Did a close tidal encounter cause the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse?
Did a close tidal encounter cause the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse?
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DOI：
10.1093/mnras/stac2237
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发表时间：
2022-09-27
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Shapiro，Stuart L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Aronson，Hailey;Baumgarte，Thomas W.;Shapiro，Stuart L.
我们评估了在恒星飞越过程中由潮汐相互作用引起的重力变暗是否足以解释参宿四大变暗的原因。采用几个简单的近似，我们计算了近距离潮汐相遇时的潮汐形变和相关的重力变暗，以及远处观测者所看到的辐射通量的减少。我们证明，原则上，所产生的恒星变暗的持续时间和程度可以用来估计飞过的物体的最小近心间隔和质量，即使它在其他方面仍然没有被检测到，它可能是黑洞、中子星或白矮星。我们的估计表明，虽然这种掠过事件可能发生在我们的分析适用的其他天体物理场景中，但它们可能不足以单独解释参宿四大变暗的原因。
We assess whether gravity darkening, induced by a tidal interaction during a stellar fly-by, might be sufficient to explain the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse. Adopting several simple approximations, we calculate the tidal deformation and associated gravity darkening in a close tidal encounter, as well as the reduction in the radiation flux as seen by a distant observer. We show that, in principle, the duration and degree of the resulting stellar dimming can be used to estimate the minimum pericentre separation and mass of a fly-by object, which, even if it remains undetected otherwise, might be a black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf. Our estimates show that, while such fly-by events may occur in other astrophysical scenarios, where our analysis should be applicable, they likely are not large enough to explain the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse by themselves.