Near Infrared Polarimetry: A Tool for Testing Properties of Sagittarius A*

In this thesis I focus on the results of the data modelings and simulations of near-infrared (NIR) observations of the Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) counterpart associated with the super-massive black hole at the Galactic Center (GC). My goal is to investigate and understand the physical processes behind the variability associated with the NIR flaring emission from Sgr A*. The NIR observations have been carried out using the NACO adaptive optics (AO) instrument at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the CIAO NIR camera on the Subaru telescope (13 June 2004, 30 July 2005, 1 June 2006, 15 May 2007, 17 May 2007 and 28 May 2008). I used a model of synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons in the inner parts of an accretion disk. The relativistic simulations have been carried out using the Karas-Yaqoob (KY) ray-tracing code. I also probed the existence of a correlation between the modulations of the observed flux density light curves and changes in polarimetric data. Furthermore, I confirmed that the same correlation is also predicted by the so-called hot spot model. Correlations between intensity and polarimetric parameters of the observed light curves, as well as a comparison of predicted and observed light curve features through a pattern recognition algorithm result in the detection of a signature of orbiting matter under the influence of strong gravity. This pattern is proved to be statistically significant against randomly polarized red noise. The observed correlations between flux modulations and changes in linear polarization degree and angle can be a sign that the NIR flares have properties that are not expected from purely random red-noise. I found that the geometric shape of the emitting region plays a major role in the predictions of the model. From fully relativistic simulations of a spiral shaped emitting region, I concluded that the observed swings in polarization angle during NIR flares support the idea of compact orbiting spots instead of extended patterns. The effects of gravitational shearing, fast synchrotron cooling of the components, and confusion from a variable accretion disk have been taken into account. Furthermore, I discussed the expected results from future observations of VLT interferometry (VLTI) like the GRAVITY experiment. Simulated centroids of NIR images led me to the conclusion that a clear observation of position wander of the center of NIR images with future infrared interferometers will prove the existence of orbiting hot spots in the vicinity of our Galactic super-massive black hole. Finally, I described a novel approach to constrain the physical parameters of the Galactic black hole by using time resolved NIR polarimetric observations. Even though basically the method is developed for Sgr A*, it can be used to test intrinsic properties of several types of compact objects with QPO behavior

Ruppeiner Geometry of RN Black Holes: Flat or Curved?

In some recent studies \cite{aman1, aman2, aman3}, Aman {\it et al.} used the Ruppeiner scalar as a measure of underlying interactions of Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m black holes, indicating that it is a non-interacting statistical system for which classical thermodynamics could be used at any scale. Here, we show that if we use the complete set of thermodynamic variables, a non-flat state space will be produced. Furthermore, the Ruppeiner curvature diverges at extremal limits, as it would for other types of black holes.Comment: 9 page

Coordinated NIR/mm observations of flare emission from Sagittarius A*

We report on a successful, simultaneous observation and modelling of the millimeter (mm) to near-infrared (NIR) flare emission of the Sgr A* counterpart associated with the supermassive black hole at the Galactic centre (GC). We present a mm/sub-mm light curve of Sgr A* with one of the highest quality continuous time coverages and study and model the physical processes giving rise to the variable emission of Sgr A*.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figure

The instrumental polarization of the Nasmyth focus polarimetric differential imager NAOS/CONICA (NACO) at the VLT - Implications for time-resolved polarimetric measurements of Sgr A*

We report on the results of calibrating and simulating the instrumental polarization properties of the ESO VLT adaptive optics camera system NAOS/CONICA (NACO) in the Ks-band. We use the Stokes/Mueller formalism for metallic reflections to describe the instrumental polarization. The model is compared to standard-star observations and time-resolved observations of bright sources in the Galactic center. We find the instrumental polarization to be highly dependent on the pointing position of the telescope and about 4% at maximum. We report a polarization angle offset of 13.28{\deg} due to a position angle offset of the half-wave plate that affects the calibration of NACO data taken before autumn 2009. With the new model of the instrumental polarization of NACO it is possible to measure the polarization with an accuracy of 1% in polarization degree. The uncertainty of the polarization angle is < 5{\deg} for polarization degrees > 4%. For highly sampled polarimetric time series we find that the improved understanding of the polarization properties gives results that are fully consistent with the previously used method to derive the polarization. The small difference between the derived and the previously employed polarization calibration is well within the statistical uncertainties of the measurements, and for Sgr A* they do not affect the results from our relativistic modeling of the accretion process.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures, 5 tables, accepted by A&A on 2010 October 1

On the location of the supermassive black hole in CTA102

Context. Relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei are one of the most powerful phenomena in the Universe. They form in the surroundings of the supermassive black holes as a by-product of accretion onto the central black hole in active galaxies. The flow in the jets propagates at velocities close to the speed of light. The distance between the first part of the jet that is visible in radio images (core) and the black hole is still a matter of debate. Aims. Only very-long-baseline interferometry observations resolve the innermost compact regions of the radio jet. These observations can access the jet base, and by combining data at different wavelenghts, address the physical parameters of the outflow from its emission. Methods. We have performed an accurate analysis of the frequency-dependent shift of the VLBI core location for a multi-wavelength set of images of the blazar CTA 102 including data from 6 cm down to 3 mm. Results. The measure of the position of the central black hole, with mass ~10^8.93M_⊙, in the blazar CTA 102 reveals a distance of ~8 × 10^4 gravitational radii to the 86 GHz core, in agreement with similar measures obtained for other blazars and distant radio galaxies, and in contrast with recent results for the case of nearby radio galaxies, which show distances between the black hole and the radio core that can be two orders of magnitude smaller

Source-intrinsic near-infrared properties of Sgr A*: Total intensity measurements

We present a comprehensive data description for Ks-band measurements of Sgr A*. We characterize the statistical properties of the variability of Sgr A* in the near-infrared, which we find to be consistent with a single-state process forming a power-law distribution of the flux density. We discover a linear rms-flux relation for the flux-density range up to 12 mJy on a timescale of 24 minutes. This and the power-law flux density distribution implies a phenomenological, formally non-linear statistical variability model with which we can simulate the observed variability and extrapolate its behavior to higher flux levels and longer timescales. We present reasons why data with our cadence cannot be used to decide on the question whether the power spectral density of the underlying random process shows more structure at timescales between 25 min and 100 min compared to what is expected from a red noise random process.Comment: Accepted to ApJS, August 27, 201

Evidence for a large-scale helical magnetic field in the quasar 3C 454.3

Most current theoretical models link the launching of relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei to the presence of twisted magnetic fields close to the supermassive black hole. While these models predict a large-scale, ordered, helical magnetic field near the central engine, it is not clear if, and to what extent, this order is preserved further downstream in the jet. Here, we present compelling evidence that suggests that the radio emission from the jet of the quasar 3C 454.3 exhibits multiple signatures of a large-scale, ordered helical magnetic field component at a distance of hundreds of parsecs from the launching point. Our results provide observational support for magnetic jet launching models and indicate that the ordered helical field component may remain stable over a large distance down the jet

An evolving hot spot orbiting around Sgr A*

Here we report on recent near-infrared observations of the Sgr A* counterpart associated with the super-massive ~ 4x10^6 M_sun black hole at the Galactic Center. We find that the May 2007 flare shows the highest sub-flare contrast observed until now, as well as evidence for variations in the profile of consecutive sub-flares. We modeled the flare profile variations according to the elongation and change of the shape of a spot due to differential rotation within the accretion disk.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, contribution for the conference "The Universe under the Microscope" (AHAR 2008), to be published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series by Institute of Physics Publishin