Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We present the discovery and analysis of the optically selected tidal disruption event (TDE) 2023mfm, which originates from a wandering massive black hole (MBH) in a massive ($\sim 10^{11} \,$M$_{\odot}$) galaxy hosting a central low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN). Our analysis of the ZTF, Lick, Keck, Swift, Chandra, XMM-Newton, HST, and VLA observations reveals that TDE 2023mfm is a TDE-H from a $10^{6.2 \pm 0.5}\,$M$_{\odot}$ black hole which is offset by $0.66 \pm 0.02$" from the center of its host galaxy, corresponding to a projected distance of $1.08 \pm 0.04$ kpc. TDE 2023mfm displays all the traits of optically selected TDEs. The emission remains hot, $T_{\rm bb} \sim 22,000 \pm 1,000$ K, for more than a month after peak, and the $g$-band light curve peaks at $\left( 2.24^{+0.10} _{-0.11} \right) \times 10^{43} \, \rm erg \, s^{-1}$ and stays above half-maximum luminosity for $47.8^{+3.7}_{-3.5}$ days. The late-time optical-to-UV emission observed with the HST suggests the presence of an unresolved stellar population with a stellar mass of $10^7-10^8\,$M$_{\odot}$ at the position of the TDE, possibly being a low-mass dwarf galaxy or a stripped galaxy from a previous minor merger. The radio emission from TDE 2023mfm emerges at least a year after optical discovery, and we find it likely that it originates from a delayed outflow, however, further observations are needed to determine its true origin.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Sfaradi, Itai, Chornock, Ryan, Yao, Yuhan, Hammerstein, Erica, Somalwar, Jean, Margutti, Raffaella, Sears, Huei, Stein, Robert, LeBaron, Natalie, Goodwin, Adelle J., van Velzen, Sjoert, Graham, Matthew J., Alexander, Kate D., J., Nayana A., Berger, Edo, Carney, Jonathan, Cendes, Yvette, Christy, Collin T., Golay, Walter W., Lu, Wenbin, Miller-Jones, James C. A., Ward, Charlotte, Wiston, Eli, Chen, Tracy X., Kasliwal, Mansi M., Masci, Frank J., Sollerman, Jesper
Institutions: University of California, Berkeley, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Curtin University, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Leiden University, Leiden Observatory, California Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Oregon Research Institute, University of Oregon, Pennsylvania State University, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Stockholm University, AlbaNova
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, W. M. Keck Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Drexel University, Space Telescope Science Institute, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Warwick, Stockholms Universitet, University of California Observatories
Awards: The SED Machine: an Efficient Transient Classifier, Exploring & Exploiting the Dynamic Optical Sky, G433322167, G4518818167, G4704845970, G58316358, CAREER: A Holistic Study of Compact-Object Mergers across the Electromagnetic Spectrum, G6273510985, Elucidating the Diversity of Outflows in Tidal Disruption Events
OpenAlex ID: W7214903012