利用黑洞探测器（BHEX）成像近邻超大质量黑洞
Resolving Nearby Supermassive Black Holes with the Black Hole Explorer
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中文总结 AI 辅助
本文提出黑洞探测器（BHEX）空间VLBI任务，通过模拟观测评估其可分辨近邻超大质量黑洞，发现其能推断质量、约束磁场、分辨阴影，可助力研究SMBH属性分布。
中文摘要 AI 辅助
近期事件视界望远镜（Event Horizon Telescope）的成果，通过对超大质量黑洞（SMBH）的视界尺度成像，在引力物理学和黑洞天体物理学领域取得了独特且具有变革性的科学成果。然而，当前地基甚长基线干涉测量（VLBI）阵列的角分辨率，使得这类研究仅能覆盖两个源，无法对近邻SMBH群体开展系统性的视界尺度辐射研究。本文提出的黑洞探测器（Black Hole Explorer, BHEX）是一项毫米/亚毫米空间VLBI任务，将通过提供大幅更高的角分辨率克服这一局限。我们开展了一系列模拟观测，评估BHEX可观测的近邻视界尺度目标群体。基于最新的SMBH数密度模型，我们发现BHEX可通过尺寸测量推断约70-90个黑洞的质量，通过线偏振成像约束约20-30个黑洞的磁场结构，还可分辨约20-25个黑洞的阴影。对约50个近邻SMBH的定向观测，预计将获得约30个源尺寸、约10个阴影及线偏振模式的测量结果。这些预测得到了11个近邻SMBH的广义相对论磁流体动力学（GRMHD）模型详细成像模拟的支持。总体而言，我们的结果表明，BHEX是揭示不同吸积状态、射电噪度、宿主星系环境及观测视角下SMBH属性分布的强大设施。
英文摘要
Recent Event Horizon Telescope results have demonstrated unique and transformative science in gravitational physics and black hole astrophysics enabled by event-horizon-scale imaging of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Nevertheless, the angular resolution of current ground-based very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) arrays limits such studies to only two sources, precluding systematic investigations of horizon-scale emission across a nearby SMBH population. The proposed Black Hole Explorer (BHEX), a millimeter/submillimeter space VLBI mission, would overcome this limitation by delivering substantially higher angular resolution. Here, we present a series of simulated observations to assess a population of nearby horizon-scale targets accessible with BHEX. Based on a recently developed SMBH number density model, we find that BHEX could infer black hole masses for ~70-90 sources from size measurements, constrain magnetic field structures through linear polarization imaging for ~20-30 sources, and resolve black hole shadows for ~20-25 sources. Targeted observations of ~50 nearby SMBHs are expected to yield measurements for ~30 source sizes and ~10 shadows and linear-polarization patterns. These projections are supported by detailed imaging simulations of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) models for eleven nearby SMBHs. Together, our results highlight BHEX as a powerful facility for revealing the demographics of SMBH properties across diverse accretion states, radio loudness, host galaxy environments, and viewing geometries.
