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arXiv 0810.4947astro-ph
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根据当前VLT和未来VLTI观测检验Sgr A* 的NIR耀斑性质的前景

Prospects for testing the nature of Sgr A*'s NIR flares on the basis of current VLT- and future VLTI-observations

N. Hamaus, T. Paumard, T. Müller, S. Gillessen, F. Eisenhauer, S. Trippe, R. Genzel

摘要:

人马座A* 是银河系中心的超大质量致密天体,在近红外和X射线领域表现出爆发。这些耀斑很可能是由于非常接近中心物体的高能事件,在几个史瓦西半径的尺度上。光学干涉测量法很快就能提供这种精度(~10 μ as)的天体测量。在这篇文章中,我们使用最近的光度近红外观测数据与自适应光学系统NACO在甚大望远镜与模拟相结合,以部署一种方法来测试耀斑的性质,并预测可能的观测结果与甚大望远镜干涉仪。为了实现这一点,我们实现了一个热点模型,并调查其外观为远程观察者的光变曲线和质心轨迹,基于广义相对论光线跟踪方法。首先,我们使用一个简化的模型,一个小的稳定源,以调查定性的相对论效应。一个更现实的情况下,正在开发通过拟合我们的模型,以现有的耀斑数据。虽然黑洞的自旋和由于透镜效应而产生的多重图像在光变曲线中是边缘性的,但天体测量提供了揭示这些高阶广义相对论效应的可能性。这项研究对这些天体测量进行了预测,并使我们得出结论,未来的红外干涉仪将能够探测到人马座A* 附近热点的自行。

英文摘要:

Sagittarius A*, the supermassive compact object at the center of the Galaxy, exhibits outbursts in the near infrared and X-ray domains. These flares are likely due to energetic events very close to the central object, on a scale of a few Schwarzschild radii. Optical interferometry will soon be able to provide astrometry with an accuracy of this order (~10 muas). In this article we use recent photometric near infrared data observed with the adaptive optics system NACO at the Very Large Telescope combined with simulations in order to deploy a method to test the nature of the flares and to predict the possible outcome of observations with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. To accomplish this we implement a hot spot model and investigate its appearance for a remote observer in terms of light curves and centroid tracks, based on general relativistic ray tracing methods. First, we use a simplified model of a small steady source in order to investigate the relativistic effects qualitatively. A more realistic scenario is then being developed by fitting our model to existing flare data. While indications for the spin of the black hole and multiple images due to lensing effects are marginal in the light curves, astrometric measurements offer the possibility to reveal these high-order general relativistic effects. This study makes predictions on these astrometric measurements and leads us to the conclusion that future infrared interferometers will be able to detect proper motion of hot spots in the vicinity of Sagittarius A*.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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