#NASA IXPE #Black Holes #Lynnie Saade #Huntsville

New Discoveries from IXPE Data Illuminate Black Hole Coronas

Recent research led by Lynnie Saade, a postdoctoral researcher at the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), has unveiled significant insights regarding the structure of black hole coronas through data acquired from NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission. This landmark study aims to deepen our understanding of black holes, one of the universe’s most enigmatic phenomena, and was published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The Role of Coronals in the Life of Black Holes

Surrounding many black holes are intricate structures known as accretion disks, which are turbulent whirlpools composed of gas and cosmic debris. Additionally, these black holes are enveloped by coronas—regions of extremely hot plasma responsible for the majority of X-ray emissions emitted by black holes. Until now, our knowledge about these coronas has largely been theoretical, but the IXPE data provides a rare glimpse into their actual shapes and dynamics.

Lynnie Saade and her team have conducted this research at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, located in Huntsville, Alabama, and have provided key findings that challenge previous suppositions regarding the morphology of black hole coronas.