Detection of the gravitational redshift in the orbit of the star S2 near the Galactic centre massive black hole

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2018

Authors

Abuter, R (Author) Other; Amorim, A (Author) Other; Anugu, N (Author) Other; Bauböck, M (Author) Other; Benisty, M (Author) Other; Berger, JP (Author) Other; Blind, N (Author) Other; Bonnet, H (Author) Other; Brandner, W (Author) Other; Buron, A (Author) Other; Collin, C (Author) Other; Chapron, F (Author) Other; Clénet, Y (Author) Other; Du Foresto, VC (Author) Other; De Zeeuw, PT (Author) Other; Deen, C (Author) Other; Delplancke Ströbele, F (Author) Other; Dembet, R (Author) Other; Dexter, J (Author) Other; Duvert, G (Author) Other; Eckart, A (Author) Other; Eisenhauer, F (Author) Other; Finger, G (Author) Other; Schreiber, NMF (Author) Other; Fédou, P (Author) Other; P. J. V. Garcia (Author) FEUP; Lopez, RG (Author) Other; Gao, F (Author) Other; Gendron, E (Author) Other; Genzel, R (Author) Other; Gillessen, S (Author) Other; Gordo, P (Author) Other; Habibi, M (Author) Other; Haubois, X (Author) Other; Haug, M (Author) Other; Haußmann, F (Author) Other; Henning, T (Author) Other; Hippler, S (Author) Other; Horrobin, M (Author) Other; Hubert, Z (Author) Other; Hubin, N (Author) Other; Rosales, AJ (Author) Other; Jochum, L (Author) Other; Jocou, L (Author) Other; Kaufer, A (Author) Other; Kellner, S (Author) Other; Kendrew, S (Author) Other; Kervella, P (Author) Other; Kok, Y (Author) Other; Kulas, M (Author) Other; Lacour, S (Author) Other; Lapeyrère, V (Author) Other; Lazareff, B (Author) Other; Le Bouquin, JB (Author) Other; Léna, P (Author) Other; Lippa, M (Author) Other; Lenzen, R (Author) Other; Mérand, A (Author) Other; Müler, E (Author) Other; Neumann, U (Author) Other; Ott, T (Author) Other; Palanca, L (Author) Other; Paumard, T (Author) Other; Pasquini, L (Author) Other; Perraut, K (Author) Other; Perrin, G (Author) Other; Pfuhl, O (Author) Other; Plewa, PM (Author) Other; Rabien, S (Author) Other; Ramírez, A (Author) Other; Ramos, J (Author) Other; Rau, C (Author) Other; Rodríguez Coira, G (Author) Other; Rohloff, RR (Author) Other; Rousset, G (Author) Other; Sanchez Bermudez, J (Author) Other; Scheithauer, S (Author) Other; Schöller, M (Author) Other; Schuler, N (Author) Other; Spyromilio, J (Author) Other; Straub, O (Author) Other; Straubmeier, C (Author) Other; Sturm, E (Author) Other; Tacconi, LJ (Author) Other; Tristram, KRW (Author) Other; Vincent, F (Author) Other; Von Fellenberg, S (Author) Other; Wank, I (Author) Other; Waisberg, I (Author) Other; Widmann, F (Author) Other; Wieprecht, E (Author) Other; Wiest, M (Author) Other; Wiezorrek, E (Author) Other; Woillez, J (Author) Other; Yazici, S (Author) Other; Ziegler, D (Author) Other; Zins, G (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Vol. 615

Final page: L15

ISSN: 0004-6361

Publisher: EDP Sciences

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 43 Citations

Scopus - 227 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00P-DKK

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201833052

Abstract (EN): The highly elliptical, 16-year-period orbit of the star S2 around the massive black hole candidate Sgr A* is a sensitive probe of the gravitational field in the Galactic centre. Near pericentre at 120 AU approximate to 1400 Schwarzschild radii, the star has an orbital speed of approximate to 7650 km s(-1), such that the first-order effects of Special and General Relativity have now become detectable with current capabilities. Over the past 26 years, we have monitored the radial velocity and motion on the sky of S2, mainly with the SINFONI and NACO adaptive optics instruments on the ESO Very Large Telescope, and since 2016 and leading up to the pericentre approach in May 2018, with the four-telescope interferometric beam-combiner instrument GRAVITY. From data up to and including pericentre, we robustly detect the combined gravitational redshift and relativistic transverse Doppler effect for S2 of z = Delta lambda/lambda approximate to 200 km s(-1)/c with different statistical analysis methods. When parameterising the post-Newtonian contribution from these effects by a factor f, with f = 0 and f = 1 corresponding to the Newtonian and general relativistic limits, respectively, we find from posterior fitting with different weighting schemes f = 0.90 +/- 0.09 vertical bar(stat) +/- 0.151 vertical bar(sys). The S2 data are inconsistent with pure Newtonian dynamics.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10