An ultraviolet–optical flare from the tidal disruption of a helium-rich stellar core

S. Gezari (), R. Chornock, A. Rest, M. E. Huber, K. Forster, E. Berger, P. J. Challis, J. D. Neill, D. C. Martin, T. Heckman, A. Lawrence, C. Norman, G. Narayan, R. J. Foley, G. H. Marion, D. Scolnic, L. Chomiuk, A. Soderberg, K. Smith, R. P. Kirshner, A. G. Riess, S. J. Smartt, C. W. Stubbs, J. L. Tonry, W. M. Wood-Vasey, W. S. Burgett, K. C. Chambers, T. Grav, J. N. Heasley, N. Kaiser, R.-P. Kudritzki, E. A. Magnier, J. S. Morgan and P. A. Price
Additional contact information
S. Gezari: Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
R. Chornock: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
A. Rest: Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive
M. E. Huber: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
K. Forster: California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard
E. Berger: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
P. J. Challis: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
J. D. Neill: California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard
D. C. Martin: California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard
T. Heckman: Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
A. Lawrence: Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
C. Norman: Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
G. Narayan: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
R. J. Foley: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
G. H. Marion: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
D. Scolnic: Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
L. Chomiuk: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
A. Soderberg: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
K. Smith: Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
R. P. Kirshner: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
A. G. Riess: Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
S. J. Smartt: Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
C. W. Stubbs: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street
J. L. Tonry: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
W. M. Wood-Vasey: Pittsburgh Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Center, University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
W. S. Burgett: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
K. C. Chambers: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
T. Grav: Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell
J. N. Heasley: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
N. Kaiser: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
R.-P. Kudritzki: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
E. A. Magnier: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
J. S. Morgan: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
P. A. Price: Princeton University

Nature, 2012, vol. 485, issue 7397, 217-220

Abstract: The observation of a flare of radiation from the centre of an inactive galaxy fits a model of the tidal disruption of a helium-rich stellar core and its accretion onto a black hole of about three million solar masses.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10990

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