Work

Image plane models for AGN jets at horizon scale

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT When observed at the highest angular resolution, the central regions of jets driven by active galactic nuclei often exhibit a parabolic geometry and pronounced limb-brightening. In this paper, we present a new parametric model that reproduces these features and integrate it with the previously developed ‘m-ring’ model, which describes the accretion flow on to a supermassive black hole at event-horizon scales. The resulting combined jet–ring model successfully captures the key structures seen in Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of prototypical sources such as M 87 and Centaurus A. This model is particularly well-suited to support existing ground interferometers such as the Global-Millimeter VLBI Array and the Event Horizon Telescope and proposed ground- and space-based VLBI experiments, including the Next-Generation Event Horizon Telescope, the Black Hole Explorer and the Next-Generation Very Large Array, which aim to probe jet launching and collimation by imaging nearby supermassive black holes at event-horizon scales with microarcseconds resolution.

Source: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stag566

Authors: Brissa Gómez-Miller, Charles Gammie, Laurent Loinard

Institutions: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,046

Funders: National Science Foundation, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México