The magnetic field structure and particle acceleration in protostellar synchrotron jets

• Grant number: 23/03165-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Astrophysics of the Interstellar Medium
• Principal Investigator: Ciriaco Goddi
• Grantee: Elis Cristina Silva Sales
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/01183-8 - Astrophysical jets at the highest-angular resolution with very long baseline interferometry, AP.JP

Abstract

Astrophysical jets are energetic phenomena that are very present in astronomy. Their emission covers different scales, from young stars to supermassive black holes and active cores of galaxies. Jets are believed to play a central role in controlling mass accretion in protostars and black holes, as well as galaxy growth via AGN feedback; despite their importance, their formation mechanism is still largely unknown.This is mainly due to observational limits: jet ejection and collimation occur in the innermost regions close to the central source, and extremely high angular resolution is required to observe them. In this context, radio wave interferometry, and particularly Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) performed at the shortest radio wave lengths (1mm or less), yields the highest angular resolution obtainable on the ground in astronomy today.The proposed project aims to study observationally the jets of AGNs and protostars using the best radio interferometers on Earth. This includes the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which made a historic breakthrough by publishing the first image of a black hole (released in April 2019). Together, the EHT and ALMA are paving the way for a new era of science. In particular, the observing program proposed here will enable a major step towards understanding the processes of mass accretion and mass loss in the formation of high-mass stars, the role of magnetic fields in the ejection of jets, and the regulation in the mass accretion of black holes in AGNs.