Application of the Disk Instability Model to All Quasiperiodic Eruptions

Pan, Xin; Li, Shuang-Liang; Cao, Xinwu

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acd180

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…This temperature fluctuation bears resemblance to the disk instability scenario. Particularly, we noticed that the disk instability model has been proposed to explain QPEs in previous studies (Pan et al 2023;Śniegowska et al 2023) and the X-ray flares observed in ASASSN-14ko are rather similar to QPEs. Another popular model involved in explaining QPE is the star-disk collision model (Xian et al 2021;Linial & Metzger 2023), which is yet disfavored by a lower energy released by 1 order of magnitude than that observed in individual flares of ASASSN-14ko (∼10 50 erg).…”

Section: Other Scenariossupporting

confidence: 64%

Dissonance in Harmony: The UV/Optical Periodic Outbursts of ASASSN-14ko Exhibit Repeated Bumps and Rebrightenings

Huang,

Jiang,

Shen

et al. 2023

ApJL

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ASASSN-14ko was identified as an abnormal periodic nuclear transient with a potential decreasing period. Its outbursts in the optical and UV bands have displayed a consistent and smooth “fast rise and slow decay” pattern since its discovery, which has recently experienced an unexpected alteration in the last two epochs, as revealed by our proposed high-cadence Swift observations. The new light curve profiles show a bump during the rising stages and a rebrightening during the declining stages, making them much broader and symmetrical than the previous ones. In the last two epochs, there is no significant difference in the X-ray spectral slope compared to the previous one, and its overall luminosity is lower than those of the previous epochs. The energy released in the early bump and rebrightening phases (∼1050 erg) could be due to collision of the stripped stream from partial tidal disruption events with an expanded accretion disk. We also discussed other potential explanations, such as disk instability and star–disk collisions. Further high-cadence multiwavelength observations of subsequent cycles are encouraged to comprehend the unique periodic source with its new intriguing features.

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Section: Other Scenariossupporting

confidence: 64%

Dissonance in Harmony: The UV/Optical Periodic Outbursts of ASASSN-14ko Exhibit Repeated Bumps and Rebrightenings

Huang,

Jiang,

Shen

et al. 2023

ApJL

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“…There are a large number of models proposed to explain the origin of QPEs, fitting broadly into two categories. The first class is recurring limit cycle instabilities within the SMBH accretion disk (Raj & Nixon 2021; Pan et al 2022;Śniegowska et al 2023;Kaur et al 2023;Pan et al 2023), inspired by observations of recurring high-amplitude outbursts (the heartbeat states) seen in black hole X-ray binaries GRS 1915+105 (Belloni et al 2000) and IGR J17091-3624 (Altamirano et al 2011). In fact, Wang et al 2024 reported high-amplitude variability at 0.5 Hz, which scaled to a 10 5 M e SMBH corresponding to ∼2 days, similar to the QPE timescales.…”

Section: Qpe Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, the origin of QPEs is still debated. Existing models are separated broadly into (a) recurring limit cycle instabilities within the SMBH accretion disk (Raj & Nixon 2021; Pan et al 2022;Śniegowska et al 2023;Kaur et al 2023;Pan et al 2023), or (b) the interaction of the SMBH with a lower-mass orbiting companion, which allows many different prescriptions for precisely how the X-ray emission is Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing EMRI Models for Quasi-periodic Eruptions with 3.5 yr of Monitoring eRO-QPE1

Chakraborty,

Arcodia,

Kara

et al. 2024

ApJ

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Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are luminous X-ray outbursts recurring on hour timescales, observed from the nuclei of a growing handful of nearby low-mass galaxies. Their physical origin is still debated, and usually modeled as (a) accretion disk instabilities or (b) interaction of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a lower mass companion in an extreme mass-ratio inspiral (EMRI). EMRI models can be tested with several predictions related to the short- and long-term behavior of QPEs. In this study, we report on the ongoing 3.5 yr NICER and XMM-Newton monitoring campaign of eRO-QPE1, which is known to exhibit erratic QPEs that have been challenging for the simplest EMRI models to explain. We report (1) complex, non-monotonic evolution in the long-term trends of QPE energy output and inferred emitting area; (2) the disappearance of the QPEs (within NICER detectability) in 2023 October, and then the reappearance by 2024 January at a luminosity of ∼100× fainter (and temperature of ∼3× cooler) than the initial discovery; (3) radio non-detections with MeerKAT and Very Large Array observations partly contemporaneous with our NICER campaign (though not during outbursts); and (4) the presence of a possible ∼6 day modulation of the QPE timing residuals, which aligns with the expected nodal precession timescale of the underlying accretion disk. Our results tentatively support EMRI–disk collision models powering the QPEs, and we demonstrate that the timing modulation of QPEs may be used to jointly constrain the SMBH spin and disk density profile.

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“…Alternatively, QPEs have also been suggested to be caused by instabilities in large AGN-like disks (e.g., Sniegowska et al 2020;Raj & Nixon 2021;Pan et al 2023). On one hand, it seems less likely that the connection between QPEs and TDEs is intrinsic in this case.…”

Section: Accretion Disk Instability Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their timing and spectral properties, including quasi-periodic behavior and the emergence of an additional hot thermal component during the outburst rise, are unique among the known variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs; Miniutti et al 2019;Giustini et al 2020;Arcodia et al 2021). QPEs may relate to accretion disk instabilities (Sniegowska et al 2020;Raj & Nixon 2021;Pan et al 2023) or to the interaction between the supermassive black hole (SMBH; or an accretion disk surrounding it) and a stellar-mass companion. The latter class of models comes in many flavors, including repeated partial tidal disruptions (King 2022), Roche lobe overflow (Krolik & Linial 2022;Metzger et al 2022;Lu & Quataert 2023), and star-disk or BH-disk interactions (Franchini et al 2023;Linial & Metzger 2023;Tagawa & Haiman 2023;Zhou et al 2024).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

X-Ray Quasi-periodic Eruptions and Tidal Disruption Events Prefer Similar Host Galaxies

Wevers,

French,

Zabludoff

et al. 2024

ApJL

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In the past 5 yr, six X-ray quasi-periodic eruption (QPE) sources have been discovered in the nuclei of nearby galaxies. Their origin remains an open question. We present Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer integral field spectroscopy of five QPE host galaxies to characterize their properties. We find that 3/5 galaxies host extended emission-line regions (EELRs) up to 10 kpc in size. The EELRs are photoionized by a nonstellar continuum, but the current nuclear luminosity is insufficient to power the observed emission lines. The EELRs are decoupled from the stars both kinematically and in projected sky position, and the low velocities and velocity dispersions (<100 km s−1 and ≲75 km s−1, respectively) are inconsistent with being driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or shocks. The origin of the EELRs is likely a previous phase of nuclear activity. QPE host galaxies share several similarities with tidal disruption event (TDE) hosts, including an overrepresentation of galaxies with strong Balmer absorption and little ongoing star formation, as well as a preference for a short-lived (the typical EELR lifetime is ∼15,000 yr), gas-rich phase where the nucleus has recently faded significantly. This suggests that QPEs and TDEs may share a common formation channel, disfavoring AGN accretion disk instabilities as the origin of QPEs. If QPEs are related to extreme mass ratio inspiral systems (EMRIs), e.g., stellar-mass objects on bound orbits about massive black holes, the high incidence of EELRs and recently faded nuclei could be used to localize the hosts of EMRIs discovered by low-frequency gravitational-wave observatories.

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Application of the Disk Instability Model to All Quasiperiodic Eruptions

Cited by 12 publications

References 59 publications

Dissonance in Harmony: The UV/Optical Periodic Outbursts of ASASSN-14ko Exhibit Repeated Bumps and Rebrightenings

Dissonance in Harmony: The UV/Optical Periodic Outbursts of ASASSN-14ko Exhibit Repeated Bumps and Rebrightenings

Testing EMRI Models for Quasi-periodic Eruptions with 3.5 yr of Monitoring eRO-QPE1

X-Ray Quasi-periodic Eruptions and Tidal Disruption Events Prefer Similar Host Galaxies

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