Optical Discovery of Stellar Tidal Disruption Flares

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

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Scientific paper

We model the SED and light-curves of two probable tidal disruption flares (TDFs) found by van Velzen et al (2011) in a search for the tidal disruption of stars by super-massive black holes in non- active galaxies, using archival multi-epoch SDSS imaging data (Stripe 82). These flares were shown to be very difficult to reconcile with a SN or AGN-flare explanation, based on the SDSS observations, UV emission measured by GALEX and spectra of the hosts and of one of the flares. The flares have optical black-body temperatures 2 × 104 K and observed peak luminosities Mg = -18.3 and -20.4 (νLν = 5 × 1042, 4 × 1043 erg/s, in the rest-frame); their cooling rates are very low, qualitatively consistent with expectations for tidal disruption flares. Best-fitting models for the observed SED and light curves are reported, and the rate of tidal disruption events is given. The possibility that tidal disruption flares produce Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays is discussed. Fundamental questions in astrophysics and cosmology that can be addressed with a large sample of TDFs are enumerated.

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