2024 April 1 | The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration observed the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), in 2017, revealing a bright, thick ring with a diameter of 51.8 ± 2.3 μas. This paper presents the first resolved linear and circular polarimetric images of Sgr A*. The linear polarization images show a prominent spiral electric vector polarization angle pattern with a peak fractional polarization of ~40% in the western portion of the ring. The circular polarization images exhibit a modestly (~5%–10%) polarized dipole structure along the emission ring, with negative circular polarization in the western region and positive circular polarization in the eastern region. The data are analyzed using multiple independent imaging and modeling methods, each validated with synthetic data sets. While the detailed spatial distribution of linear polarization remains uncertain due to the source's intrinsic variability, the spiraling polarization structure is robust. The degree and orientation of linear polarization provide stringent constraints for the black hole and its surrounding magnetic fields, discussed in an accompanying publication.The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration observed the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), in 2017, revealing a bright, thick ring with a diameter of 51.8 ± 2.3 μas. This paper presents the first resolved linear and circular polarimetric images of Sgr A*. The linear polarization images show a prominent spiral electric vector polarization angle pattern with a peak fractional polarization of ~40% in the western portion of the ring. The circular polarization images exhibit a modestly (~5%–10%) polarized dipole structure along the emission ring, with negative circular polarization in the western region and positive circular polarization in the eastern region. The data are analyzed using multiple independent imaging and modeling methods, each validated with synthetic data sets. While the detailed spatial distribution of linear polarization remains uncertain due to the source's intrinsic variability, the spiraling polarization structure is robust. The degree and orientation of linear polarization provide stringent constraints for the black hole and its surrounding magnetic fields, discussed in an accompanying publication.