New simulations have provided the most detailed understanding to date of the process of tidal disruption events, in which giant black holes in the centers of galaxies consume nearby stars. Tidal disruption events occur when a star is torn apart and spaghettified as it plunges towards the black hole. Previous theories predicted that the debris from the star would form a hot, luminous swirl of matter known as an accretion disc, emitting X-rays. However, observations have shown that most tidal disruption events actually emit visible light, not X-rays, and have temperatures similar to a moderately warm star. The simulations conducted in this study reveal that the black hole is smothered by the material during the disruption, explaining the lack of X-ray emissions. The simulations also show that only 1% of the matter from the star is actually swallowed by the black hole, while the rest is blown away in an outflow. The simulations provide a comprehensive understanding of the entire process of tidal disruption events, from the spaghettification of the star to the expulsion of the debris. The simulations also explain why tidal disruption events appear as solar-system-sized stars expanding at a few percent of the speed of light.
Witness the First-ever Simulation of a Supermassive Black Hole Destroying a Star
