Disk Truncation Triggers Relativistic Jet Launching of a Highly Accreting Supermassive Black Hole
13 affiliations
- 1Tohoku University
- 2Nagoya City University
- 3National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
- 4University of Miyazaki
- 5The University of Osaka
- 6Shibaura Institute of Technology
- 7Ichinoseki College
- 8Yonsei University
- 9Kyungpook National University
- 10Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
- 11National Taiwan University
- 12Hiroshima University
- 13Kyoto University
Abstract
Relativistic jets are among the most energetic phenomena in the Universe and influence galaxy evolution through energetic feedback, yet the physical connection between accretion flows and jet launching remains unresolved. Jet production is widely attributed to the Blandford–Znajek mechanism, which extracts black hole rotational energy via large-scale magnetic fields sustained by an accretion flow. Although this mechanism is observationally well supported for hot, geometrically thick accretion flows, highly accreting environments with strong jets present a paradox, as they are typically dominated by cold, geometrically thin disks incapable of sustaining large-scale magnetic fields. Here, we report coordinated X-ray microcalorimeter spectroscopy achieved by X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and millimeter–radio interferometric observations by Global Millimeter Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Array (GMVA), Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), and East Asian VLBI Network (EAVN) of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 120. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy reveals a relativistically broadened Fe K α line, indicating that the cold, geometrically thin disk is truncated at ∼20 R g ( R g is the gravitational radius), with the inner region replaced by a hot, geometrically thick flow. Concurrently, radio imaging indicates that jet profile extrapolation toward the black hole horizon yields a radius comparable to or even narrower than the disk truncation radius. These results demonstrate that, even at high accretion rates, jet launching is linked to a hot inner flow, possibly via the Blandford–Znajek process, providing evidence for a universal disk–jet connection via geometric transition.
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BibTeX
@article{noda2026disk,
title = {{Disk Truncation Triggers Relativistic Jet Launching of a Highly Accreting Supermassive Black Hole}},
author = {Hirofumi Noda and Kazuhiro Hada and Hiroto Maruyama and Taishu Kayanoki and Kenji Toma and Taiki Kawamuro and Yoshiyuki Inoue and Tomohisa Kawashima and Soyeon Yeo and Ilje Cho and Keiichi Asada and Yasushi Fukazawa and Yoshihiro Ueda},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa2c},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa2c},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Disk Truncation Triggers Relativistic Jet Launching of a Highly Accreting Supermassive Black Hole
AU - Hirofumi Noda
AU - Kazuhiro Hada
AU - Hiroto Maruyama
AU - Taishu Kayanoki
AU - Kenji Toma
AU - Taiki Kawamuro
AU - Yoshiyuki Inoue
AU - Tomohisa Kawashima
AU - Soyeon Yeo
AU - Ilje Cho
AU - Keiichi Asada
AU - Yasushi Fukazawa
AU - Yoshihiro Ueda
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa2c
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa2c
AB - Relativistic jets are among the most energetic phenomena in the Universe and influence galaxy evolution through energetic feedback, yet the physical connection between accretion flows and jet launching remains unresolved. Jet production is widely attributed to the Blandford–Znajek mechanism, which extracts black hole rotational energy via large-scale magnetic fields sustained by an accretion flow. Although this mechanism is observationally well supported for hot, geometrically thick accretion flows, highly accreting environments with strong jets present a paradox, as they are typically dominated by cold, geometrically thin disks incapable of sustaining large-scale magnetic fields. Here, we report coordinated X-ray microcalorimeter spectroscopy achieved by X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and millimeter–radio interferometric observations by Global Millimeter Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Array (GMVA), Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), and East Asian VLBI Network (EAVN) of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 120. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy reveals a relativistically broadened Fe K α line, indicating that the cold, geometrically thin disk is truncated at ∼20 R g ( R g is the gravitational radius), with the inner region replaced by a hot, geometrically thick flow. Concurrently, radio imaging indicates that jet profile extrapolation toward the black hole horizon yields a radius comparable to or even narrower than the disk truncation radius. These results demonstrate that, even at high accretion rates, jet launching is linked to a hot inner flow, possibly via the Blandford–Znajek process, providing evidence for a universal disk–jet connection via geometric transition.
SN - 2041-8205
SN - 2041-8213
ER -