An international team of astronomers used the state-of-the-art capability of VERA, a Japanese network of radio telescopes operated by NAOJ, to uncover valuable clues about how rapidly growing “young” supermassive black holes form, grow, and possibly evolve into more powerful quasars.
An international research team consisting of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Kogakuin University, and Nagoya City University has conducted a detailed investigation of periodic lateral displacements observed in the jet launched from the supermassive black hole at the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. As a result, they found that these oscillations are not merely local fluctuations, but instead behave as “transverse waves” propagating downstream within the jet. Such waves may originate from activity in the vicinity of the black hole, or may be generated by instabilities that develop as the jet propagates. This discovery provides a new clue for understanding the physical processes occurring inside relativistic jets.
We have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for an international VLBI network that will combine approximately 20 radio telescopes in the East Asian region in Japan, South Korea, and China to achieve resolution equivalent to a giant radio telescope with a maximum diameter of 5,500 km.