Joint observations by NuSTAR and NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission last week offer a unique window into the structure of material around the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy Fairall 51.  The material near the black hole in this active galactic nucleus (AGN) is thought to be oriented at a peculiar angle that reveals both the black hole’s accretion disk and surrounding circum-polar dust. By combining the unique capabilities of NuSTAR and IXPE, a detailed investigation is being made of the radiation from the hot “corona” near the black hole’s accretion disk as well as X-ray photons reflected by the dust structure beyond the disk. These data will constrain how the corona is oriented relative to the putative “torus” of material around the black hole and the perpendicular polar-scattering region identified by ground-based observatories. Ultimately, this coordinated effort will reveal how the small-scale central engine is physically linked to the vast dust structures around it, providing a full picture of the environment near the accreting supermassive black hole.

Author: Chien-Ting Chen, USRA scientist & IXPE science operations at NASA/MSFC