A group of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revealed the presence of 18 new black holes involved in a stellar phenomenon, tearing apart stars and consuming their remnants. This discovery effectively more than doubles the known occurrences of Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs) in the universe, shedding light on the broader prevalence of these dramatic occurrences.
Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs) transpire when stars come too close to black holes, subjected to extreme gravitational forces resulting in “spaghettification,” a process where the star undergoes vertical stretching and horizontal compression. The material from the disrupted star then forms a flattened disk around the black hole, with some accreting to the center of the black hole, and the remainder being expelled as near-light speed jets.
The MIT team embarked on their investigation after discovering the closest TDE to Earth ever observed, which manifested as a flare from the galaxy NGC 7392, situated 137 million light-years away. Using infrared light and an algorithm analyzing patterns in data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), they identified transient bursts of radiation, leading to the identification of 18 legitimate TDE signals.
Assistant Professor of Physics at MIT, Erin Kara, stated, “People were coming up with very exotic solutions to these puzzles, and now we’ve come to the point where we can resolve all of them.” This breakthrough enhances our understanding of Tidal Disruption Events and the intricate interactions between stars and black holes, marking a significant stride in astrophysical research.
Post Your Comments