UV/Optical Detections of Candidate Tidal Disruption Events by GALEX and CFHTLS
Open accessAbstract
We present two luminous UV/optical flares from the nuclei of apparently inactive early-type galaxies at z = 0.37 and 0.33 that have the radiative properties of a flare from the tidal disruption of a star. In this paper we report the second candidate tidal disruption event discovery in the UV by the GALEX Deep Imaging Survey and present simultaneous optical light curves from the CFHTLS Deep Imaging Survey for both UV flares. The first few months of the UV/optical light curves are well fitted with the canonical t −5/3 power-law decay predicted for emission from the fallback of debris from a tidally disrupted star. Chandra ACIS X-ray observations during the flares detect soft X-ray sources with T bb = (2–5) × 10 5 K or Γ > 3 and place limits on hard X-ray emission from an underlying AGN down to L X (2–10 keV) ≲ 10 41 ergs s −1 . Blackbody fits to the UV/optical spectral energy distributions of the flares indicate peak flare luminosities of ≳10 44 -10 45 ergs s −1 . The temperature, luminosity, and light curves of both flares are in excellent agreement with emission from a tidally disrupted main-sequence star onto a central black hole of several times 10 7 M ☉ . The observed detection rate of our search over ~2.9 deg 2 of GALEX Deep Imaging Survey data spanning from 2003 to 2007 is consistent with tidal disruption rates calculated from dynamical models, and we use these models to make predictions for the detection rates of the next generation of optical synoptic surveys.
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The observed rate of TDEs in the local universe is ∼1-6e-5 yr^-1 galaxy^-1.
“Although the observed rate of TDEs in the local universe is ∼ 1 -6 × 10 -5 yr -1 galaxy -1 (Donley et al. 2002; Gezari et al. 2008; Yao et al. 2023), the expected rate for MW type SMBH is ∼ 0 . 3 -4 × 10 -4 yr -1 galaxy -1 (Magorrian & Tremaine 1999; Wang & Merritt 2004; Gezari et al. 2008; Stone & Metzger 2016).”
From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Gezari et al. 2008
Section 1.2 (Previous Candidates; page not available) reports an observed ROSAT flare rate of approximately 1 × 10^-5 yr^-1 per galaxy, citing Donley et al. (2002). The cited paper thus supports the lower end of the claimed observed range, but the passages found do not establish its 6 × 10^-5 upper end. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe expected TDE rate for MW type SMBH is ∼0.3-4e-4 yr^-1 galaxy^-1.
“Although the observed rate of TDEs in the local universe is ∼ 1 -6 × 10 -5 yr -1 galaxy -1 (Donley et al. 2002; Gezari et al. 2008; Yao et al. 2023), the expected rate for MW type SMBH is ∼ 0 . 3 -4 × 10 -4 yr -1 galaxy -1 (Magorrian & Tremaine 1999; Wang & Merritt 2004; Gezari et al. 2008; Stone & Metzger 2016).”
From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Gezari et al. 2008
Section 1.1 (Theory; page unavailable) reports predicted disruptions once every 10³–10⁵ years per galaxy. Section 5 (Tidal Disruption Rate; page unavailable) gives black-hole-mass-dependent theoretical rates of 1.6 × 10⁻⁴ and 6.5 × 10⁻⁴ yr⁻¹ at 10⁶ solar masses. These support the general scale of an expected rate, but the paper does not specify the claimed 0.3–4 × 10⁻⁴ range for Milky Way–type SMBHs. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredLSST will enable large-scale studies of stellar tidal disruptions by nuclear supermassive black holes.
“Large-scale studies of stellar tidal disruptions by nuclear supermassive black holes ( e.g., Evans & Kochanek 1989; Gezari et al. 2008; Strubbe & Quataert 2009; Bloom et al. 2011; Gezari 2012; Komossa 2015 )”
From LSST: From Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products (2019) · cites this paper as Gezari et al. 2008
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References 102 · Cited by 258
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Komossa, S. 2002, in Lighthouses of the Universe, ed. M. Gilfanov, R. A. Sunyaev, & E. Churazov ( Berlin: Springer), 436
- Leguillou, L. 2003, Ph.D. thesis, Paris 6 Univ.
- Regnault, N. 2007, in ASP Conf. Ser. 364, The Future of Photometric, Spectro- photometric, and Polarimetric Standardization, ed. C. Sterken (San Francisco: ASP), 587
- Authors
- Gezari, S., Basa, S., Martin, D. C., Bazin, G., Forster, K., Milliard, B., Halpern, J. P., Friedman, P. G., Morrissey, P., Neff, S. G., Schiminovich, D., Seibert, M., Small, T., & Wyder, T. K.
- Affiliations
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Columbia University (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Carnegie Observatories (US)
- Venue
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Published
- 2008-04
- Volume
- 676
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 944-969
- ISSN
- 0004-637X (ISSN-L)
- 1538-4357
- OpenAlex
- W2084835412
- Cited by
- 258
- References
- 102
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 7.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Astrophysical Journal (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Funders
- Smithsonian Institution
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
- Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
- Keywords
- tidal disruption, early-type galaxies, active galactic nuclei, fallback accretion, X-ray emission, blackbody temperature, tidal disruption rate, synoptic surveys
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