Tidal Disruption Event Demographics with the Zwicky Transient Facility: Volumetric Rates, Luminosity Function, and Implications for the Local Black Hole Mass Function

Abstract We conduct a systematic tidal disruption event (TDE) demographics analysis using the largest sample of optically selected TDEs. A flux-limited, spectroscopically complete sample of 33 TDEs is constructed using the Zwicky Transient Facility over 3 yr (from 2018 October to 2021 September). We infer the black hole (BH) mass ( M BH ) with host galaxy scaling relations, showing that the sample M BH ranges from 10 5.1 M ⊙ to 10 8.2 M ⊙ . We developed a survey efficiency corrected maximum volume method to infer the rates. The rest-frame g -band luminosity function can be well described by a broken power law of ϕ ( L g ) ∝ L g / L bk 0.3 + L g / L bk…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 1106171, 2034437, 80NSSC18K1575, NN12AR55G, 1440341, 80NSSC18K0284, AST-2034437
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  Awards: 80NSSC18K0284, 80GSFC21M0002, 80NSSC18K1575, J1944/80NSSC19K0112, NN12AR55G, 80NSSC19K0112, GO-15889
• JT
  John Templeton Foundation
• GA
  Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

  Award: GBMF5076
• CI
  California Institute of Technology
• NU
  Northwestern University
• UO
  University of Washington
• ST
  Space Telescope Science Institute

  Award: J1944
• HF
  Heising-Simons Foundation

  Award: 12540303
• UO
  University of Warwick
• TC
  Trinity College Dublin
• WI
  Weizmann Institute of Science
• NS
  Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
• SU
  Stockholms Universitet
• GS
  Goddard Space Flight Center

  Award: 80GSFC21M0002
• SA
  Science and Technology Facilities Council

  Awards: GO-15889, ST/T000198/1, ST/T000198/1, IN2P3, ST/S006109/1, J1944/80NSSC19K0112, ST/V00087X/1
• DE
  Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron
• IN
  Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules