Black Hole Polarimetry II: The Connection Between Spin and Polarization

Abstract

We study synchrotron polarization in spatially resolved horizon-scale images, such as those produced by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). In both general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations as well as simplified models of the black hole magnetosphere, the polarization angle, quantified by the complex observable arg(beta_2), depends strongly and systematically on the black hole spin. This relationship arises from the coupling between spin and the structure of the magnetic field in the emission region, and it can be computed analytically in the force-free limit. To explore this connection further, we develop a semi-analytic inflow framework that solves the time stationary axisymmetric equations of GRMHD in the black hole's equatorial plane; this model can interpolate between the force-free and inertial regimes by varying the magnetization of the inflow. Our model demonstrates how finite inertia modifies the structure of the electromagnetic field and can be used to quantitatively predict the observed polarization pattern. By comparing reduced models, GRMHD simulations, and analytic limits, we show that the observed synchrotron polarization can serve as a robust diagnostic of spin under assumptions about Faraday rotation and the emission geometry. Applied to EHT data, the model disfavors high-spin configurations for both M87* and Sgr A*, highlighting the potential of polarimetric imaging as a probe of both black hole spin and near-horizon plasma physics.