A magnetic field around a black hole flips.
A black hole might have changed its magnetic field.
The story begins with a galaxy known as 1ES 1927+654, which briefly ceased X-ray emissions for a few months, then resumed and increased. There is a black hole that is visible from 236 million light-years away.
This event marks the first time we have seen X-rays dropping out completely while the other wavelengths are brighter.
If scientists can confirm that the event was caused by a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy changing its magnetic field, the event may help astrophysicists understand how such a switch affects the black hole's environment.
It's related to Eureka! Scientists took a picture of a black hole.
The black hole at the heart of the Milky Way pulls the matter in toward its center. The accretion disc surrounds the black hole, and the matter first collects in it, then heats up and emits light as it moves inward.
Scientists call the cloud of hot particles a corona. The X-rays from the heart of galaxy 1ES 1927+654 temporarily disappeared due to changes in the corona, according to a new study.
If a magnetic reversal happened, the north pole would become the south pole and the visible and UV light would increase to the center of the galaxy, as the corona begins to diminish and the accretion disk grows more compact in the center.
The X-ray emissions stop when the field weakens so much that the corona cannot be supported.
The X-ray emissions reappeared in October of last year, four months after they disappeared, suggesting a magnetic reversal took place. The X-ray emissions returned to pre-eruption levels in the summer of 2021.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite were used to track the changes in ultraviolet and X-rays. In locations such as Italy, the Canary Islands and New Mexico ground-based telescopes were used for visible light and radio observations.
A paper based on the research has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.
Follow Elizabeth on social media. Follow us on social media.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
