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A possible relativistic jetted outburst from a massive black hole fed by a tidally disrupted star

Bloom, JS, Giannios, D, Metzger, BD, Cenko, SB, Perley, DA, Butler, NR, Tanvir, NR, Levan, AJ, O'Brien, PT, Strubbe, LE, De Colle, F, Ramirez-Ruiz, E, Lee, WH, Nayakshin, S, Quataert, E, King, AR, Cucchiara, A, Guillochon, J, Bower, GC, Fruchter, AS , Morgan, AN and Van Der Horst, AJ (2011) A possible relativistic jetted outburst from a massive black hole fed by a tidally disrupted star. Science, 333 (6039). pp. 203-206. ISSN 0036-8075

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Abstract

Gas accretion onto some massive black holes (MBHs) at the centers of galaxies actively powers luminous emission, but most MBHs are considered dormant. Occasionally, a star passing too near an MBH is torn apart by gravitational forces, leading to a bright tidal disruption flare (TDF). Although the high-energy transient Sw 1644+57 initially displayed none of the theoretically anticipated (nor previously observed) TDF characteristics, we show that observations suggest a sudden accretion event onto a central MBH of mass about 106 to 107 solar masses. There is evidence for a mildly relativistic outflow, jet collimation, and a spectrum characterized by synchrotron and inverse Compton processes; this leads to a natural analogy of Sw 1644+57 to a temporary smaller-scale blazar.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: MD Multidisciplinary
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Q Science > QC Physics
Q Science > QD Chemistry
Divisions: Astrophysics Research Institute
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Date Deposited: 24 May 2017 10:36
Last Modified: 04 Sep 2021 11:29
DOI or ID number: 10.1126/science.1207150
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6572
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