EF030
M81 Jet precession
The supermassive black hole (SMBH) residing in the nearby active galactic nucleus (AGN) M81* exhibits a discernible jet, observable in high-resolution VLBI investigations. Notably, this jet underwent a fascinating sinusoidal shift in its position angle over approximately seven years, spanning from the 1990s to the early 2000s. While subsequent observations were scarce, new observations in 2011 and 2012 reaffirmed the presence of this roughly seven-year cycle. Further observations conducted in 2017, 2018, and 2019 once again validated the recurring seven-year pattern. The accumulating evidence strongly suggests a persistent sinusoidal modulation of M81*'s jet, potentially attributed to the influence of a massive pacemaker situated in proximity to the black hole responsible for launching the jet. This proposal seeks to extend the temporal baseline of M81*'s jet observations, aiming to provide additional confirmation or disprove the existence of such periodic modulation.
Observation pages at the EVN archive:
This data is part of the archive of VLBI data maintained by JIVE on behalf of the EVN, a network of radio telescopes located primarily in Europe and Asia, with additional antennas in South Africa. The EVN archive itself has the DOI https://doi.org/10.17616/R3Z197