Spatially resolved spectral properties of M87* on event horizon scales

Abstract

The supermassive black hole at the center of the nearby radio galaxy M87 (M87*) is a prime target for studying black hole physics. Spatially resolved spectral measurements on event-horizon scales can reveal the origin of the emission and probe the plasma and gravitational environment in the immediate vicinity of the black hole. Here, we present an analysis of spectral properties based on nearly simultaneous high-resolution images at 3.5 mm (86 GHz) and 1.3 mm (230 GHz), obtained in 2018 with the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA) including ALMA and the Greenland Telescope, and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). We obtain the first spatially resolved spectral-index map ($S_{\nu }\propto {\nu }^{\alpha }$) within the compact region ($\le 100\mu$as). We further detect a robust radial gradient with a modest rise in the inner $\lesssim 20\mu$as (slightly inside the 1.3 mm ring), followed by a systematic decline at larger radii. The spectral index transitions from positive to negative values near $\sim 30\mu$as, close to the 3.5 mm ring radius, consistent with frequency-dependent synchrotron opacity in the innermost accretion flow. These results provide new observational constraints that can help discriminate between models of the horizon-scale emission and the launching of relativistic jets in M87*.

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