones. Our results are among the first tests of fundamental physics from the shadow of SgrA * and, while the latter appears to be in excellent agreement with the predictions of General Relativity, we have shown that various well-motivated alternative scenarios (including BH mimickers) are far from being ruled out at present.
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 × 10 6 M e , 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 10 3-10 5 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. Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: Black holes (162); Kerr black holes (886); Rotating black holes (1406); Heterodyne interferometry (726); Galactic center (565)
Horizon Scale tests of Quantum Gravity using the Event Horizon Telescope observations
Research Square (Research Square), 2022
We test the fundamental physics of the Nexus Paradigm of quantum gravity using horizon scale images and shadows of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) Sagittarius (Sgr)A* and M87* as imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). We consider the angular diameter of the emission ring peak as predicted by the Nexus Paradigm including the size of the central dark depression and the base diameter of each black hole. The predicted dimensions are then compared to observations from which we obtain an excellent agreement between observations and prediction at the 99 th percentile credibility interval. 1.Introduction Black holes are the most gravitationally extreme objects in nature where not even light can escape gravity"s grip. Understanding the properties of spacetime in the strong gravity regime may unlock the mysteries of quantum gravity and reveal the nature of space-time itself. At the heart of most galaxies lies a SMBH [1,2] that deforms the local space-time metric in such a way as to generate a gravitationally lensed image of its locality as seen by a distant observer. Using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) it is possible to obtain the lensed radio image of the SMBH horizon. The Event Horizon Collaboration through the use of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has ushered in an era in which SMBH shadows with an angular diameter of above 20 microarcseconds can be currently imaged. The EHT is a global network of synchronized radio observatories that work in unison using VLBI techniques at millimeter wavelengths to observe radio sources associated with black holes. In 2019 the EHT resolved the near horizon region of M87*[3-8] and
Observational features of black holes
Arxiv preprint gr-qc/ …, 2005
Recently Holz & Wheeler [59] considered a very attracting possibility to detect retro-MACHOs, i.e. retroimages of the Sun by a Schwarzschild black hole. In this paper we discuss glories (mirages) formed near rapidly rotating Kerr black hole horizons and propose a procedure to measure masses and rotation parameters analyzing these forms of mirages. In some sense that is a manifestation of gravitational lens effect in the strong gravitational field near black hole horizon and a generalization of the retro-gravitational lens phenomenon. We analyze the case of a Kerr black hole rotating at arbitrary speed for some selected positions of a distant observer with respect to the equatorial plane of a Kerr black hole. We discuss glories (mirages) formed near rapidly rotating Kerr black hole horizons and propose a procedure to measure masses and rotation parameters analyzing these forms of mirages. Some time ago Falcke, Melia & Agol [60] suggested to search shadows at the Galactic Center. In this paper we present the boundaries for shadows calculated numerically. We also propose to use future radio interferometer RADIOASTRON facilities to measure shapes of mirages (glories) and to evaluate the black hole spin as a function of the position angle of a distant observer.
First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. VI. The Shadow and Mass of the Central Black Hole
The Astrophysical Journal, 2019
We present measurements of the properties of the central radio source in M87 using Event Horizon Telescope data obtained during the 2017 campaign. We develop and fit geometric crescent models (asymmetric rings with interior brightness depressions) using two independent sampling algorithms that consider distinct representations of the visibility data. We show that the crescent family of models is statistically preferred over other comparably complex geometric models that we explore. We calibrate the geometric model parameters using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) models of the emission region and estimate physical properties of the source. We further fit images generated from GRMHD models directly to the data. We compare the derived emission region and black hole parameters from these analyses with those recovered from reconstructed images. There is a remarkable consistency among all methods and data sets. We find that >50% of the total flux at arcsecond scales comes from near the horizon, and that the emission is dramatically suppressed interior to this region by a factor >10, providing direct evidence of the predicted shadow of a black hole. Across all methods, we measure a crescent diameter of 42±3 μas and constrain its fractional width to be <0.5. Associating the crescent feature with the emission surrounding the black hole shadow, we infer an angular gravitational radius of GM/Dc 2 =3.8±0.4 μas. Folding in a distance measurement of-+ 16.8 Mpc 0.7 0.8 gives a black hole mass of = ´ | | M M 6.5 0.2 0.7 10 stat sys 9. This measurement from lensed emission near the event horizon is consistent with the presence of a central Kerr black hole, as predicted by the general theory of relativity.
BlackHoleCam: fundamental physics of the Galactic center
Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (GR) successfully describes gravity. The most fundamental predictions of GR are black holes (BHs), but in spite of many convincing BH candidates in the Universe, there is no conclusive experimental proof of their existence using astronomical observations. Are BHs real astrophysical objects? Does GR hold in its most extreme limit or are alternatives needed? The prime target to address these fundamental questions is in the center of our own Galaxy, which hosts the closest and best-constrained supermassive BH candidate in the Universe, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Three different types of experiments hold the promise to test GR in a strong-field regime using observations of Sgr A* with new-generation instruments. The first experiment aims to image the relativistic plasma emission which surrounds the event horizon and forms a "shadow" cast against the background, whose predicted size (~50 microarcseconds) can now be resolved by upcoming VLBI experiments at mm-waves such as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). The second experiment aims to monitor stars orbiting Sgr A* with the upcoming near-infrared interferometer GRAVITY at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The third experiment aims to time a radio pulsar in tight orbit about Sgr A* using radio telescopes (including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array or ALMA). The BlackHoleCam project exploits the synergy between these three different techniques and aims to measure the main BH parameters with sufficient precision to provide fundamental tests of GR and probe the spacetime around a BH in any metric theory of gravity. Here, we review our current knowledge of the physical properties of Sgr A* as well as the current status of such experimental efforts towards imaging the event horizon, measuring stellar orbits, and timing pulsars around Sgr A*.
The Event Horizon Telescope: exploring strong gravity and accretion physics
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2014
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a global sub-millimeter wavelength very long baseline interferometry array, is now resolving the innermost regions around the supermassive black holes Sgr A* and M87. Using black hole images from both simple geometric models and relativistic magnetohydrodynamical accretion flow simulations, we perform a variety of experiments to assess the promise of the EHT for studying strong gravity and accretion physics during the stages of its development. We find that (1) the addition of the LMT and ALMA along with upgraded instrumentation in the "Complete" stage of the EHT allow detection of the photon ring, a signature of Kerr strong gravity, for predicted values of its total flux; (2) the inclusion of coherently averaged closure phases in our analysis dramatically improves the precision of even the current array, allowing (3) significantly tighter constraints on plausible accretion models and (4) detections of structural variability at the levels predicted by the models. While observations at 345 GHz circumvent problems due to interstellar electron scattering in line-of-sight to the galactic center, short baselines provided by CARMA and/or the LMT could be required in order to constrain the overall shape of the accretion flow. Given the systematic uncertainties in the underlying models, using the full complement of two observing frequencies (230 and 345 GHz) and sources (Sgr A* and M87) may be critical for achieving transformative science with the EHT experiment.
Event Horizon Telescope Results . I . the Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole
2019
When surrounded by a transparent emission region, black holes are expected to reveal a dark shadow caused by gravitational light bending and photon capture at the event horizon. To image and study this phenomenon, we have assembled the Event Horizon Telescope, a global very long baseline interferometry array observing at a wavelength of 1.3 mm. This allows us to reconstruct event-horizon-scale images of the supermassive black hole candidate in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. We have resolved the central compact radio source as an asymmetric bright emission ring with a diameter of 42±3 μas, which is circular and encompasses a central depression in brightness with a flux ratio 10:1. The emission ring is recovered using different calibration and imaging schemes, with its diameter and width remaining stable over four different observations carried out in different days. Overall, the observed image is consistent with expectations for the shadow of a Kerr black hole as p...
The Current Ability to Test Theories of Gravity with Black Hole Shadows
Nature Astronomy , 2018
Our Galactic Center, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), is believed to harbour a supermassive black hole (BH), as suggested by observations tracking individual orbiting stars. Upcoming sub-millimetre very-long-baseline-interferometry (VLBI) images of Sgr A* carried out by the Event-Horizon-Telescope Collaboration (EHTC) are expected to provide critical evidence for the existence of this supermassive BH. We assess our present ability to use EHTC images to determine if they correspond to a Kerr BH as predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity (GR) or to a BH in alternative theories of gravity. To this end, we perform general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (GRMHD) simulations and use general-relativistic radiative transfer (GRRT) calculations to generate synthetic shadow images of a magnetised accretion flow onto a Kerr BH. In addition, and for the first time, we perform GRMHD simulations and GRRT calculations for a dilaton BH, which we take as a representative solution of an alternative theory of gravity. Adopting the VLBI configuration from the 2017 EHTC campaign, we find that it could be extremely difficult to distinguish between BHs from different theories of gravity, thus highlighting that great caution is needed when interpreting BH images as tests of GR.