Understanding the Long-term Evolution of Tidal Disruption Events

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Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are fundamental to the evolution of the Universe and reside at the center of nearly every galaxy, but their statistics (e.g., distribution of masses) are not well constrained due to observational difficulties. Tidal disruption events (TDEs) – which occur when a star is destroyed by the immense gravitational field of a SMBH – illuminate the central regions of an otherwise-quiescent galaxy and provide a unique means of overcoming this difficulty. Nevertheless, our theoretical understanding of the long-term evolution of the debris from TDEs is underdeveloped, which restricts our ability to infer SMBH properties from TDE observations. A research group at Syracuse University will use state of the art numerical simulations and develop new models to study the long-term evolution of TDEs. The principal investigator will also work with a professional artist and teacher at a high school in New York to create new and innovative teaching and learning tools, which combine art and science to teach both of these subjects. These science and art modules will be developed and taught initially at the high school level, and will be transformed into complete and standalone units, which can be downloaded by any teacher across the globe. This work will significantly advance the teaching of science and art in underdeveloped and underfunded schools, and will thereby offer students in those areas a unique opportunity to learn and succeed. Black holes form the basis for many of the well-established theories governing, for example, the formation of the first galaxies, the reionization of the Universe, and the hierarchical model of galaxy growth. These theories will remain largely unconstrained, however, until the properties of black holes can be firmly established. By simulating tidal disruption events and tying the results to observations, the group will enhance the understanding of variability in TDEs, better constrain the salient features of TDE light curves, and provide direct insight into the nature of stellar cores from partial TDEs. The results of this analysis are essential for understanding the thousands of tidal disruption events that will be observed by the Vera Rubin Observatory. In addition, the physical evolution of tidally disrupted stars shares many similarities with other astrophysical systems, including compact object mergers and rapidly rotating stars. The results of these analyses and the research methodologies are therefore directly applicable to a broad range of astrophysical problems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.