The Black Hole Explorer
Motivation and Vision
Michael D. Johnson (Harvard University)
Kazunori Akiyama (Harvard University)
Rebecca Baturin (Harvard University)
Bryan Bilyeu (MIT Lincoln Laboratory)
Lindy Blackburn (Harvard University)
Don Boroson (MIT Lincoln Laboratory)
Alejandro Cárdenas-Avendaño (Princeton University)
Leonid I. Gurvits (TU Delft - Astrodynamics & Space Missions, Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE))
Ben Hudson (KISPE Space Systems Ltd, TU Delft - Astrodynamics & Space Missions)
undefined More Authors (External organisation)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
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.