May 19, 2021

Speaker: Prof. Monika Moscibrodzka (Radboud University, Netherlands)

Title: A polarimetric view of the Edge of M87's Black Hole

Abstract: The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, who produced the first ever image of a black hole, has just revealed a new view of the massive object at the centre of the M87 galaxy: how it looks in polarised light. This is the first time astronomers have been able to measure polarisation, a signature of magnetic fields, this close to the edge of a black hole. The observations are key to explaining how the M87 galaxy, located 55 million light-years away, is able to launch energetic plasma jets from its core. In her presentation, Dr. Mościbrodzka will talk about these new observational results and their theoretical interpretation.