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Summary
Tidal disruption events (TDEs) occur when a star is destroyed by a massive black hole's tides. A new software package, REPTiDE, computes TDE rates given a stellar density distribution and black hole mass. The package is applied to a sample of 91 nearby galaxies, yielding per-galaxy TDE rates ranging from 10^-7.7 to 10^-2.9 per year.
Highlights
- REPTiDE software package computes TDE rates using a standard loss cone model.
- The package is applied to a sample of 91 nearby galaxies with high-resolution nuclear density measurements.
- Per-galaxy TDE rates range from 10^-7.7 to 10^-2.9 per year.
- The sample-averaged rates agree well with observations.
- A turnover in the TDE rate is found as a function of both galaxy stellar mass and black hole mass.
- Lower-mass black holes have gained a higher fraction of their mass through TDEs.
- Maximum spins of a ≈ 0.9 are found for black holes with masses below ∼10^5.5 M⊙.
Key Insights
- The REPTiDE software package provides a user-friendly implementation of the loss cone physics, allowing for the computation of TDE rates for a given stellar mass distribution and central black hole mass.
- The application of REPTiDE to a sample of 91 nearby galaxies yields a wide range of per-galaxy TDE rates, indicating that TDEs can occur frequently in some galaxies.
- The agreement between the sample-averaged TDE rates and observations suggests that the loss cone model is a reliable framework for estimating TDE rates.
- The turnover in the TDE rate as a function of galaxy stellar mass and black hole mass indicates that TDEs are more common in lower-mass galaxies and black holes.
- The finding that lower-mass black holes have gained a higher fraction of their mass through TDEs suggests that TDEs play a significant role in the growth of these black holes.
- The maximum spins of a ≈ 0.9 found for black holes with masses below ∼10^5.5 M⊙ indicate that TDEs can significantly impact the spin evolution of lower-mass black holes.
- The results of this study highlight the importance of considering the contribution of NSC density when modeling TDE rates, particularly for lower-mass galaxies.
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Citation
Hannah, C. H., Stone, N. C., Seth, A. C., & van Velzen, S. (2024). Counting the Unseen II: Tidal Disruption Event Rates in Nearby Galaxies with REPTiDE (Version 1). arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/ARXIV.2412.19935