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SUMMARY:Stellar Destruction near Supermassive Black Holes - Itai Linial (I
 nstitute of Advanced Study and Columbia)
DTSTART:20231023T130000Z
DTEND:20231023T140000Z
UID:TALK206392@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Roger Dufresne
DESCRIPTION:Centers of galaxies are fertile environments for a variety of 
 dynamical processes\, owing to the high density of stars and the presence 
 of a central Supermassive Black Hole (SMBH). Fluctuations in the backgroun
 d potential resulting from two-body scatterings\, as well as the dissipati
 ve nature of orbits in General Relativity through the emission of Gravitat
 ional Waves (GWs)\, shape the (quasi) steady-state distribution of orbits 
 these systems settle to. I will introduce two main channels of stellar des
 truction caused by interaction with the central SMBH: Stars may be deflect
 ed onto a nearly radial trajectory where they are ripped apart by the SMBH
 ’s tidal field\, producing a luminous flare powered by the rapid fallbac
 k of stellar debris (known as Tidal Disruption Event\, TDE)\, or alternati
 vely\, they may inspiral towards the SMBH on a nearly circular orbit until
  they begin to gradually shed their mass over many orbits (Extreme Mass Ra
 tio Inspiral\, EMRI). I will discuss the possible connection between these
  phenomena and a newly discovered class of repeating X-ray flares occurrin
 g in galactic nuclei\, known as Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs). I will pr
 esent a theoretical model for explaining the observations\, involving a st
 ellar EMRI interacting with the accretion flow produced by a recent TDE in
  the same galactic center. Finally\, I will conclude by discussing the pot
 ential of QPEs and other repeating transients in galactic nuclei in testin
 g our theoretical understanding of SMBHs and their environments - includin
 g measurements of their masses and spins\, probing the nature of the accre
 tion flow that forms around them\, and constraining the dynamical processe
 s that govern their engulfing stellar clusters.
LOCATION:MR14 DAMTP and online
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