黑洞吸积盘与喷流研究取得最新进展

Core Viewpoint - The research led by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences provides strong observational evidence of the co-rotation of black hole accretion disks and jets during the tidal disruption event (TDE) AT2020afhd, published in the journal "Science Advances" [1][4]. Group 1: Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) Overview - TDEs occur when a star approaches a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy and is torn apart by tidal forces, resulting in a hot accretion disk that emits strong radiation, serving as a crucial window for studying black hole activation and relativistic jets [1]. - The specific TDE AT2020afhd is located at the center of galaxy LEDA 145386, approximately 120 million light-years from Earth, and was discovered in January 2024 due to a significant increase in brightness [1]. Group 2: Observational Findings - The research team conducted a year-long, multi-band monitoring campaign using various telescopes, including the Swift space X-ray telescope and ground-based optical telescopes, to observe the TDE [1][3]. - Analysis revealed significant quasi-periodic oscillations in X-rays with a period of approximately 19.6 days and an amplitude exceeding 10 times, alongside synchronous changes in the radio band with an amplitude over 4 times, indicating a rigid connection between the accretion disk and the jet [3]. Group 3: Physical Mechanism and Implications - The observed co-rotation of the accretion disk and jet is likely due to the Lense-Thirring effect, where a rotating black hole drags surrounding spacetime, causing the tilted accretion disk and perpendicular jet to precess [3]. - This research marks the first clear observation of accretion disk-jet co-rotation in a black hole system, highlighting the challenges of long-term monitoring, which has been rare in previous studies focused on the early stages of TDEs [3][4]. Group 4: Future Research Directions - The developed model for accretion disk-jet co-rotation successfully reproduced the X-ray and radio light curves and provided clear constraints on the system's geometry, black hole spin, and jet velocity [4]. - The phenomenon may be more common than previously thought, and with ongoing deep, multi-band, and high-frequency monitoring efforts, more examples are expected to be discovered, enhancing the understanding of black hole accretion physics [4].