A team of astronomers has made unprecedented observations of plasma jets emerging from a supermassive black hole in galaxy 1ES 1927+654, located 270 million light-years away in the constellation Draco. This galaxy has captured scientific interest since 2018 due to unusual activity at its core, including the sudden disappearance of the black hole’s X-ray corona and subsequent intense outbursts across multiple wavelengths. The recent real-time monitoring of these plasma jets provides new insights into the dynamic processes surrounding supermassive black holes.
Historical data on active galactic nuclei often relied on sporadic observations, leaving gaps in understanding the evolution of jet formation. Previous studies identified instances where jets activated over extended periods, but lacked the continuous monitoring necessary to capture the rapid developments witnessed in 1ES 1927+654. This latest observation marks a significant advancement in the ability to track and analyze the immediate changes occurring near supermassive black holes.
How Did the Black Hole’s Activity Change?
The supermassive black hole in 1ES 1927+654 experienced a dramatic increase in activity, becoming 100 times brighter within a few months—a change typically observed over thousands to millions of years. Following nearly a year of elevated X-ray emissions, the black hole’s activity diminished in 2020 but surged again in 2023. Concurrently, radio wave emissions intensified by 60 times, a phenomenon that had not been previously monitored in real time for such black holes.
What Did the High-Resolution Radio Imaging Reveal?
Utilizing the Very Large Array and Very Large Baseline Array, the research team obtained detailed radio images of the black hole’s center. These images captured the formation of plasma jets emanating from both poles of the black hole, expanding outward between 2023 and 2024. This direct observation of jet development offers valuable data on the mechanics of jet formation and propagation in supermassive black holes.
What Implications Do These Observations Have?
The real-time formation of plasma jets challenges existing models of jet production and provides a unique opportunity to refine theoretical frameworks. The findings suggest that tidal disruption events, such as the ingestion of a white dwarf, may play a critical role in jet activation.
“We have very detailed observations of a radio jet ‘turning on’ in real-time, and even more exciting are the VLBI observations, which clearly show these plasma blobs moving out from the black hole,”
stated Eileen Meyer, UMBC associate professor.
These observations indicate that smaller, short-lived jets like those seen in 1ES 1927+654 could be more common than previously thought, potentially leading to a deeper understanding of the conditions necessary for jet formation. Continued monitoring of this galaxy will help clarify the relationship between accretion activity and jet production, addressing longstanding questions in astrophysics.
The data collected from 1ES 1927+654 provides a valuable case study for astronomers seeking to understand the elusive processes that govern jet formation in supermassive black holes. By observing these events as they unfold, scientists can better determine the factors that trigger jet activity and how these powerful jets influence their surrounding environments.
“We still don’t really understand after all these decades of studying these sources why only a fraction of accreting black holes produce jets and then exactly how they launch them,” Meyer added. The ongoing analysis of the extensive data collected promises to shed light on these complex interactions, fostering collaboration between observational astronomers and theorists to advance the field.
