Double-Flare Tidal Disruption Event: A Rare Cosmic Encounter

A journey into the fascinating world of a supermassive black hole consuming a binary star system

In an extraordinary recent discovery, astronomers have observed a rare cosmic event involving a supermassive black hole situated in the galaxy WISEA J122045.05+493304.7, approximately 408 million light-years away. This black hole consumed one star from a binary star system, resulting in a remarkable double-flash tidal disruption event (TDE). Unlike typical TDEs that exhibit a single flare, this event, named ASASSN-22ci, produced two distinct flashes, enthralling the scientific community.

This blog post delves into the intriguing aspects of this rare double-flare TDE and its implications for black hole research.

The Double-Flare Tidal Disruption Event Unveiled

The double-flare TDE was first detected in February 2022, starting as a typical flare. However, a second flare, which was observed 720 days later (2+ years), distinguished it as an exceptional event. This phenomenon is likely attributed to the Hills capture process, where a supermassive black hole disrupts a binary star system.

In Hills capture events, one star is ejected at high velocity, while the other becomes gravitationally bound in an elongated orbit around the black hole. Consequently, the bound star undergoes repeated tidal disruptions, causing multiple flares—an uncommon yet fascinating occurrence.

Insights into the Supermassive Black Hole and the Star

Ultraviolet and X-ray data allowed scientists to deduce the black hole's mass to be approximately three million times that of the Sun. Meanwhile, the disrupted star—likely similar in mass to our Sun—may have miraculously survived its brush with the black hole.

Moreover, the striking similarity between the two flares suggests that the same star could have been affected twice during its orbital journey, providing us with a unique opportunity to observe black hole interactions with stars.

A Predicted Third Flash in 2026

Should the star endure another close encounter with the black hole, astronomers forecast that a third flare could occur in early 2