All articles tagged with #blazars
Caltech astrophysicists have released a high-resolution video of a supermassive black hole’s plasma jet using a new neural field algorithm called 'kine.' The footage, derived from 27 years of data on the blazar 3C 345, allows scientists to observe different parts of the jet moving at varying speeds, a capability previously limited to overall velocity tracking.
Scientists traced an ultra-high-energy neutrino detected in 2023 to potential cosmic accelerators, with the event being about 30,000 times more energetic than previous neutrinos and observed by KM3NeT in the Mediterranean. Analyses suggest a population of black-hole–driven blazars could explain such bursts without violating gamma-ray background limits, though a single definitive source hasn’t been confirmed. More data from current and future detectors is needed to pin down the neutrino’s origin.
A Mediterranean KM3NeT/ARCA detector captured a 220 PeV neutrino—the most energetic yet—sparking a study that points to blazars (jets from supermassive black holes aligned toward Earth) as likely accelerators. The team cross-checked with IceCube and Fermi data and noted no electromagnetic counterpart, suggesting a diffuse background of multiple sources rather than a single cataclysmic event. With KM3NeT expanding to full size, researchers expect more high-energy neutrinos to sharpen the origin story.
Scientists at CERN created plasma fireballs to test hypotheses about the behavior of jets from supermassive black holes called blazars, finding evidence that weak intergalactic magnetic fields may disrupt particle cascades, helping to explain their mysterious jets.
Blazars, active galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centers, may be bombarding Earth with neutrinos, also known as "ghost particles." Neutrinos are difficult to detect due to their lack of charge and mass, but they can pass through obstacles that impede other forms of matter and light. Recent research has linked blazars to the production of neutrinos, specifically through the interaction of cosmic rays and photons. By studying the flare patterns of blazars, scientists have been able to estimate the amount of neutrinos reaching Earth. This research contributes to our understanding of the origin of astrophysical neutrinos.
Astronomers studying blazar galaxies, a type of quasar, have found evidence suggesting that fluctuations in their brightness may be caused by pairs of supermassive black holes in decaying orbits. This discovery could provide insights into how supermassive black holes grow to such enormous sizes. The researchers propose that the precession of the jet source, caused by a binary black hole or a warped accretion disk, is responsible for the observed variability. While the presence of binary black holes cannot be directly observed yet, continued monitoring of precession and long-term observation of other blazars could provide further evidence for their existence.
Astronomers have discovered that some blazars, bright active galactic nuclei, may contain double supermassive black holes at their cores. The presence of a binary black hole system can cause the jets emitted by one black hole to appear curved and snaky, and can also lead to periodic changes in brightness. By studying an object called OJ 287, researchers found evidence of two black holes in its core, supporting the idea of binary black holes in other blazars. This discovery could help astronomers probe for other binary black holes and gain a better understanding of the inner workings of these black hole systems.
An international research team has presented evidence that the variability in brightness and jet curvature observed in blazars, accreting supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies, is likely caused by the precession of the jet source. This precession can be attributed to the presence of a second massive black hole or a warped accretion disk. The study suggests that blazar variability may be of deterministic nature rather than stochastic, and the jet curvature could be a signature of binary black holes. Radio observations using Very Long Baseline Radio Interferometry (VLBI) provide the highest resolution for studying these phenomena.
Researchers at Penn State have characterized over a hundred previously unclassified blazars, which are dynamic galaxies hosting supermassive black holes that emit powerful jets. By studying these dim blazars, the scientists were able to test the controversial "blazar sequence" theory, which predicts that brighter blazars have lower-energy peaks compared to dimmer blazars. The findings contribute to our understanding of black hole expansion, general relativity, and high-energy particle physics. The study was published in the Astrophysical Journal and funded by NASA.
Astronomers have discovered 100 new supermassive black holes, nicknamed 'blazars,' that are shooting explosive jets of matter and radiation directly at Earth. These black holes are being used as a laboratory for extreme physics experiments to test theories of relativity, study how particles behave at high energies, and understand the evolution and formation of supermassive black holes and their jets. The team used machine learning and physical modeling to identify the low-energy peak of dim blazars, confirming the controversial 'blazar sequence' theory. The research has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.
A new NASA animation shows what the sky over Earth would look like to humans if we could see high-energy gamma-ray light. The animation represents a cosmic firework display created as Earth's atmosphere is belted by gamma rays from astrophysical sources and powerful cosmic events. Over 90% of the cosmic firework gamma-rays in the animation originate from active galaxies called "blazars," in which feeding supermassive black holes blast out jets of material and radiation directly toward Earth. The footage was created using data collected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which has been examining the gamma-ray sky from space for nearly 15 years.
NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has compiled a catalog of 1,525 sources of gamma radiation, including blazars, pulsars, supernova remnants, and binary systems. The telescope constantly monitors the sky for gamma rays, the highest-energy light in the Universe, and provides astronomers with a map of the various producers of gamma radiation that we can detect. The newly updated catalog is freely available and could lead to new insights into past events and phenomena associated with gamma-ray sources.