Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Nature. 2024 Oct;634(8035):804-808. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08023-6. Epub 2024 Oct 9.
Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are luminous bursts of soft X-rays from the nuclei of galaxies, repeating on timescales of hours to weeks. The mechanism behind these rare systems is uncertain, but most theories involve accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs) undergoing instabilities or interacting with a stellar object in a close orbit. It has been suggested that this disk could be created when the SMBH disrupts a passing star, implying that many QPEs should be preceded by observable tidal disruption events (TDEs). Two known QPE sources show long-term decays in quiescent luminosity consistent with TDEs and two observed TDEs have exhibited X-ray flares consistent with individual eruptions. TDEs and QPEs also occur preferentially in similar galaxies. However, no confirmed repeating QPEs have been associated with a spectroscopically confirmed TDE or an optical TDE observed at peak brightness. Here we report the detection of nine X-ray QPEs with a mean recurrence time of approximately 48 h from AT2019qiz, a nearby and extensively studied optically selected TDE. We detect and model the X-ray, ultraviolet (UV) and optical emission from the accretion disk and show that an orbiting body colliding with this disk provides a plausible explanation for the QPEs.
准周期爆发(QPE)是来自星系核心的软 X 射线的发光爆发,重复时间尺度为数小时到数周。这些罕见系统背后的机制尚不确定,但大多数理论都涉及经历不稳定性或与近轨道上恒星物体相互作用的超大质量黑洞(SMBH)周围的吸积盘。有人认为,当 SMBH 破坏经过的恒星时,就会产生这种盘,这意味着许多 QPE 应该在可观测的潮汐破坏事件(TDE)之前发生。两个已知的 QPE 源显示出与 TDE 一致的长期宁静光度衰减,并且两个观测到的 TDE 表现出与单个爆发一致的 X 射线耀斑。TDE 和 QPE 也优先发生在类似的星系中。然而,没有与光谱确认的 TDE 或在峰值亮度处观测到的光学 TDE 相关联的已确认重复 QPE。在这里,我们报告了来自附近且经过广泛研究的光学选择 TDE AT2019qiz 的九个 X 射线 QPE 的检测,其平均复发时间约为 48 小时。我们检测并模拟了吸积盘的 X 射线、紫外(UV)和光学发射,并表明与该盘碰撞的轨道物体为 QPE 提供了一个合理的解释。