After the first quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs, GSN069) was reported in 2019, four other sources have been identified as QPEs or its candidate. However, the physics behind QPEs is still unclear so far, though several models have been proposed. Pan et al. (2022) proposed an instability model for the accretion disk with magnetically driven outflows in the first QPEs GSN 069, which is able to reproduce both the light curve and the evolution of spectrum fairly well. In this work, we exploit this model to all the QPEs. We imporve the calculations of the spectrum of disk by introducing a hardening factor, which is caused by the deviation of opacity from the blackbody. We find that the light curves and evolution of the spectra of the four QPEs or candidate can all be well reproduced by our model calculations.
We discuss the formation and evolution of systems comprised of a low-mass ($M_\star \lesssim 4 \, \rm M_\odot$) main sequence star, orbiting a $10^5-10^7 \, \rm M_\odot$ supermassive black hole with an orbital period of order $\sim$hours, and a mild eccentricity ($e\approx0.1-0.2$), episodically shedding mass at each pericenter passage. We argue that the resulting mass transfer is likely unstable, with Roche lobe overflow initially driven by gravitational wave emission, but then being accelerated by the star's expansion in response to its mass loss, undergoing a runaway process. We show that s…
Stars that plunge into the center of a galaxy are tidally perturbed by a supermassive black hole (SMBH), with closer encounters resulting in larger perturbations. Exciting these tides comes at the expense of the star's orbital energy, which leads to the naive conclusion that a smaller pericenter (i.e., a closer encounter between the star and SMBH) always yields a more tightly bound star to the SMBH. However, once the pericenter distance is small enough that the star is partially disrupted, morphological asymmetries in the mass lost by the star can yield an \emph{increase} in the orbital energy…
We analyse photometric observations of the supernova (SN) impostor SN 2000ch in NGC 3432 covering the time since its discovery. This source was previously observed to have four outbursts in 2000-2010. Observations now reveal at least three additional outbursts in 2004-2007, and sixteen outbursts in 2010-2022. Outburst light curves are irregular and multipeaked, exhibiting a wide variety of peak magnitude, duration, and shape. The outbursts after 2008 repeat with a period of 200.7$\pm{2}$ d, while the outburst in 2000 seems to match with a shorter period. The next outburst should occur around J…
Schmidt Sciences（施密特科学）；Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；European Space Agency (ESA)（欧洲空间局（ESA））；Masaryk University（马萨里克大学）；Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA（天体生物学中心（CAB），西班牙国家航空航天技术研究所（CSIC-INTA））
A star that approaches a supermassive black hole (SMBH) on a circular extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) can undergo Roche lobe overflow (RLOF), resulting in a phase of long-lived mass-transfer onto the SMBH. If the interval separating consecutive EMRIs is less than the mass-transfer timescale driven by gravitational wave emission (typically ~1-10 Myr), the semi-major axes of the two stars will approach each another on scales of <~ hundreds to thousands of gravitational radii. Close flybys tidally strip gas from one or both RLOFing stars, briefly enhancing the mass-transfer rate onto the SMBH …
Discovery of crested quasi-periodic eruptions following the most luminous SRG/eROSITA tidal disruption event
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik（马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所）；Excellence Cluster ORIGINS（ORIGINS 卓越集群）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University（特拉维夫大学物理与天文学学院）；Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院卡弗里天体物理学与空间研究研究所）；Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA（CSIC-INTA 天体生物学中心）；European Southern Observatory（欧洲南方天文台）
Evidence for a Delayed UV Counterpart to X-ray Quasi-periodic Eruptions in Ansky
Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海天文台）；MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院卡弗里天体物理与空间研究所）；European Southern Observatory（欧洲南方天文台）；Instituto de Estudios Astrofísicos, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales（迭戈波特莱斯大学工程与科学学院天体物理研究所）；Centro Interdisciplinario de Data Science, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales（迭戈波特莱斯大学工程与科学学院跨学科数据科学中心）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）
Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are recurrent X-ray bursts found so far in the nuclei of low-mass galaxies. Their trigger mechanism is still unknown, but recent models involving one or two stellar-mass companions around the central massive ($\approx10^5-10^6$ solar masses) black hole have gathered significant attention. While these have been compared only qualitatively with observations, the phenomenology of QPEs is developing at a fast pace, with the potential to reveal new insights. Here we report two new observational results found in eRO-QPE1, the brightest QPE source discovered so far: i)…
Binary supermassive black hole (SMBH) systems result from galaxy mergers, and will eventually coalesce due to gravitational wave (GW) emission if the binary separation can be reduced to $\lesssim 0.1$ pc by other mechanisms. Here, we explore a gravitational self-lensing binary SMBH model for the sharp (duration $\sim 1$ hr), quasi-regular X-ray flares -- dubbed quasi-periodic eruptions -- recently observed from two low mass active galactic nuclei: GSN 069 and RX J1301.9+2747. In our model, the binary is observed $\sim$edge-on, such that each SMBH gravitationally lenses light from the accretion…
Dwarf novæ (DNe) and low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are compact binaries showing variability on time scales from years to less than seconds. Here, we focus on explaining part of the rapid fluctuations in DNe, following the framework of recent studies on the monthly eruptions of DNe that use a hybrid disk composed of an outer standard disk and an inner magnetized disk. We show that the ionization instability, that is responsible for the monthly eruptions of DNe, is also able to operate in the inner magnetized disk. Given the low density and the fast accretion time scale of the inner magnetized…
Evolution of Quasi-Periodic Eruptions in the post-TDE Accretion Disk Perturbed by an Orbiting Star
Masaryk University（马萨里克大学）；Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences（捷克科学院物理研究所）；Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences（捷克科学院天文研究所）
Quasi-periodic Eruptions from Recurrent Satellite Black Hole Transits through Magnetized Galactic Nucleus Accretion Disks
Xiamen University（厦门大学）；SHAO-XMU Joint Center for Astrophysics, Xiamen University（厦大-上海天文台天体物理联合中心）；Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海天文台）
Following the discovery of a new class of X-ray variability seen in four galaxies, dubbed Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs), we reconsider the variability seen in the low-mass AGN 2XMM J123103.2+110648 to ascertain whether it should be considered the fifth QPE host galaxy. We apply the autocorrelation function to two archival XMM-Newton observations to determine characteristic timescales for variability of $\sim$ 13.52 ks and $\sim$ 14.35 ks. The modelling of lightcurves, both folded at these timescales and unfolded, indicates that a Gaussian model is preferable over a sinusoidal model, with ave…
In the past two decades, high amplitude electromagnetic outbursts have been detected from dormant galaxies and often attributed to the tidal disruption of a star by the central black hole. X-ray emission from the Seyfert 2 galaxy GSN 069 (2MASX J01190869-3411305) at redshift z = 0.018 was first detected in 2010 July and implies an X-ray brightening of more than a factor of 240 over ROSAT observations performed 16 years earlier. The emission has smoothly decayed over time since 2010, possibly indicating a long-lived tidal disruption event. The X-ray spectrum is ultra-soft and can be described b…
Two-body relaxation in the EMRI-TDE disk model for Quasi Periodic Eruptions
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca（米兰比可卡大学）；INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca（意大利国家核物理研究所米兰比可卡分部）；INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera（意大利国家天体物理研究所布雷拉天文台）
Resolving Oblique Star-Disk Collisions in Quasi-Periodic Eruptions: Numerical Requirements and the Importance of Geometry
University of Nevada, Las Vegas（内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校）；Nevada Center for Astrophysics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas（内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校内华达天体物理中心）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）
Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) are important targets for future space-borne gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, such as the Laser Interferometer Sapce Antenna (LISA). Recent works suggest that EMRI may reside in a population of newly discovered X-ray transients called "quasi-periodic eruptions" (QPEs). Here we follow this scenario and investigate the detectability of the five recently discovered QPEs by LISA. We consider two specific models in which the QPEs are made of either stellar-mass objects moving on circular orbits around massive black holes (MBHs) or white dwarfs (WDs) on eccentr…
Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are extreme high-amplitude bursts of X-ray radiation recurring every few hours and originating near the central supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei. It is currently unknown what triggers these events, how long they last and how they are connected to the physical properties of the inner accretion flows. Previously, only two such sources were known, found either serendipitously or in archival data, with emission lines in their optical spectra classifying their nuclei as hosting an actively accreting supermassive black hole. Here we present the detection of…
X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are discovered recently in active galaxies with unknown driven mechanism. Under the assumption that QPEs are caused by star-disc collisions, we adopt full relativistic method and show that both the orbital parameters of the star and also the mass and spinning of the massive black hole (MBH) can be revealed by using the time of arrival (TOA) of the QPEs. By applying the model to the observed QPEs of GSN069, we find that the star is in a near-circular orbit ( $e_\bullet=0.05^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$) with semimajor axis of $\sim 365^{+54}_{-49}r_{\rm g}$ around a MB…
Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；Institute for Advanced Study（高等研究院）；Princeton University（普林斯顿大学）；Harvard University（哈佛大学）；New York University（纽约大学）
Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are found in the center of five galaxies, where a tidal disruption event (TDE)-like event is also reported in GSN 069 that happened a couple of years before the QPEs. We explain the connection of these phenomena based on a model of a highly eccentric white-dwarf (WD)-$10^{4-6}M_{\odot}$ massive black hole (MBH) binary formed by the Hill mechanism. In this system, the tidal induced internal oscillation of WD can heat the WD envelope thereby induces the tidal nova and inflates the WD envelope, which can be captured by the MBH and form a TDE. The tidal stripping of…
GSN 069 is the first galactic nucleus where quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) have been identified. These are high-amplitude, soft X-ray bursts recurring every ~9 hr, lasting ~1 hr, and during which the X-ray count rate increases by up to two orders of magnitude with respect to an otherwise stable quiescent level. The X-ray spectral properties and the long-term evolution of GSN 069 in the first few years are consistent with a long-lived tidal disruption event (TDE). Here we derive the properties of QPEs and of the long-term X-ray evolution in GSN 069 over the past 12 yr by studying timing and sp…
X-ray Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are a recently discovered phenomenon associated with supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. They are high amplitude soft X-ray flares that recur on timescales of hours, but what causes these flares remains uncertain. In the two years since their original discovery, four known QPE-hosting galaxies have been found, with varying properties and levels of activity. We have conducted a blind algorithm-assisted search of the XMM-Newton Source Catalog and found a fifth QPE candidate, XMMSL1 J024916.6-041244. This is a star-forming galaxy hosting a re…
Relativistic outflows power a quasi-periodic eruption: constraints on energetics, mass loss, and emission mechanisms
Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学）；Flatiron Institute（平顿研究所）；Center for Astrophysics — Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛-史密森天体物理中心）；Harvard University（哈佛大学）；New York University（纽约大学）；Technion（以色列理工学院）
A positive period derivative in the quasi-periodic eruptions of ZTF19acnskyy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University（哈佛大学黑洞倡议）；Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学）；New York University（纽约大学）；Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA（西班牙国家航空航天技术研究所与西班牙国家科学研究委员会天体生物学中心）；Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez（阿道夫·伊巴涅斯大学）；Millennium Nucleus on Transversal Research and Technology to Explore Supermassive Black Holes (TITANS)（探索超大质量黑洞跨学科研究与技术千年核）；Instituto de Estudios Astrofísicos（天体物理研究所）
Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs), which are a new kind of X-ray bursts with a recurrence time of several hours, have been detected from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei. Recently, the two QPEs discovered by the \textit{eROSITA} show asymmetric light curves with a fast rise and a slow decline. Current models cannot explain the observational characteristics of QPEs. Here we show that QPEs can be generated from the Roche lobe overflows at each periapsis passage of an evolved star orbiting an SMBH. The properties of the companion stars are constrained via analytic estimations. We…
Discovery of Quasi-periodic Eruptions in the Tidal Disruption Event and Extreme Coronal Line Emitter AT2022upj: implications for the QPE/TDE fraction and a connection to ECLEs
Using the disc instability model for dwarf novae and soft X-ray transients, we investigate the stability of accretion discs in long-period binary systems. We simulate outbursts due to this thermal-viscous instability for two symbiotic systems, RS~Ophiuchi and Z~Andromedae. The outburst properties deduced from our simulations suggest that, although the recurrent nova events observed in RS~Oph are due to a thermonuclear runaway at the white dwarf surface, these runaways are triggered by accretion disc instabilities. In quiescence, the disc builds up its mass and it is only during the disc-instab…
Multimessenger prospects of quasi-periodic eruptions
Institute of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics（数学物理学院理论物理研究所）；Dipartimento di Fisica “A. Pontremoli”, Università degli Studi di Milano（米兰大学A. Pontremoli物理系）；Dipartimento di Fisica “G. Occhialini”, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca（米兰比可卡大学G. Occhialini物理系）
