高能天体物理研究组知识库

We use a sample of radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) with measured black hole masses to explore the jet formation mechanisms in these sources. We find a significant correlation between black hole mass and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components for this sample, while no significant correlation is present between the bulk Lorentz factor and the Eddington ratio. Recent investigations suggested that the most super-massive black holes in elliptical galaxies have on average higher spins than the black holes in spiral galaxies. The correlation between black hole mass and bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components found in this work implies that the motion velocity of the jet components is probably governed by the black hole spin. The faster moving jets are magnetically accelerated by the magnetic fields threading the horizon of more rapidly rotating black holes.