A possible relativistic jetted outburst from a massive black hole fed by a tidally disrupted star
. (2011) A possible relativistic jetted outburst from a massive black hole fed by a tidally disrupted star. Science, Vol.333 (No.6039). pp. 203-206. ISSN 0036-8075 Full text not available from this repository.
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1207150
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 106 to 107 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 natural analogy of Sw 1644+57 to a temporary smaller-scale blazar.
|Item Type:||Journal Article|
|Subjects:||Q Science > QB Astronomy|
|Divisions:||Faculty of Science > Physics|
|Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):||Black holes (Astronomy), Gravity, Active galactic nuclei, Accretion (Astrophysics)|
|Journal or Publication Title:||Science|
|Publisher:||American Association for the Advancement of Science|
|Page Range:||pp. 203-206|
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