Very-long Baseline Research Articles

Estimation of orbital parameters from [formula omitted]-coverage for a space radio interferometer

Searching for a suitable very long baseline (VLBI) interferometer geometry is a key task in planning observations, especially imaging sessions. VLBI image quality is characterized by (u,v)-coverage. With one or more radio telescopes located in space, such a task becomes more complex. This paper presents a method of recovering the optimal orbital parameters for space radio telescopes having a given desired (u,v)-coverage. In turn, this task can be called the inverse of the task of searching for the optimal geometry and orbital configurations of space-ground and pure space VLBI interferometers.

Progress on the Haystack Observatory Postprocessing System

The Haystack Observatory Postprocessing System (HOPS) is a multipurpose tool for post-correlation calibration and data analysis in Very-Long Baseline Interferometry experiments. The requirements on stations, baselines, and bandwidth for the Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT) have motivated a significant refactoring of the HOPS codebase. In this paper, we present the requirements, specifications, and design of HOPS 4.0 and the current state of the refactoring, and we discuss future work.

Modeling Nearby Low-Luminosity Active-Galactic-Nucleus Jet Images at All VLBI Scales

Relativistic jets from nearby low-luminosity active-galactic-nuclei (LLAGN) were observed by Very-Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) across many orders of magnitude in space, from milliparsec to sub-parsec scales, and from the jet base in the vicinity of black holes to the jet collimation and acceleration regions. With the improved resolution for VLBI observations, resolved VLBI jet morphologies provide valuable opportunities for testing and constraining black hole jet physics. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current progress of modeling nearby LLAGN jet images from horizon scales to large scales, including the construction of jet models and the assumed emission details. Illustrative examples for jet image modeling are also given to demonstrate how jet image features may vary with the underlying physics.

The non-thermal emission from the colliding-wind binary Apep

Abstract Therecently discovered massive binary system Apep is the most powerful synchrotron emitter among the known Galactic colliding-wind binaries. This makes this particular system of great interest to investigate stellar winds and the non-thermal processes associated with their shocks. This source was detected at various radio bands, and in addition the wind-collision region was resolved by means of very-long baseline interferometric observations. We use a non-thermal emission model for colliding-wind binaries to derive physical properties of this system. The observed morphology in the resolved maps allows us to estimate the system projection angle on the sky to be $\psi \approx 85^\circ$ . The observed radio flux densities also allow us to characterise both the intrinsic synchrotron spectrum of the source and its modifications due to free–free absorption in the stellar winds at low frequencies; from this, we derive mass–loss rates of the stars of $\dot{M}_\mathrm{WN} \approx 4\times10^{-5}\;\mathrm{M}_\odot\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ and $\dot{M}_\mathrm{WC} \approx 2.9\times10^{-5}\;\mathrm{M}_\odot\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ . Finally, the broadband spectral energy distribution is calculated for different combinations of the remaining free parameters, namely the intensity of the magnetic field and the injected power in non-thermal particles. We show that the degeneracy of these two parameters can be solved with observations in the high-energy domain, most likely in the hard X-rays but also possibly in $\gamma$ -rays under favourable conditions.

Caltech–NRAO Stripe 82 Survey (CNSS). III. The First Radio-discovered Tidal Disruption Event, CNSS J0019+00

Abstract We present the discovery of a nuclear transient with the Caltech–NRAO Stripe 82 Survey (CNSS), a dedicated radio transient survey carried out with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). This transient, CNSS J001947.3+003527, exhibited a turn-on over a timescale of ≲1 yr, increasing in flux density at 3 GHz from <0.14 mJy in 2014 February to 4.4 ± 0.1 mJy in 2015 March, reaching a peak luminosity of around 2015 October. The association of CNSS J0019+00 with the nucleus (Gaia and our very-long baseline interferometry positions are consistent to within 1 pc) of a nearby S0 Seyfert galaxy at 77 Mpc, together with the radio spectral evolution, implies that this transient is most likely a tidal disruption event (TDE). Our equipartition analysis indicates the presence of a ∼15,000 km s−1 outflow, having energy ∼1049 erg. We derive the radial density profile for the circumnuclear material in the host galaxy to be proportional to R −2.5. All of these properties suggest resemblance with radio-detected thermal TDEs like ASASSN-14li and XMMSL1 J0740-85. No significant X-ray or optical emission is detected from CNSS J0019+00, although this may simply be due to the thermal emission being weak during our late-time follow-up observations. From the CNSS survey we have obtained the first unbiased measurement of the rate of radio TDEs, R(>500μJy) of about 2 × 10−3 deg−2, or equivalently a volumetric rate of about 10 Gpc−3 yr−1. This rate implies that all-sky radio surveys such as the VLA Sky Survey and those planned with ASKAP, will find many tens of radio TDEs over the next few years.

Asymptotically flat, parametrized black hole metric preserving Kerr symmetries

Recently the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, with very-long baseline interferometric observations, resolved structure at the scale of $\sim5$ Schwarzschild radii about the center of M87$^*$, the supermassive black hole resident at the center of Messier 87. This important observation has paved the way for testing what is known as the "no-hair" theorem, stating that isolated black holes are described by the Kerr metric, parameterized only by their mass and spin. Generic, parameterized spacetimes beyond Kerr allow one to arbitrarily test the no-hair theorem for deviations from the Kerr result with no prior theoretical knowledge or motivation. In this paper, we present such a new general, stationary, axisymmetric and asymptotically flat black hole solution with separable geodesic equations (thus preserving symmetries of a Kerr black hole), extending the previous work of Johannsen. In this new metric, five free non-linear functions parameterically deviate from the Kerr result, allowing one to effectively transform to many alternative black hole solutions present in the literature. We then derive analytic expressions for the Keplerian and epicyclic frequencies, the orbital energy and angular momentum, and the location of the innermost stable orbit of circular equatorial particle orbits. We also compute the image of the photon rings in the new spacetime, which correspond to the boundary of the black hole shadow image taken by the Event Horizon Telescope. We finally compare each quantity for the Kerr result against various parameterizations of the metric, finding that, especially for highly rotating black holes, the two solutions disagree significantly. Such a metric parameterization allows one to perform the no-hair tests in a model-independent way, and finally map constraints to specific alternative theories of gravity.

THE PRESENCE OF GEOPHYSICAL LOADINGS IN GPS OBSERVATIONS USING GENERAL LEAST SQUARES APPROACHES

Abstract. The earth’s crust undergoes natural deformation due to the geophysical loadings that consist of the earth body tide, ocean tide loading, atmospheric pressure loading and pole tide. This periodic displacement is generated by the changes of the gravitational attraction between the moon and the sun acting upon the earth’s rotation, along with the temporal atmospheric changes and the variability of the ocean tide. The study of the geophysical loadings is important in the geodesy field as the magnitude of the signals is significant and can contribute to errors in space geodetic measurements such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Very-Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and Altimeter. This study is conducted to evaluate the percentage of geophysical loadings in GPS observations by adopting general least square approaches. The presence of the geophysical loadings indicates that as many as 76% to 93% of the geophysical loadings signal are contained in the GPS time series. The findings reveal that earth body tide signals are more significant if compared to ocean tide loading signals because the magnitude of the earth body tide is greater than that of the ocean tide loading and it affects the coordinate system particularly at up component. Results illustrated the potential of GPS to provide the local parameters of the geophysical loadings that are beneficial for earth tidal modelling and that can be used to improve the quality of space geodetic measurements.

RadioAstron orbit determination and evaluation of its results using correlation of space-VLBI observations

A crucial part of a space mission for very-long baseline interferometery (VLBI), which is the technique capable of providing the highest resolution images in astronomy, is orbit determination of the mission’s space radio telescope(s). In order to successfully detect interference fringes that result from correlation of the signals recorded by a ground-based and a space-borne radio telescope, the propagation delays experienced in the near-Earth space by radio waves emitted by the source and the relativity effects on each telescope’s clock need to be evaluated, which requires accurate knowledge of position and velocity of the space radio telescope. In this paper we describe our approach to orbit determination (OD) of the RadioAstron spacecraft of the RadioAstron space-VLBI mission. Determining RadioAstron’s orbit is complicated due to several factors: strong solar radiation pressure, a highly eccentric orbit, and frequent orbit perturbations caused by the attitude control system. We show that in order to maintain the OD accuracy required for processing space-VLBI observations at cm-wavelengths it is required to take into account the additional data on thruster firings, reaction wheel rotation rates, and attitude of the spacecraft. We also investigate into using the unique orbit data available only for a space-VLBI spacecraft, i.e. the residual delays and delay rates that result from VLBI data processing, as a means to evaluate the achieved OD accuracy. We present the results of the first experience of OD accuracy evaluation of this kind, using more than 5000 residual values obtained as a result of space-VLBI observations performed over 7 years of the RadioAstron mission operations.

Exploring the nature of the 2016 γ-ray emission in the blazar 1749+096

Recent Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) light curves indicate an active $\gamma$-ray state spanning about five months from 2016 June to 2016 October in the BL Lac object 1749+096 (OT 081). During this period, we find two notable $\gamma$-ray events: an exceptionally strong outburst followed by a significant enhancement (local peak). In this study, we analyze multi-waveband light curves (radio, optical, X-ray, and $\gamma$-ray) plus very-long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data to investigate the nature of the $\gamma$-ray events. The $\gamma$-ray outburst coincides with flux maxima at longer wavelengths. We find a spectral hardening of the $\gamma$-ray photon index during the $\gamma$-ray outburst. The photon index shows a transition from a softer-when-brighter to a harder-when-brighter trend at around 1.8 $\times$ $10^{-7}$ ph cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. We see indication that both the $\gamma$-ray outburst and the subsequent enhancement precede the propagation of a polarized knot in a region near the VLBI core. The highest polarized intensity, 230\,mJy, and an electric vector position angle rotation, by $\sim$32$^{\circ}$, are detected about 12 days after the $\gamma$-ray outburst. We conclude that both $\gamma$-ray events are caused by the propagation of a disturbance in the mm-wave core.

Testing General Relativity with Accretion-Flow Imaging of SgrA*

The Event Horizon Telescope is a global, very long baseline interferometer capable of probing potential deviations from the Kerr metric, which is believed to provide the unique description of astrophysical black holes. Here, we report an updated constraint on the quadrupolar deviation of Sagittarius A^{*} within the context of a radiatively inefficient accretion flow model in a quasi-Kerr background. We also simulate near-future constraints obtainable by the forthcoming eight-station array and show that in this model already a one-day observation can measure the spin magnitude to within 0.005, the inclination to within 0.09°, the position angle to within 0.04°, and the quadrupolar deviation to within 0.005 at 3σ confidence. Thus, we are entering an era of high-precision strong gravity measurements.

Testing the no-hair theorem with observations of black holes in the electromagnetic spectrum

According to the general-relativistic no-hair theorem, astrophysical black holes depend only on their masses and spins and are uniquely described by the Kerr metric. Mass and spin are the first two multipole moments of the Kerr spacetime and completely determine all other moments. The no-hair theorem can be tested by measuring potential deviations from the Kerr metric which alter such higher-order moments. In this review, I discuss tests of the no-hair theorem with current and future observations of such black holes across the electromagnetic spectrum, focusing on near-infrared observations of the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, pulsar-timing and very-long baseline interferometric observations, as well as x-ray observations of fluorescent iron lines, thermal continuum spectra, variability, and polarization.

MODELING SEVEN YEARS OF EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS WITH RADIATIVELY INEFFICIENT ACCRETION FLOW MODELS

ABSTRACT An initial three-station version of the Event Horizon Telescope, a millimeter-wavelength very-long baseline interferometer, has observed Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) repeatedly from 2007 to 2013, resulting in the measurement of a variety of interferometric quantities. Of particular importance is that there is now a large set of closure phases measured over a number of independent observing epochs. We analyze these observations within the context of a realization of semi-analytic radiatively inefficient disk models, implicated by the low luminosity of Sgr A*. We find a broad consistency among the various observing epochs and between different interferometric data types, with the latter providing significant support for this class of model of Sgr A*. The new data significantly tighten existing constraints on the spin magnitude and its orientation within this model context, finding a spin magnitude of a = 0.10 − 0.10 − 0.10 + 0.30 + 0.56 , an inclination with respect to the line of sight of θ = 60 ° − 8 ° − 13 ° + 5 ° + 10 ° , and a position angle of ξ = 156 ° − 17 ° − 27 ° + 10 ° + 14 ° east of north. These are in good agreement with previous analyses. Notably, the previous 180° degeneracy in the position angle has now been conclusively broken by the inclusion of the closure-phase measurements. A reflection degeneracy in the inclination remains, permitting two localizations of the spin vector orientation, one of which is in agreement with the orbital angular momentum of the infrared gas cloud G2 and the clockwise disk of young stars. This may support a relationship between Sgr A*'s accretion flow and these larger-scale features.

Low-energy Neutrino Astronomy in LENA

LENA (Low Energy Neutrino Astronomy) is a proposed next-generation neutrino detector based on 50 kilotons of liquid scintillator. The low detection threshold, good energy resolution and excellent background rejection inherent to the liquid-scintillator detectors make LENA a versatile observatory for low-energy neutrinos from astrophysical and terrestrial sources. In the framework of the European LAGUNA-LBNO design study, LENA is also considered as far detector for a very-long baseline neutrino beam from CERN to Pyhäsalmi (Finland).The present contribution gives an overview LENA's broad research program, highlighting the unique capabilities of liquid scintillator for the detection of low-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. In particular, it will focus on the precision measurement of the solar neutrino spectrum: The search for time modulations in the 7Be neutrino flux, the determination of the electron neutrino survival probability in the low-energy region of the 8B spectrum and the favorable detection conditions for neutrinos from the CNO fusion cycle.

Constraining the spin and the deformation parameters from the black hole shadow

Within 5–10 years, very-long baseline interferometry (VLBI) facilitieswill be able to directly image the accretion flow around SgrA*, thesuper-massive black hole candidate at the center of the Galaxy, and observethe black hole ``shadow''. In 4-dimensional general relativity, the no-hair theoremasserts that uncharged black holes are described by the Kerr solution and arecompletely specified by their mass M and by their spin parameter a. In thispaper, we explore the possibility of distinguishing Kerr and Bardeen black holesfrom their shadow. In Hioki & Maeda (2009), under the assumption that thebackground geometry is described by the Kerr solution, the authors proposedan algorithm to estimate the value of a/M by measuring the distortion parameterδ, an observable quantity that characterizes the shape of the shadow.Here, we try to extend their approach. Since the Hioki-Maeda distortionparameter is degenerate with respect to the spin and possible deviations fromthe Kerr solution, one has to measure another quantity to test the Kerr blackhole hypothesis. We study a few possibilities. We find that it is extremely difficultto distinguish Kerr and Bardeen black holes from the sole observation of theshadow, and out of reach for the near future. The combination of the measurementof the shadow with possible accurate radio observations of a pulsar in a compactorbit around SgrA* could be a more promising strategy to verify the Kerr blackhole paradigm.

TESTING THE NO-HAIR THEOREM WITH EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF SAGITTARIUS A*

The advent of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a millimeter-wave very-long baseline interferometric array, has enabled spatially-resolved studies of the sub-horizon-scale structure for a handful of supermassive black holes. Among these, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), presents the largest angular cross section. Thus far, these studies have focused upon measurements of the black hole spin and the validation of low-luminosity accretion models. However, a critical input into the analysis of EHT data is the structure of the black hole spacetime, and thus these observations provide the novel opportunity to test the applicability of the Kerr metric to astrophysical black holes. Here we present the first simulated images of a radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) around Sgr A* employing a quasi-Kerr metric that contains an independent quadrupole moment in addition to the mass and spin that fully characterize a black hole in general relativity. We show that these images can be significantly different from the images of a RIAF around a Kerr black hole with the same spin and demonstrate the feasibility of testing the no-hair theorem by constraining the quadrupolar deviation from the Kerr metric with existing EHT data. Equally important, we find that the disk inclination and spin orientation angles are robust to the inclusion of additional parameters, providing confidence in previous estimations assuming the Kerr metric based upon EHT observations. However, at present the limits upon potential modifications of the Kerr metric remain weak.

PHOTON RINGS AROUND KERR AND KERR-LIKE BLACK HOLES

Very-long baseline interferometric observations have resolved structure on scales of only a few Schwarzschild radii around the supermassive black holes at the centers of our Galaxy and M87. In the near future, such observations are expected to image the shadows of these black holes together with a bright and narrow ring surrounding their shadows. For a Kerr black hole, the shape of this photon ring is nearly circular unless the black hole spins very rapidly. Whether or not, however, astrophysical black holes are truly described by the Kerr metric as encapsulated in the no-hair theorem still remains an untested assumption. For black holes that differ from Kerr black holes, photon rings have been shown numerically to be asymmetric for small to intermediate spins. In this paper, I calculate semi-analytic expressions of the shapes of photon rings around black holes described by a new Kerr-like metric which is valid for all spins. I show that photon rings in this spacetime are affected by two types of deviations from the Kerr metric which can cause the ring shape to be highly asymmetric. I argue that the ring asymmetry is a direct measure of a potential violation of the no-hair theorem and that both types of deviations can be detected independently if the mass and distance of the black hole are known. In addition, I obtain approximate expressions of the diameters, displacements, and asymmetries of photon rings around Kerr and Kerr-like black holes.

Early results of AGN studies with the space VLB interferometer RadioAstron

AbstractThe space element of the ground-space very long baseline (VLB) interferometer RadioAstron is a 10-meter radio telescope Spektr-R which was successfully launched in 2011. It covers four frequency bands from 0.3 to 25 GHz and provides baselines up to 350,000 km. This allows to study space objects with a resolution as high as about 10 microarcseconds. Fringes are found at all four bands of 92, 18, 6, and 1.3 cm. Science observations are ongoing. Early results of the RadioAstron AGN survey at extreme angular resolutions will be presented in the talk. In particular, AGN core emission is successfully detected at interferometer baselines up to 7.6 GLambda (or fringe spacing 27 microarcseconds) which is the current VLBI record. High radio brightness of AGN cores is found significantly above the known inverse-Compton limit. Implications to AGN jet emission models will be discussed. First results of RadioAstron space VLBI imaging of AGN jets will be also presented.

Estimating the apparent motions of extragalactic radio sources

The apparent motions of 573 extragalactic radio sources are estimated. For this purpose, we analyzed the data that were obtained during 3193 series of observations using very-long baseline radio interferometry (VLBI) from 1984 to 2010. To find a solution, the least-squares method with constraints is applied. It is shown that most radio sources (including defining sources) are characterized by significant apparent motions. Since the stability of the celestial reference system is due to the absence of net rotation (no-net-rotation condition) relative to the defining sources, a change in their coordinates leads to the rotation of the celestial coordinate system (CCS). Owing to this, we believe that the apparent motions of radio sources must be given in catalogs.

Testing General Relativity in the Strong-Field Regime with Observations of Black Holes in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

General relativity has been tested by many experiments, which, however, almost exclusively probe weak spacetime curvatures. In this thesis, I create two frameworks for testing general relativity in the strong-field regime with observations of black holes in the electromagnetic spectrum using current or near-future instruments. In the first part of this thesis, I design tests of the no-hair theorem, which uniquely characterizes the nature of black holes in general relativity in terms of their masses and spins and which states that these compact objects are described by the Kerr metric. I investigate a quasi-Kerr metric and construct a Kerr-like spacetime, both of which contain an independent parameter in addition to mass and spin. If the no-hair theorem is correct, then any deviation from the Kerr metric has to be zero. I show that already moderate changes of the deviation parameters in either metric lead to significant modifications of the observed signals. I apply this framework to the imaging of supermassive black holes using very-long baseline interferometry as well as to the quasi-periodic variability and relativistically broadened iron lines observed in both galactic and supermassive black holes. In the second part of this thesis, I devise a method to test the predicted evaporation of black holes in Randall-Sundrum-type braneworld gravity through the orbital evolution of black-hole X-ray binaries and obtain constraints on the size of the extra dimension from A0620-00 and XTE J1118+480.

MASSES OF NEARBY SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES WITH VERY LONG BASELINE INTERFEROMETRY

Dynamical mass measurements to date have allowed determinations of the mass M and the distance D of a number of nearby supermassive black holes. In the case of Sgr A*, these measurements are limited by a strong correlation between the mass and distance scaling roughly as M ~ D^2. Future very-long baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations will image a bright and narrow ring surrounding the shadow of a supermassive black hole, if its accretion flow is optically thin. In this paper, we explore the prospects of reducing the correlation between mass and distance with the combination of dynamical measurements and VLBI imaging of the ring of Sgr A*. We estimate the signal to noise ratio of near-future VLBI arrays that consist of five to six stations, and we simulate measurements of the mass and distance of Sgr A* using the expected size of the ring image and existing stellar ephemerides. We demonstrate that, in this best-case scenario, VLBI observations at 1 mm can improve the error on the mass by a factor of about two compared to the results from the monitoring of stellar orbits alone. We identify the additional sources of uncertainty that such imaging observations have to take into account. In addition, we calculate the angular diameters of the bright rings of other nearby supermassive black holes and identify the optimal targets besides Sgr A* that could be imaged by a ground-based VLBI array or future space-VLBI missions allowing for refined mass measurements.