Toward the event horizon -- the supermassive black hole in the Galactic Center

DOI10.1088/0264-9381/30/24/244003MaRDI QIDQ5746400zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Heino Falcke, S. B. Markoff

Publication date 18 February 2014

Published in Classical and Quantum Gravity (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1311.1841

zbMATH Keywords

black hole accretionblack hole shadowevent horizonGalactic CenterSagittarius A* (Sgr A*)stellar orbits

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to relativity and gravitational theory (83-02) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Black holes (83C57) Space-time singularities, cosmic censorship, etc. (83C75) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to astronomy and astrophysics (85-02) Galactic and stellar structure (85A15)

Abstract: The center of our Galaxy hosts the best constrained supermassive black hole in the universe, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Its mass and distance have been accurately determined from stellar orbits and proper motion studies, respectively, and its high-frequency radio, and highly variable near-infrared and X-ray emission originate from within a few Schwarzschild radii of the event horizon. The theory of general relativity (GR) predicts the appearance of a black hole shadow, which is a lensed image of the event horizon. This shadow can be resolved by very long baseline radio interferometry and test basic predictions of GR and alternatives thereof. In this paper we review our current understanding of the physical properties of Sgr A*, with a particular emphasis on the radio properties, the black hole shadow, and models for the emission and appearance of the source. We argue that the Galactic Center holds enormous potential for experimental tests of black hole accretion and theories of gravitation in their strong limits.

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• Spin and mass of the nearest supermassive black hole
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• Numerical black hole initial data and shadows in dynamical Chern-Simons gravity
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• Time resolved images from the center of the Galaxy appear to counter General Relativity
• Tidal effects on small bodies by massive black holes
• Strong gravitational lensing—a probe for extra dimensions and Kalb-Ramond field
• Simulating the emission and outflows from accretion discs
• Estimating the parameters of the Sgr A\(^*\) black hole
• From John Mitchell to Sagittarius A^*: an equation holds
• Geodesics and optical properties of a rotating black hole in Randall-Sundrum brane with a cosmological constant
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