A Possible Relativistic Jetted Outburst from a Massive Black Hole Fed by a Tidally Disrupted Star

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 10(6) to 10(7) 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…

• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• UO
  University of Pennsylvania
• PS
  Pennsylvania State University
• GS
  Goddard Space Flight Center
• SA
  Science and Technology Facilities Council

  Awards: ST/F002599/1, ST/I005773/1, ST/H001972/1, PP/E002064/1, ST/I001719/1, ST/H002235/1
• LA
  Los Alamos National Laboratory