Radio Imaging of the Very-High-Energy γ-Ray Emission Region in the Central Engine of a Radio Galaxy

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Abstract
Black Hole Energy Boost: More than 20 galaxies are known to emit photons with energies a trillion times higher than those of visible light, but it is not known where this emission originates. These galaxies are part of a class of active galactic nuclei believed to harbor supermassive black holes in their centers from which relativistic plasma jets emerge, reaching out many thousands of light years into the intergalactic medium. Acciari et al. (p. 444 , published online 2 July; see the Perspective by Begelman ) present simultaneous radio and very-high-energy γ-ray observations of the nearby active galaxy Messier 87, revealing very-high-energy flaring activity accompanied by a radio flare originating from the core of the galaxy. The findings imply that the highest energy emission from active galaxies has its origin in the immediate vicinity of the black hole.
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