IXPE Explores a Black Hole Jet
Illustration Credit:
NASA
,
Pablo Garcia
Explanation:
How do black holes create X-rays? Answering this long-standing question was significantly
advanced recently
with data taken by NASA’s
IXPE
satellite. X-rays cannot exit a
black hole
, but they can be created in the
energetic environment nearby
, in particular by a
jet
of particles moving outward. By observing
X-ray light
arriving from near the
supermassive black hole
at the center of galaxy
BL Lac
, called a
blazar
, it was discovered that these X-rays lacked significant
polarization
, which is expected when created more by energetic
electrons
than
protons
. In the
featured artistic illustration
, a powerful
jet
is depicted emanating from an orange-colored
accretion disk
circling the black hole.
Understanding
highly
energetic processes
across the universe helps humanity to understand
similar
processes
that occur on or near
our Earth
.