All articles tagged with #tidal disruption events
Researchers have identified a consistent pattern for when supermassive black holes eject material after consuming stars. By analyzing 20 tidal disruption events, scientists found that jets are released at specific points in the feeding cycle, regardless of the black hole's size. This discovery allows for more precise predictions of these cosmic outflows, which can impact galaxy evolution.
Researchers from Syracuse University have identified a potential reason why repeated flares from stars partially consumed by supermassive black holes grow dimmer over time. The study suggests that the spin of the star and the presence of a binary partner play a crucial role in these 'repeating partial tidal disruption events' (rpTDEs), offering a new explanation for a long-standing observational puzzle.
Scientists reveal that the delayed radio bursts from tidal disruption events (stars torn apart by supermassive black holes) occur when the black hole’s feeding rate is either too fast or too slow, ejecting gas that slams into surrounding material to produce radio emissions. By combining decades of VLA radio data with optical/UV and X-ray follow-ups for 31 well-tracked TDEs (from a larger sample of 91 candidates), researchers mapped the actual gas consumption over time and linked late flares to two feeding-rate extremes. A helium emission signature in early spectra also signals a delayed disk formation. The study suggests a two-to-six-year window after discovery to detect these late emissions and shows the mechanism works across vastly different black-hole masses, helping scientists optimize telescope time.
Astronomers identified AT2022zod, an off-nuclear optical flare consistent with a tidal disruption event caused by an intermediate-mass black hole. Spotted in a distant galaxy about 1.5 billion light-years away and lasting roughly a month, its off-center location and short duration suggest the presence of an IMBH outside galactic centers, possibly in a globular cluster or ultracompact dwarf galaxy. This finding adds to evidence for elusive middleweight black holes and points to Rubin Observatory’s LSST as a key tool for discovering more cases.
Astronomers monitoring the tidal disruption event AT2018hyz (Jetty McJetface) report its jet-driven radio emission has brightened ~50× since discovery and could peak in 2027, suggesting delayed outflows are more common in high-energy TDEs than previously thought.
Scientists have identified that the brightest blue cosmic explosions, known as LFBOTs, are caused by black holes shredding stars in extreme Tidal Disruption Events, with the recent discovery of AT 2024wpp providing strong evidence that these events are far more energetic than typical supernovae and involve black holes feeding on companion stars, resulting in powerful high-energy emissions.
Scientists have identified that the brightest blue cosmic explosions, called LFBOTs, are caused by black holes shredding stars in extreme Tidal Disruption Events, with the recent discovery of AT 2024wpp providing key evidence that these events produce energy far exceeding that of typical supernovae.
Astronomers may have identified the origin of luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs), specifically AT 2024wpp, as remnants of a supermassive black hole tearing apart a star, providing new insights into extreme cosmic phenomena and black hole physics.
The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the first evidence of black holes in dusty galaxies quietly consuming stars through tidal disruption events, revealing that many such black holes are dormant and hidden by dust, and providing new insights into their feeding processes and environments.
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have for the first time observed tidal disruption events in dusty galaxies, revealing dormant black holes devouring stars, with infrared signals confirming black hole accretion and highlighting JWST's potential to uncover hidden cosmic phenomena.
A star has been observed escaping a supermassive black hole and returning for a second encounter, challenging previous understanding of tidal disruption events and suggesting some black holes may partially consume stars rather than fully destroy them. The discovery raises questions about the nature of these flares and whether stars can survive multiple close encounters with black holes, potentially rewriting theories about black hole-star interactions.
Astronomers using the Gaia space telescope have accidentally captured the biggest space explosions since the Big Bang, called extreme nuclear transients (ENTs), which are massive, long-lasting flares caused by stars being torn apart by supermassive black holes, providing new insights into black hole growth and galaxy evolution.
Researchers have discovered that the "wobble" of an accretion disk formed from a star ripped apart by a supermassive black hole can reveal the black hole's spin speed. This wobble, caused by the Lense-Thirring effect, was observed using NASA's NICER X-ray telescope. The findings suggest that the black hole involved in the event was spinning slower than expected, at less than 25% the speed of light. Future observations, particularly with the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory, could provide more insights into the spin distribution and evolution of supermassive black holes.
Astronomers have discovered that "Compact Symmetric Objects" (CSOs) are active galaxies with short-lived jets that are the result of supermassive black holes ripping apart massive stars in tidal disruption events (TDEs). These jets have short lifetimes of 5,000 years or less and then fade away. The team also found that only 1% of CSOs will go on to have long-lived events with extended jets. This research provides new insights into the behavior of supermassive black holes and the formation of CSOs, shedding light on a previously overlooked population of galaxies.
Astronomers have discovered that Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs), a class of active galaxies hosting supermassive black holes, have relatively short lifespans of thousands of years, unlike other galaxies with longer-lived jets. These jets are likely fueled by tidal disruption events, where a single massive star is shredded by a supermassive black hole, leading to the formation of ultrafast bipolar jets that last up to 5,000 years. The study, led by a Caltech team, identified and verified 64 CSOs, shedding light on a distinct population of galaxies and providing a new avenue for studying interactions between massive stars and supermassive black holes.