Resolving Black Holes: Black Hole Astrophysics in the Era of the Event Horizon Telescope

解决黑洞：视界望远镜时代的黑洞天体物理学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-05184
• 负责人: Broderick, Avery
• 金额: $ 4.44万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=691069
• 关键词: Resolving; Black; Holes; Hole; Astrophysics

Black holes are gravity run amok, purely gravitational objects characterized by their event horizon -- the point of no return from which infalling travelers never return. They also lie at the nexus of modern physics and astronomy: They are central to modern efforts to merge gravity with quantum mechanics, are key sources for the burgeoning field of gravitational wave astronomy, the engines that power the brightest events in the universe, and responsible for driving powerful outflows that shape the night sky. Thus, black holes are a direct window onto the nature of gravity and its inordinate impact in astronomy.******In April, 2017, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an Earth-sized collection of radio telescopes, conducted the first observation that will directly image a black hole horizon, presenting a historic opportunity to study them. Over the next decade, the EHT promises to reveal in exquisite detail the nature of gravity near horizons, how black holes grow by accreting surrounding material, and how they launch the outflows that magnify their impact. However, this requires investment in efforts to extract this information from the unprecedented images that will soon arrive.******We will continue to lead the development of the theoretical models and analysis infrastructure necessary to scientifically interpret EHT data, within the broad context of the primary EHT targets. Already, we have begun the construction and verification of powerful analysis tools, capable of running on the largest supercomputers in the world. We will extend these by implementing strategies to mitigate known systematic errors, enabling the EHT to maximum its sensitivity. We will also explore a number of improvements to the existing set of models used to interpret EHT data thus far, including increasingly detailed descriptions of the physical processes at work near black holes. Ultimately, these analyses will be used to generate transformative scientific returns from the EHT observations.

黑洞是引力失控，纯粹的引力物体，其特征是它们的事件视界--一个不归路，从那里坠落的旅行者永远不会回来。 它们也是现代物理学和天文学的纽带：它们是现代将引力与量子力学融合的核心，是新兴的引力波天文学领域的关键来源，是宇宙中最亮事件的引擎，负责驱动塑造夜空的强大外流。 因此，黑洞是一个直接的窗口，可以看到引力的本质及其在天文学中的巨大影响。2017年4月，事件视界望远镜（EHT），一个地球大小的射电望远镜集合，进行了第一次观测，将直接成像黑洞视界，提供了一个研究它们的历史性机会。 在接下来的十年里，EHT有望详细揭示视界附近引力的性质，黑洞如何通过吸积周围的物质而生长，以及它们如何发射放大其影响的外流。 然而，这需要投资，努力从即将到来的前所未有的图像中提取这些信息。我们将继续领导理论模型和分析基础设施的发展，以科学地解释EHT数据，在主要EHT目标的广泛背景下。 我们已经开始构建和验证能够在世界上最大的超级计算机上运行的强大分析工具。 我们将通过实施策略来减轻已知的系统误差，使EHT能够最大限度地提高其灵敏度。 我们还将探索对迄今为止用于解释EHT数据的现有模型集的一些改进，包括对黑洞附近工作的物理过程的越来越详细的描述。 最终，这些分析将用于从EHT观测中产生变革性的科学回报。