arXiv subjects

Yuzhu Cui

Publications and source records attributed to Yuzhu Cui.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dynamics and geometry of the inner sub-parsec-scale jet in 3C 279 observed with the Event Horizon Telescope

The 2021 Event Horizon Telescope observations resolve the innermost jet region of the blazar 3C279 with unprecedented detail. The reconstructed images consistently reveal a compact core elongated nearly orthogonal to the large-scale jet axis. This rarely observed morphology recurs across multiple epochs and from 22-230 GHz and is therefore intrinsic rather than an imaging artifact. Geometric model fitting identifies several components with apparent speeds up to 10c, requiring bulk Lorentz factors greater than 10.3 and constraining viewing angles to extremely small values (smaller than one degree). Rest-frame brightness temperatures are systematically low (between 10^9 and 10^10 K), consistent with optically thin emission at 230 GHz. These results suggest that the jet bends toward the observer on sub-parsec scales, producing strong relativistic beaming. Possible drivers of the observed jet bending and temporal evolution include the jet's interaction with the interstellar medium, kink or Kelvin--Helmholtz instabilities, magnetic reconnection near the horizon, or binary-induced precession. However, the current temporal coverage of VLBI data remains insufficient to distinguish between these mechanisms. Continued multifrequency VLBI monitoring will be essential to constraining the dynamics and geometry of the jet base in 3C279.

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arXiv2026

Broadband multiwavelength properties of the archetypal blazar 3C 279 during the 2017 Event Horizon Telescope campaign

The archetypal blazar 3C 279 hosts a prominent relativistic jet and exhibits strong broadband variability across the electromagnetic spectrum. In April 2017, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observed 3C 279, alongside one of the most extensive quasi-simultaneous multiwavelength (MWL) campaigns ever conducted. With the aim of investigating the physical processes governing 3C 279, we analyzed individual observations and multiband light curves, and constructed a new quasi-simultaneous MWL spectrum. We also performed phenomenological modeling using the turbulent extreme multi-zone (TEMZ) model to constrain the fundamental physical properties of the source. The EHT observations reveal a clear flux increase in the innermost core between April 5 and 11, 2017. Over a broader timescale, radio measurements at longer wavelengths show concurrent enhancements in core flux and polarization around mid-April, coinciding with the ejection of a superluminal knot. Record UV-optical flares with strong polarization variability occurred in late March, followed by gamma-ray activity that declined before the end of the EHT observing period. During this interval, the source remained in a low X-ray state and showed no detectable VHE emission. The TEMZ modeling suggests that the broadband spectrum and variability of 3C 279 can be explained within a jet scenario in which turbulent plasma cells are compressed by a stationary conical shock. However, alternative interpretations, such as magnetic reconnection or a moving shock-in-jet event, remain plausible. This coordinated MWL campaign advances our understanding of the origin of jet and gamma-ray emission in 3C 279, while also providing a comprehensive publicly available dataset that will serve as a valuable reference for future studies.

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arXiv2026

Ionization Structure and Metal Enrichment of the Galactic Center Minispiral Observed with JWST

Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is the nearest quiescent supermassive black hole, and its proximity offers a unique opportunity to study its surrounding fuel supply. We leverage extensive spatial and spectroscopic information provided by the JWST/MIRI MRS instrument to disentangle mid-infrared ionized gas structures in the central 0.1 parsec of the Galaxy. The Galactic Minispiral's Bar and Northern Arm are revealed by their distinct morphological and kinematic signatures. Several compact (<1 arcsec) gas structures including X7 also appear within ~0.05 parsec of Sgr A* in the plane of the sky, moving with blue-shifted radial velocities >~600 km/s. Fine-structure-line measurements spanning ionization potentials ~7-55 eV are used to constrain the incident radiation field, metal abundances (neon, argon, sulfur, nickel, and iron), and dust depletion/destruction for each identified gas structure. Overall, the Minispiral gas shows mildly super-solar abundances (~1.8*solar), a Wolf--Rayet star-driven radiation field consistent with ionization parameters spanning -1.6<~log U<~-0.6, and significant nickel and iron dust destruction. In particular, the enhanced ionization state and strong dust processing in the high-velocity compact gas structures suggest that these features may experience localized fast shocks.

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arXiv2026

Full-polarization millimeter wavelength variability of Sagittarius A* during the 2018 EHT campaign

Sagittarius A* (Srg A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, provides a unique laboratory to study accretion dynamics and plasma processes near the event horizon. We investigated the variability and polarization properties of Srg A* using ALMA observations during the 2018 Event Horizon Telescope campaign. We analyzed high-cadence full-polarization light curves from ALMA at millimeter wavelengths, performed time-series analysis, and investigated the temporal behavior during an X-ray flare observed by Chandra on 2018 April 24. The variability characteristics are compared with expectations from standard accretion flow models. We find low variability in total intensity ($\sigma/\mu < 10\%$), but significantly higher variability in linear and circular polarization (~ 30% and ~ 50%, respectively). A time-series analysis reveals red-noise variability, with power spectral densities between -2 and -3 across all Stokes parameters. Polarized intensity shows stable intra-day timescales, while total intensity exhibits more variable timescales, suggesting distinct emission regions, with polarization likely arising from a coherent structure. On April 24, a statistically significant inter-band delay in polarized intensity coincides with a near-simultaneous X-ray and millimeter peak that deviates from the typical delayed flare scenario. This event also features enhanced millimeter variability and coherent polarization loop evolution. The observed simultaneity challenges standard models of transient synchrotron emission with cooling delays, favoring instead a scenario of continuous energy injection in an optically thin region. Our results offer new constraints on the physical mechanisms driving variability in Srg A*, and provide key observational input for refining theoretical models of accretion and plasma behavior in the vicinity of supermassive black holes.

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arXiv2026

Transverse Oscillations and Wave Propagation in the Magnetically Dominated M87 Jet

We present an in-depth analysis of transverse oscillations in the M87 jet, as identified in our previous study (Ro et al. 2023a), which reported oscillatory patterns with a characteristic period of $\sim$1 year in the edge-brightened jet structure extending up to 12\,mas from the core. This work is based on high-cadence KaVA 22\,GHz observations conducted from December 2013 to June 2016. By analyzing the transverse velocity profiles and the spatial evolution of the oscillations, we find that the oscillations propagate downstream along the jet, with a wavelength of $\sim9-10$\,mas. A single-mode sinusoidal wave model applied to the ridge lines successfully reproduces the observed transverse oscillations and yields superluminal wave speeds of $\sim2.7-2.9\,c$, consistent with the bulk jet velocity in this region. These findings suggest that the transverse oscillations may be interpreted either as transverse MHD waves -- possibly excited by jet precession, nutation, or quasi-periodic magnetic flux eruptions near the central engine -- or as manifestations of jet instabilities, such as current-driven instabilities (CDIs). Further investigation is required to distinguish between these scenarios and to clarify the dominant physical mechanism.

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arXiv2026

Locating the missing large-scale emission in the jet of M87* with short EHT baselines

In Very-Long Baseline Interferometric arrays, nearly co-located stations probe the largest scales and typically cannot resolve the observed source. In the absence of large-scale structure, closure phases constructed with these stations are zero and, since they are independent of station-based errors, they can be used to probe data issues. Here, we show with an expansion about co-located stations, how these trivial closure phases become non-zero with brightness distribution on smaller scales than their short baseline would suggest. When applied to sources that are made up of a bright compact and large-scale diffuse component, the trivial closure phases directly measure the centroid relative to the compact source and higher-order image moments. We present a technique to measure these image moments with minimal model assumptions and validate it on synthetic Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) data. We then apply this technique to 2017 and 2018 EHT observations of M87* and find a weak preference for extended emission in the direction of the large-scale jet. We also apply it to 2021 EHT data and measure the source centroid about 1 mas northwest of the compact ring, consistent with the jet observed at lower frequencies.

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arXiv2026

Ring Asymmetry and Spin in M87*

Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) images of the supermassive black hole M87* depict an asymmetric ring of emission. General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) models of M87* and its accretion disk predict that the amplitude and location of the ring's peak brightness asymmetry should fluctuate due to turbulence in the source plasma. We compare the observed distribution of brightness asymmetry amplitudes to the simulated distribution in GRMHD models, across varying black hole spin $a_{*}$. We show that, for strongly magnetized (MAD) models, three epochs of EHT data marginally disfavor $|a_{*}| \lesssim 0.2$. This is consistent with the Blandford-Znajek model for M87's jet, which predicts that M87* should have nonzero spin. We show quantitatively how future observations could improve spin constraints, and discuss how improved spin constraints could distinguish between differing jet-launching mechanisms and black hole growth scenarios.

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arXiv2025

Probing jet base emission of M87* with the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope observations

We investigate the presence and spatial characteristics of the jet base emission in M87* at 230 GHz, enabled by the enhanced uv coverage in the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations. The addition of the 12-m Kitt Peak Telescope and NOEMA provides two key intermediate-length baselines to SMT and the IRAM 30-m, giving sensitivity to emission structures at scales of $\sim250~\mu$as and $\sim2500~\mu$as (0.02 pc and 0.2 pc). Without these baselines, earlier EHT observations lacked the capability to constrain emission on large scales, where a "missing flux" of order $\sim1$ Jy is expected. To probe these scales, we analyzed closure phases, robust against station-based gain errors, and modeled the jet base emission using a simple Gaussian offset from the compact ring emission at separations $>100~\mu$as. Our analysis reveals a Gaussian feature centered at ($\Delta$RA $\approx320~\mu$as, $\Delta$Dec $\approx60~\mu$as), a projected separation of $\approx5500$ AU, with a flux density of only $\sim60$ mJy, implying that most of the missing flux in previous studies must arise from larger scales. Brighter emission at these scales is ruled out, and the data do not favor more complex models. This component aligns with the inferred direction of the large-scale jet and is consistent with emission from the jet base. While our findings indicate detectable jet base emission at 230 GHz, coverage from only two intermediate baselines limits reconstruction of its morphology. We therefore treat the recovered Gaussian as an upper limit on the jet base flux density. Future EHT observations with expanded intermediate-baseline coverage will be essential to constrain the structure and nature of this component.

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arXiv2025

Jet Collimation Profile of Low-Luminosity AGN M84: Insight into the Jet Formation in the Low Accretion Regime

Recent advancements in high-resolution Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) have significantly improved our understanding of jet collimation near supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), particularly in high-power systems. However, the collimation properties of jets in low-luminosity AGNs (LLAGNs) remain poorly explored. In this study, we investigate the jet structure of M84, a nearby radio galaxy and a representative LLAGN, to probe jet collimation properties in a low-accretion regime. Utilizing astrometric phase-referencing observations from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), supplemented by archival Very Large Array (VLA) data, we trace the jet geometry of M84 over a broad range of scales, from approximately 10^2 to 10^7 Schwarzschild radii (rs). Our analysis reveals a well-defined transition from a semi-parabolic profile, W(r) proportional to r^0.71, to a conical shape, W(r) proportional to r^1.16, occurring at approximately 1.67 x 10^4 rs. This indicates that the M84 jet is notably less collimated than those in other known LLAGN sources. Our findings provide new insights into the relationship between jet collimation and accretion rate, offering crucial constraints for jet formation models in LLAGNs.

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arXiv2025

Constraining the Mass of a Hypothetical Secondary Black Hole in M87 with the NANOGrav 15-Year Data Set

Galaxy mergers, each hosting a supermassive black hole (SMBH), are thought to form SMBH binaries. Motivated by recent observations from the East Asian VLBI Network (EAVN) showing periodic behavior in the M87 jet, a precession of about 11 years and a transverse oscillation of about 0.9 years, we constrain the mass of a hypothetical secondary black hole orbiting the primary SMBH in M87. To constrain the mass ratio between the primary SMBH ($M_{1}$) and the secondary black hole ($M_{2}$) defined as $q \equiv M_{2}/M_{1} \leq 1$, and the length of the semimajor axis of the binary system ($a$), we impose the following three constraints: (i) the lower limit of $a$, below which the SMBH binary is expected to merge. (ii) the strain amplitude of the gravitational wave background (GWB) at nanohertz frequencies shown in the NANOGrav 15-year dataset. (iii) a finite length of the semimajor axis of $M_{1}$, that can induce periodic behavior in the jet. By combining these constraints, we obtain the allowed parameter space for $q$ and $a$. If either of the EAVN-detected periods ($T$) corresponds to the binary's orbital period, the allowed range of $q$ is $6.9 \times 10^{-3} \le q \le 4.2 \times 10^{-2}$ for $T \approx 11$ years, and $3.7\times 10^{-2} \le q \le 1$ for $T \approx 0.9$ years. VLBI astrometric monitoring of the jet base of M87 is essential to explore the allowed parameter space for $q$ and $a$.

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arXiv2025

Origin of the ring ellipticity in the black hole images of M87*

We investigate the origin of the elliptical ring structure observed in the images of the supermassive black hole M87*, aiming to disentangle contributions from gravitational, astrophysical, and imaging effects. Leveraging the enhanced capabilities of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) 2018 array, including improved $(u,v)$-coverage from the Greenland Telescope, we measure the ring's ellipticity using five independent imaging methods, obtaining a consistent average value of $\tau = 0.08_{-0.02}^{+0.03}$ with a position angle $\xi = 50.1_{-7.6}^{+6.2}$ degrees. To interpret this measurement, we compare against General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations spanning a wide range of physical parameters including thermal or non-thermal electron distribution function, spins, and ion-to-electron temperature ratios in both low and high-density regions. We find no statistically significant correlation between spin and ellipticity in GRMHD images. Instead, we identify a correlation between ellipticity and the fraction of non-ring emission, particularly in non-thermal models and models with higher jet emission. These results indicate that the ellipticity measured from the \m87 emission structure is consistent with that expected from simulations of turbulent accretion flows around black holes, where it is dominated by astrophysical effects rather than gravitational ones. Future high-resolution imaging, including space very long baseline interferometry and long-term monitoring, will be essential to isolate gravitational signatures from astrophysical effects.

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arXiv2025

The putative center in NGC 1052

Many active galaxies harbor powerful relativistic jets, however, the detailed mechanisms of their formation and acceleration remain poorly understood. To investigate the area of jet acceleration and collimation with the highest available angular resolution, we study the innermost region of the bipolar jet in the nearby low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) galaxy NGC 1052. We combined observations of NGC 1052 taken with VLBA, GMVA, and EHT over one week in the spring of 2017. For the first time, NGC 1052 was detected with the EHT, providing a size of the central region in-between both jet bases of 250 RS (Schwarzschild radii) perpendicular to the jet axes. This size estimate supports previous studies of the jets expansion profile which suggest two breaks of the profile at around 300 RS and 10000 RS distances to the core. Furthermore, we estimated the magnetic field to be 1.25 Gauss at a distance of 22 {\mu}as from the central engine by fitting a synchrotron-self absorption spectrum to the innermost emission feature, which shows a spectral turn-over at about 130 GHz. Assuming a purely poloidal magnetic field, this implies an upper limit on the magnetic field strength at the event horizon of 26000 Gauss, which is consistent with previous measurements. The complex, low-brightness, double-sided jet structure in NGC 1052 makes it a challenge to detect the source at millimeter (mm) wavelengths. However, our first EHT observations have demonstrated that detection is possible up to at least 230 GHz. This study offers a glimpse through the dense surrounding torus and into the innermost central region, where the jets are formed. This has enabled us to finally resolve this region and provide improved constraints on its expansion and magnetic field strength.

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arXiv2025

A multi-frequency study of sub-parsec jets with the Event Horizon Telescope

The 2017 observing campaign of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) delivered the first very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) images at the observing frequency of 230 GHz, leading to a number of unique studies on black holes and relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei (AGN). In total, eighteen sources were observed: the main science targets, Sgr A* and M87 along with various calibrators. We investigated the morphology of the sixteen AGN in the EHT 2017 data set, focusing on the properties of the VLBI cores: size, flux density, and brightness temperature. We studied their dependence on the observing frequency in order to compare it with the Blandford-K\"onigl (BK) jet model. We modeled the source structure of seven AGN in the EHT 2017 data set using linearly polarized circular Gaussian components and collected results for the other nine AGN from dedicated EHT publications, complemented by lower frequency data in the 2-86 GHz range. Then, we studied the dependences of the VLBI core flux density, size, and brightness temperature on the frequency measured in the AGN host frame. We compared the observations with the BK jet model and estimated the magnetic field strength dependence on the distance from the central black hole. Our results indicate a deviation from the standard BK model, particularly in the decrease of the brightness temperature with the observing frequency. Either bulk acceleration of the jet material, energy transfer from the magnetic field to the particles, or both are required to explain the observations.

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arXiv2024

Co-precession of a curved jet and compact accretion disk in M87

Observational constraints on the configuration of the black hole (BH)-accretion disk-jet system are crucial to understanding BH spin, accretion disk physics, and jet formation. The recently reported variation in the M87 jet position angle (PA) provides a novel avenue to explore these long-standing issues. The observed $\sim$ 11-year periodicity, spanning over two cycles, is consistent with the Lense-Thirring (LT) precession of a compact, tilted accretion disk. However, how such a compact region decouples from the larger-scale accretion flow remains an open question in current numerical simulations. The jet precession challenges the traditional view of a strictly collimated jet, revealing a subtle curvature in the jet's inner regions that dynamically links the jet to the spinning BH and successfully accounts for its unexpectedly wide inner projected profile. While continued long-term observations are needed to distinguish coherent precession from stochastic fluctuations in the disk or jet orientation, these results open a new window for probing BH systems through coordinated multi-scale observations and follow-on theoretical models.

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arXiv2024

First Very Long Baseline Interferometry Detections at 870{\mu}m

The first very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) detections at 870$\mu$m wavelength (345$\,$GHz frequency) are reported, achieving the highest diffraction-limited angular resolution yet obtained from the surface of the Earth, and the highest-frequency example of the VLBI technique to date. These include strong detections for multiple sources observed on inter-continental baselines between telescopes in Chile, Hawaii, and Spain, obtained during observations in October 2018. The longest-baseline detections approach 11$\,$G$\lambda$ corresponding to an angular resolution, or fringe spacing, of 19$\mu$as. The Allan deviation of the visibility phase at 870$\mu$m is comparable to that at 1.3$\,$mm on the relevant integration time scales between 2 and 100$\,$s. The detections confirm that the sensitivity and signal chain stability of stations in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) array are suitable for VLBI observations at 870$\mu$m. Operation at this short wavelength, combined with anticipated enhancements of the EHT, will lead to a unique high angular resolution instrument for black hole studies, capable of resolving the event horizons of supermassive black holes in both space and time.

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arXiv2024

Mapping the distribution of the magnetic field strength along the NGC 315 jet

We study magnetic field strengths along the jet in NGC~315. First, we estimated the angular velocity of rotation in the jet magnetosphere by comparing the measured velocity profile of NGC~315 with the magneto-hydrodynamic jet model of proposed by Tomimatsu and Takahashi. Similar to the case of M87, we find that the model can reproduce the logarithmic feature of the velocity profile and suggest a slowly rotating black hole magnetosphere for NGC~315. By substituting the estimated $Ω_{F}$ into the jet power predicted by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism, we estimate the magnetic field strength near the event horizon of the central black hole as $5\times 10^{3}~{\rm G}\lesssim B_{H}\lesssim 2\times 10^{4}~{\rm G}$. We then estimate magnetic-field strengths along the jet by comparing the spectral index distribution obtained from VLBI observations with a synchrotron-emitting jet model. Then we constrain the magnetic field strength at a de-projected distance $z$ from the black hole to be in the range $0.06~{\rm G}\lesssim B(z)\lesssim 0.9~{\rm G}$ for $5.2 \times 10^{3}~r_{g}\lesssim z \lesssim 4.9 \times 10^{4}~r_{g}$, where $r_{g}$ represents the gravitational radius. By combining the obtained field strengths at the event horizon and the downstream section of the jet, we find that the accretion flow at the jet base is consistent with a magnetically arrested disk (MAD). We discuss a comparison of the jet power and the magnetic flux anchored to the event horizon in NGC~315 and M87.

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arXiv2023

Precessing jet nozzle connecting to a spinning black hole in M87

The nearby radio galaxy M87 offers a unique opportunity to explore the connections between the central supermassive black hole and relativistic jets. Previous studies of the inner region of M87 revealed a wide opening angle for the jet originating near the black hole. The Event Horizon Telescope resolved the central radio source and found an asymmetric ring structure consistent with expectations from General Relativity. With a baseline of 17 years of observations, there was a shift in the jet's transverse position, possibly arising from an eight to ten-year quasi-periodicity. However, the origin of this sideways shift remains unclear. Here we report an analysis of radio observations over 22 years that suggests a period of about 11 years in the position angle variation of the jet. We infer that we are seeing a spinning black hole that induces the Lense-Thirring precession of a misaligned accretion disk. Similar jet precession may commonly occur in other active galactic nuclei but has been challenging to detect owing to the small magnitude and long period of the variation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

A search for pulsars around Sgr A* in the first Event Horizon Telescope dataset

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observed in 2017 the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), at a frequency of 228.1 GHz ($λ$=1.3 mm). The fundamental physics tests that even a single pulsar orbiting Sgr A* would enable motivate searching for pulsars in EHT datasets. The high observing frequency means that pulsars - which typically exhibit steep emission spectra - are expected to be very faint. However, it also negates pulse scattering, an effect that could hinder pulsar detections in the Galactic Center. Additionally, magnetars or a secondary inverse Compton emission could be stronger at millimeter wavelengths than at lower frequencies. We present a search for pulsars close to Sgr A* using the data from the three most-sensitive stations in the EHT 2017 campaign: the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, the Large Millimeter Telescope and the IRAM 30 m Telescope. We apply three detection methods based on Fourier-domain analysis, the Fast-Folding-Algorithm and single pulse search targeting both pulsars and burst-like transient emission; using the simultaneity of the observations to confirm potential candidates. No new pulsars or significant bursts were found. Being the first pulsar search ever carried out at such high radio frequencies, we detail our analysis methods and give a detailed estimation of the sensitivity of the search. We conclude that the EHT 2017 observations are only sensitive to a small fraction ($\lesssim$2.2%) of the pulsars that may exist close to Sgr A*, motivating further searches for fainter pulsars in the region.

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