RESEARCH

摘要

Nothing can move faster than the speed of light, but some gamma rays seem to break that rule. Powerful jets that balance the angular momentum of accreting black holes are difficult to discern in images, so astronomers often resort to timing their emission to reveal the physics at work. Aleksic et al. found that gamma rays from the active galaxy IC 310 varied faster than the time required for light to cross the event horizon of the supermassive black hole at its nucleus. Particle acceleration at the base of the jet may enable this apparent speed, adding a piece to the puzzle of how jets form at supermassive black holes.