Astronomy & Astrophysics Seminar: Tidal Disruption Events: Probes of Black Holes

Peter Jonker, Netherlands Institute for Space Research and Radboud University, Nijmegen 

01 December 2021, 14:10 
Kaplun Building, Room 103 
Astronomy & Astrophysics Seminar

Zoom: https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/j/87875748926?pwd=MGh1dk9DeXBxa2FEL0thMVRaaHZGQT09

 

Abstract:

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) are currently discovered in ever increasing numbers by optical transient surveys. Similarly, the eROSITA and planned Einstein Probe X-ray satellites are expected to discover many TDEs in X-rays. TDEs are one of the most direct and promising routes to study otherwise quiescent supermassive black holes (SMBHs), but also stellar-mass BHs through GW radiation emitted when they rip apart a neutron star. I will introduce TDEs and show how we expect to learn about the black home mass and spin and how this will help us understand the formation and evolution of SMBHs. Among the questions we would like to answer using TDE studies are: Do intermediate-mass black holes exist?; What is the spin distribution of supermassive black holes?; Are TDEs behind the strange class of Fast X-ray Transients?

 

 

Seminar Organizer: Dr. Iair Arcavi

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