Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption Events
Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) may be the link between stellar mass holes and the supermassive variety in the nuclei of galaxies, and globular clusters (GCs) may be one of the most promising environments for their formation. Here, we carry out a pilot study of the observability of tidal disru...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1dd9 |
| _version_ | 1797271092507705344 |
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| author | Vivian L. Tang Piero Madau Elisa Bortolas Eric W. Peng Yuting Feng Puragra Guhathakurta |
| author_facet | Vivian L. Tang Piero Madau Elisa Bortolas Eric W. Peng Yuting Feng Puragra Guhathakurta |
| author_sort | Vivian L. Tang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) may be the link between stellar mass holes and the supermassive variety in the nuclei of galaxies, and globular clusters (GCs) may be one of the most promising environments for their formation. Here, we carry out a pilot study of the observability of tidal disruption events (TDEs) from 10 ^3 M _⊙ < M _• < 10 ^5 M _⊙ IMBHs embedded in stellar cusps at the center of GCs. We model the long super-Eddington accretion phase and ensuing optical flare, and derive the disruption rate of main-sequence stars as a function of black hole mass and GC properties with the help of a 1D Fokker–Planck approach. The photospheric emission of the adiabatically expanding outflow dominates the observable radiation and peaks in the near-ultraviolet/optical bands, outshining the brightness of the (old) stellar population of GCs in Virgo for a period of months to years. A search for TDE events in a sample of nearly 4000 GCs observed at multiple epochs by the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey yields null results. Given our model predictions, this sample is too small to set stringent constraints on the present-day occupation fraction of GCs hosting IMBHs. Naturally, better simulations of the properties of the cluster central stellar distribution, TDE light curves, and rates, together with larger surveys of GCs are all needed to gain deeper insights into the presence of IMBHs in GCs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T02:14:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2057aa6674134200ac12d91db9b1c853 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T02:14:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-2057aa6674134200ac12d91db9b1c8532024-03-07T10:03:13ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-01963214610.3847/1538-4357/ad1dd9Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption EventsVivian L. Tang0Piero Madau1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6336-3293Elisa Bortolas2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9458-821XEric W. Peng3Yuting Feng4Puragra Guhathakurta5Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Dipartimento di Fisica “G. Occhialini,” Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca , Piazza della Scienza 3, I-20126 Milano, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica “G. Occhialini,” Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca , Piazza della Scienza 3, I-20126 Milano, Italy; INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca , Piazza della Scienza 3, I-20126 Milano, ItalyNSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory , 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USAIntermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) may be the link between stellar mass holes and the supermassive variety in the nuclei of galaxies, and globular clusters (GCs) may be one of the most promising environments for their formation. Here, we carry out a pilot study of the observability of tidal disruption events (TDEs) from 10 ^3 M _⊙ < M _• < 10 ^5 M _⊙ IMBHs embedded in stellar cusps at the center of GCs. We model the long super-Eddington accretion phase and ensuing optical flare, and derive the disruption rate of main-sequence stars as a function of black hole mass and GC properties with the help of a 1D Fokker–Planck approach. The photospheric emission of the adiabatically expanding outflow dominates the observable radiation and peaks in the near-ultraviolet/optical bands, outshining the brightness of the (old) stellar population of GCs in Virgo for a period of months to years. A search for TDE events in a sample of nearly 4000 GCs observed at multiple epochs by the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey yields null results. Given our model predictions, this sample is too small to set stringent constraints on the present-day occupation fraction of GCs hosting IMBHs. Naturally, better simulations of the properties of the cluster central stellar distribution, TDE light curves, and rates, together with larger surveys of GCs are all needed to gain deeper insights into the presence of IMBHs in GCs.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1dd9Intermediate-mass black holesGlobular star clustersAccretion |
| spellingShingle | Vivian L. Tang Piero Madau Elisa Bortolas Eric W. Peng Yuting Feng Puragra Guhathakurta Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption Events The Astrophysical Journal Intermediate-mass black holes Globular star clusters Accretion |
| title | Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption Events |
| title_full | Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption Events |
| title_fullStr | Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption Events |
| title_full_unstemmed | Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption Events |
| title_short | Searching for Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters through Tidal Disruption Events |
| title_sort | searching for intermediate mass black holes in globular clusters through tidal disruption events |
| topic | Intermediate-mass black holes Globular star clusters Accretion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1dd9 |
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