MIT Team Discovers 18 New Tidal Disruption Events Indicating Black Hole Activity
A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has made a groundbreaking discovery that sheds light on the behavior of supermassive black holes. The team’s findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal, provide valuable insights into the process of tidal disruption events (TDEs), where black holes devour nearby stars.
The team analyzed infrared light data from the NEOWISE satellite and identified 18 new TDEs, confirming the frequency at which supermassive black holes swallow stars. According to their research, a supermassive black hole at the center of any galaxy consumes the mass of one star every 50,000 years on average, aligning with theoretical predictions.
Tidal disruption events refer to the violent process of “spaghettification,” where a star is pulled and torn apart by the tidal force of a supermassive black hole as it approaches. This process results in the temporary production of extremely bright electromagnetic radiation, making the black hole visible to scientists.
The team’s analysis also revealed that the properties of the destroyed stars are related to the peak time of the TDE accretion rate, indicating a connection with the mass of the supermassive black hole. This finding enhances the accuracy of a new model, referred to as CN22, which can help researchers constrain the mass of black holes.
Furthermore, the researchers believe that the limited energy radiation from TDEs may be attributed to dust absorbing visible light, X-rays, and extreme ultraviolet radiation.
These discoveries have significant implications for astrophysics, providing scientists with a better understanding of how stars are torn apart and consumed by black holes. The MIT team’s work has opened up new avenues for studying the behavior and characteristics of supermassive black holes, offering valuable insights into the workings of these enigmatic cosmic entities.