Allen Telescope Array Helps Uncover Hidden Black Hole Tearing Apart a Star
Artist’s interpretation of two massive black holes (MBHs) within a galaxy. A tidal disruption event unfolds around the MBH that resides away from the galactic center and matter from a disrupted star swirls into a bright accretion disk, launching an energetic outflow and resulting in two bright radio flares.
Radio observations with the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) have, as part of an international observing campaign, helped discover an unprecedented burst of radio activity from a tidal disruption event (TDE).
TDEs happen when an unfortunate star wanders too close to a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and is ripped apart by its strong gravitational forces. These events light up the cosmos across all wavelengths, from visible and X-ray light to radio waves.
This particular TDE, named AT 2024tvd, stands out from others. It evolved at record-breaking speed, but also took place off-center, away from the nucleus of its galaxy.
Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/P.Vosteen.
Author’s summary: Telescope array helps uncover hidden black hole.