Related papers: A luminous X-ray outburst from an intermediate-mas…
Tidal disruption events (TDEs) occur when a star crosses the tidal radius of a black hole (BH) and is ripped apart, providing a powerful way to probe dormant BHs over a wide mass range. In this study, we present our late-time observations…
Intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) may be the link between stellar mass holes and the supermassive variety in the nuclei of galaxies, and globular clusters (GCs) may be one of the most promising environments for their formation. Here we…
Stellar-mass and supermassive black holes abound in the Universe, whereas intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) of ~10^2-10^5 solar masses in between are largely missing observationally, with few cases found only. Here we report the…
During a close encounter between a star and a supermassive black hole, the star can get disrupted by the black hole's tidal forces, resulting in a tidal disruption event (TDE). The accretion of the star's material onto the black hole…
Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBH) are expected to exist in globular clusters (GCs) and compact stellar systems (CSS) in general, but none have been conclusively detected. Tidal disruption events (TDEs), where a star is tidally disrupted…
There has been suggestive evidence of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs; 10^{3-5} M_sun) existing in some globular clusters (GCs) and dwarf galaxies, but IMBHs as a population remain elusive. As a main-sequence star passes too close by…
It has been suggested that an intermediate-massive black hole (IMBH) with mass $10^{3-5} M_\odot$ could fall into the galactic center (GC) and form a massive black hole binary (MBHB) with the central supermassive black hole, but current…
We study X-ray bright tidal disruption events (TDE), close to the peak of their emission, with the intention of understanding the evolution of their light curves and spectra. Candidate TDE are identified by searching for soft X-ray flares…
A dormant supermassive black hole lurking in the center of a galaxy will be revealed when a star passes close enough to be torn apart by tidal forces, and a flare of electromagnetic radiation is emitted when the bound fraction of the…
Once per 10,000-100,000 years, an unlucky star may experience a close encounter with a supermassive black hole (SMBH), partially or fully tearing apart the star in an exceedingly brief, bright interaction called a tidal disruption event…
When a star is tidally disrupted by a supermassive black hole (BH), roughly half of its mass falls back to the BH at super-Eddington rates. Being tenuously gravitationally bound and unable to cool radiatively, only a small fraction f_in <<…
In a number of the most luminous ULXs (L ~ 1 E+40 erg/s) in nearby galaxies, observations with XMM-Newton and Chandra are revealing evidence which suggests that these ULXs may harbor intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs). The detection of…
The mass of the central black hole in a galaxy that hosted a tidal disruption event (TDE) is an important parameter in understanding its energetics and dynamics. We present the first homogeneously measured black hole masses of a complete…
Optical transient surveys have led to the discovery of dozens of stellar tidal disruption events (TDEs) by massive black hole in the centers of galaxies. Despite extensive searches, X-ray follow-up observations have produced no or only weak…
Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are the missing link between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes, widely believed to reside in at least some dense star clusters, but not yet observed directly. Tidal disruptions of white dwarfs…
We discuss a possibility that a tidal disruption event near a dormant supermassive black hole (SMBH) can give rise to spectral features of iron in 6-7 keV X-ray signal: a relativistic line profile emerges from debris illuminated and ionised…
Tidal disruption events (TDEs) of stars by single or binary supermassive black holes (SMBHs) brighten galactic nuclei and reveal a population of otherwise dormant black holes. Adopting event rates from the literature, we aim to establish…
It is still in dispute the existence of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) with a mass of ~10^3-10^5 solar masses (Msun), which are the missing link between stellar-mass black holes (5-50 Msun) and supermassive black holes (10^6-10^10…
Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are accreting black holes for which their X-ray properties have been seen to be different to the case of stellar-mass black hole binaries. For most of the cases their intrinsic energy spectra are well…
The process of tidal disruption of stars by a supermassive black hole (SMBH) provides luminous UV and soft X-ray flares with peak luminosities of $\approx 10^{46}$ ergs/sec and duration of a few months. As part of a wider exploration of the…