Model of M87* twisting magnetic fields (IMAGE)
Caption
The black hole M87* (the asterisk designates the black hole in the middle of galaxy M87) caught the world’s attention when it was first detected by the Event Horizon Telescope. Since then, Princeton astrophysicists have discovered that the twisting magnetic field around a black hole determines the tell-tale polarization spiral observed in black hole images. In particular, the direction of energy flow (from the hole to the field or vice versa) determines the how the polarization twists. By measuring which way the polarization spirals, one can infer whether the magnetic field is extracting spin energy from the hole or pumping spin energy into it.
Credit
Model by Andrew Chael, George Wong, Alexandru Lupsasca and Eliot Quataert, Princeton Gravity Initiative
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