Mathematics

Galaxy

Computer science

Optics

Astrophysics

Adaptive mesh refinement

Geodesic

Solid angle

Radiative transfer

Thermodynamics

Detector

Routing (electronic design automation)

Supermassive black hole

Black hole (networking)

Link-state routing protocol

Geometry

Computational physics

Routing protocol

Physics

Computer network

The Astrophysical Journal

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has recently produced the first resolved images of the central supermassive black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87. Here we report on tests of the consistency and accuracy of the general relativistic radiative transfer codes used within the collaboration to model M87* and Sgr A*. We compare and evaluate (1) deflection angles for equatorial null geodesics in a Kerr spacetime; (2) images calculated from a series of simple, parameterized matter distributions in the Kerr metric using simplified emissivities and absorptivities; (3) for a subset of codes, images calculated from general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations using different realistic synchrotron emissivities and absorptivities; (4) observables for the 2017 configuration of EHT, including visibility amplitudes and closure phases. The error in total flux is of order 1% when the codes are run with production numerical parameters. The dominant source of discrepancies for small camera distance...

Verification of Radiative Transfer Schemes for the EHT