February 6
Strong Magnetic Fields in AGN Coronae: Neutrino Production and Multiwavelength Emission
Lia Hankla, UMD Astronomy
Abstract: Recent IceCube observations suggest that neutrinos can originate from the X-ray coronae around accreting supermassive black holes such as NGC 1068. While these relatively dense environments are ideal for absorbing the gamma rays typically associated with neutrino production, the mechanism for accelerating protons to neutrino-producing Lorentz factors remains poorly understood. In our current understanding, proton acceleration to these energies requires magnetic field strengths orders of magnitude higher than traditional coronal models predict. In this talk, I will argue for much stronger coronal magnetic fields and demonstrate how these field strengths manifest in the multiwavelength spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN). In particular, I will show how millimeter emission from radio-quiet AGN supports these magnetic field strengths and discuss implications for understanding the inner milliparsec structure of AGN and their role as multimessenger sources.
Host: Jillian Chin Rastinejad & Robert Stein