The Black Hole Explorer: Motivation and Vision

Michael D. Johnson, Kazunori Akiyama, Rebecca Baturin, Bryan Bilyeu, Lindy Blackburn, Don Boroson, Alejandro Cárdenas-Avendaño, Andrew Chael, Chi Kwan Chan, Dominic Chang, Peter Cheimets, Cathy Chou, Sheperd S. Doeleman, Joseph Farah, Peter Galison, Ronald Gamble, Charles F. Gammie, Zachary Gelles, José L. Gómez, Samuel E. GrallaPaul Grimes, Leonid I. Gurvits, Shahar Hadar, Kari Haworth, Kazuhiro Hada, Michael H. Hecht, Mareki Honma, Janice Houston, Ben Hudson, Sara Issaoun, He Jia, Svetlana Jorstad, Jens Kauffmann, Yuri Y. Kovalev, Peter Kurczynski, Robert Lafon, Alexandru Lupsasca, Robert Lehmensiek, Chung Pei Ma, Daniel P. Marrone, Alan P. Marscher, Gary J. Melnick, Ramesh Narayan, Kotaro Niinuma, Scott C. Noble, Eric J. Palmer, Daniel C.M. Palumbo, Lenny Paritsky, Eliad Peretz, Dominic Pesce, Alexander Plavin, Eliot Quataert, Hannah Rana, Angelo Ricarte, Freek Roelofs, Katia Shtyrkova, Laura C. Sinclair, Jeffrey Small, Sridharan Tirupati Kumara, Ranjani Srinivasan, Andrew Strominger, Paul Tiede, Edward Tong, Jade Wang, Jonathan Weintroub, Maciek Wielgus, George Wong

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

We present the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX), a mission that will produce the sharpest images in the history of astronomy by extending submillimeter Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) to space. BHEX will discover and measure the bright and narrow “photon ring” that is predicted to exist in images of black holes, produced from light that has orbited the black hole before escaping. This discovery will expose universal features of a black hole’s spacetime that are distinct from the complex astrophysics of the emitting plasma, allowing the first direct measurements of a supermassive black hole’s spin. In addition to studying the properties of the nearby supermassive black holes M87 and Sgr A, BHEX will measure the properties of dozens of additional supermassive black holes, providing crucial insights into the processes that drive their creation and growth. BHEX will also connect these supermassive black holes to their relativistic jets, elucidating the power source for the brightest and most efficient engines in the universe. BHEX will address fundamental open questions in the physics and astrophysics of black holes that cannot be answered without submillimeter space VLBI. The mission is enabled by recent technological breakthroughs, including the development of ultra-high-speed downlink using laser communications, and it leverages billions of dollars of existing ground infrastructure. We present the motivation for BHEX, its science goals and associated requirements, and the pathway to launch within the next decade.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024
Subtitle of host publicationOptical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave
EditorsLaura E. Coyle, Shuji Matsuura, Marshall D. Perrin
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Electronic)9781510675070
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
EventSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave - Yokohama, Japan
Duration: Jun 16 2024Jun 22 2024

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume13092
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Conference

ConferenceSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityYokohama
Period6/16/246/22/24

Keywords

  • AGN
  • Black Holes
  • EHT
  • Jet Launching
  • Photon Ring
  • VLBI

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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