Flows of X-ray gas reveal the disruption of a star by a massive black hole

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dc.contributor.authorMiller, Jon M.
dc.contributor.authorKaastra, Jelle S.
dc.contributor.authorMiller, M. Coleman
dc.contributor.authorReynolds, Mark T.
dc.contributor.authorBrown, Gregory
dc.contributor.authorCenko, S. Bradley
dc.contributor.authorDrake, Jeremy J.
dc.contributor.authorGezari, Suvi
dc.contributor.authorGuillochon, James
dc.contributor.authorGultekin, Kayhan
dc.contributor.authorIrwin, Jimmy
dc.contributor.authorLevan, Andrew
dc.contributor.authorMaitra, Dipankar
dc.contributor.authorMaksym, W. Peter
dc.contributor.authorMushotzky, Richard
dc.contributor.authorO'Brien, Paul
dc.contributor.authorPaerels, Frits
dc.contributor.authorde Plaa, Jelle
dc.contributor.authorRamirez-Ruiz, Enrico
dc.contributor.authorStrohmayer, Tod
dc.contributor.authorTanvir, Nial
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Michigan System
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Michigan
dc.contributor.otherUtrecht University
dc.contributor.otherLeiden University
dc.contributor.otherLeiden University - Excl LUMC
dc.contributor.otherUniversity System of Maryland
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Maryland College Park
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Warwick
dc.contributor.otherNational Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
dc.contributor.otherNASA Goddard Space Flight Center
dc.contributor.otherHarvard University
dc.contributor.otherSmithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
dc.contributor.otherSmithsonian Institution
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Alabama Tuscaloosa
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Leicester
dc.contributor.otherColumbia University
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of California System
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of California Santa Cruz
dc.date.accessioned2018-12-05T21:31:03Z
dc.date.available2018-12-05T21:31:03Z
dc.date.issued2018-04-02
dc.description.abstractTidal forces close to massive black holes can violently disrupt stars that make a close approach. These extreme events are discovered via bright X-ray(1-4) and optical/ultraviolet(5,6) flares in galactic centres. Prior studies based on modelling decaying flux trends have been able to estimate broad properties, such as the mass accretion rate(6,7). Here we report the detection of flows of hot, ionized gas in high-resolution X-ray spectra of a nearby tidal disruption event, ASASSN-14li in the galaxy PGC043234. Variability within the absorption-dominated spectra indicates that the gas is relatively close to the black hole. Narrow linewidths indicate that the gas does not stretch over a large range of radii, giving a low volume filling factor. Modest outflow speeds of a few hundred kilometres per second are observed; these are below the escape speed from the radius set by variability. The gas flow is consistent with a rotating wind from the inner, super-Eddington region of a nascent accretion disk, or with a filament of disrupted stellar gas near to the apocentre of an elliptical orbit. Flows of this sort are predicted by fundamental analytical theory(8) and more recent numerical simulations(7,9-14).en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationMiller, J. et al. (2015): Flows of X-ray Gas Reveal the Disruption of a Star by a Massive Black Hole. Nature, 526. DOI: 10.1038/nature15708
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/nature15708
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9809-8215
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2869-7682
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7962-5446
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7821-9369
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2203-7889
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2666-728X
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5128-1899
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5540-2822
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2558-3102
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2697-7106
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1146-0198
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/5151
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherNature Portfolio
dc.subjectTIDAL DISRUPTION
dc.subjectEVENTS
dc.subjectGALAXY
dc.subjectCALIBRATION
dc.subjectTELESCOPE
dc.subjectOUTBURST
dc.subjectMISSION
dc.subjectWINDS
dc.subjectMultidisciplinary Sciences
dc.subjectScience & Technology - Other Topics
dc.titleFlows of X-ray gas reveal the disruption of a star by a massive black holeen_US
dc.typetext
dc.typeArticle

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