A very luminous jet from the disruption of a star by a massive black hole

Igor Andreoni (), Michael W. Coughlin (), Daniel A. Perley, Yuhan Yao, Wenbin Lu, S. Bradley Cenko, Harsh Kumar, Shreya Anand, Anna Y. Q. Ho, Mansi M. Kasliwal, Antonio de Ugarte Postigo, Ana Sagués-Carracedo, Steve Schulze, D. Alexander Kann, S. R. Kulkarni, Jesper Sollerman, Nial Tanvir, Armin Rest, Luca Izzo, Jean J. Somalwar, David L. Kaplan, Tomás Ahumada, G. C. Anupama, Katie Auchettl, Sudhanshu Barway, Eric C. Bellm, Varun Bhalerao, Joshua S. Bloom, Michael Bremer, Mattia Bulla, Eric Burns, Sergio Campana, Poonam Chandra, Panos Charalampopoulos, Jeff Cooke, Valerio D’Elia, Kaustav Kashyap Das, Dougal Dobie, José Feliciano Agüí Fernández, James Freeburn, Cristoffer Fremling, Suvi Gezari, Simon Goode, Matthew J. Graham, Erica Hammerstein, Viraj R. Karambelkar, Charles D. Kilpatrick, Erik C. Kool, Melanie Krips, Russ R. Laher, Giorgos Leloudas, Andrew Levan, Michael J. Lundquist, Ashish A. Mahabal, Michael S. Medford, M. Coleman Miller, Anais Möller, Kunal P. Mooley, A. J. Nayana, Guy Nir, Peter T. H. Pang, Emmy Paraskeva, Richard A. Perley, Glen Petitpas, Miika Pursiainen, Vikram Ravi, Ryan Ridden-Harper, Reed Riddle, Mickael Rigault, Antonio C. Rodriguez, Ben Rusholme, Yashvi Sharma, I. A. Smith, Robert D. Stein, Christina Thöne, Aaron Tohuvavohu, Frank Valdes, Jan van Roestel, Susanna D. Vergani, Qinan Wang and Jielai Zhang
Additional contact information
Igor Andreoni: University of Maryland
Michael W. Coughlin: University of Minnesota
Daniel A. Perley: Liverpool John Moores University
Yuhan Yao: California Institute of Technology
Wenbin Lu: Princeton University
S. Bradley Cenko: University of Maryland
Harsh Kumar: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Shreya Anand: California Institute of Technology
Anna Y. Q. Ho: University of California, Berkeley
Mansi M. Kasliwal: California Institute of Technology
Antonio de Ugarte Postigo: Artemis, Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS
Ana Sagués-Carracedo: Stockholm University, AlbaNova
Steve Schulze: Stockholm University, AlbaNova
D. Alexander Kann: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía
S. R. Kulkarni: California Institute of Technology
Jesper Sollerman: Stockholm University, AlbaNova
Nial Tanvir: University of Leicester
Armin Rest: Space Telescope Science Institute
Luca Izzo: University of Copenhagen
Jean J. Somalwar: California Institute of Technology
David L. Kaplan: University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Tomás Ahumada: University of Maryland
G. C. Anupama: Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Katie Auchettl: University of Melbourne
Sudhanshu Barway: Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Eric C. Bellm: University of Washington
Varun Bhalerao: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Joshua S. Bloom: University of California, Berkeley
Michael Bremer: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)
Mattia Bulla: Stockholm University, AlbaNova
Eric Burns: Louisiana State University
Sergio Campana: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Poonam Chandra: National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Panos Charalampopoulos: Technical University of Denmark
Jeff Cooke: Swinburne University of Technology
Valerio D’Elia: Space Science Data Center – Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
Kaustav Kashyap Das: California Institute of Technology
Dougal Dobie: Swinburne University of Technology
José Feliciano Agüí Fernández: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía
James Freeburn: Swinburne University of Technology
Cristoffer Fremling: California Institute of Technology
Suvi Gezari: Space Telescope Science Institute
Simon Goode: Swinburne University of Technology
Matthew J. Graham: California Institute of Technology
Erica Hammerstein: University of Maryland
Viraj R. Karambelkar: California Institute of Technology
Charles D. Kilpatrick: Northwestern University
Erik C. Kool: Stockholm University, AlbaNova
Melanie Krips: Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)
Russ R. Laher: California Institute of Technology
Giorgos Leloudas: Technical University of Denmark
Andrew Levan: Radboud University
Michael J. Lundquist: W. M. Keck Observatory
Ashish A. Mahabal: California Institute of Technology
Michael S. Medford: University of California, Berkeley
M. Coleman Miller: University of Maryland
Anais Möller: Swinburne University of Technology
Kunal P. Mooley: California Institute of Technology
A. J. Nayana: Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Guy Nir: University of California, Berkeley
Peter T. H. Pang: Nikhef
Emmy Paraskeva: IAASARS, National Observatory of Athens
Richard A. Perley: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Glen Petitpas: Center for Astrophysics – Harvard & Smithsonian
Miika Pursiainen: Technical University of Denmark
Vikram Ravi: California Institute of Technology
Ryan Ridden-Harper: University of Canterbury
Reed Riddle: California Institute of Technology
Mickael Rigault: Université Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, IP2I Lyon / IN2P3, IMR 5822
Antonio C. Rodriguez: California Institute of Technology
Ben Rusholme: California Institute of Technology
Yashvi Sharma: California Institute of Technology
I. A. Smith: University of Hawaiʻi
Robert D. Stein: California Institute of Technology
Christina Thöne: Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences (ASU-CAS)
Aaron Tohuvavohu: University of Toronto
Frank Valdes: National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory
Jan van Roestel: California Institute of Technology
Susanna D. Vergani: PSL University, CNRS
Qinan Wang: Space Telescope Science Institute
Jielai Zhang: Swinburne University of Technology

Nature, 2022, vol. 612, issue 7940, 430-434

Abstract: Abstract Tidal disruption events (TDEs) are bursts of electromagnetic energy that are released when supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies violently disrupt a star that passes too close1. TDEs provide a window through which to study accretion onto supermassive black holes; in some rare cases, this accretion leads to launching of a relativistic jet2–9, but the necessary conditions are not fully understood. The best-studied jetted TDE so far is Swift J1644+57, which was discovered in γ-rays, but was too obscured by dust to be seen at optical wavelengths. Here we report the optical detection of AT2022cmc, a rapidly fading source at cosmological distance (redshift z = 1.19325) the unique light curve of which transitioned into a luminous plateau within days. Observations of a bright counterpart at other wavelengths, including X-ray, submillimetre and radio, supports the interpretation of AT2022cmc as a jetted TDE containing a synchrotron ‘afterglow’, probably launched by a supermassive black hole with spin greater than approximately 0.3. Using four years of Zwicky Transient Facility10 survey data, we calculate a rate of $$0.0{2}_{-0.01}^{+0.04}$$ 0.0 2 − 0.01 + 0.04 Gpc−3 yr−1 for on-axis jetted TDEs on the basis of the luminous, fast-fading red component, thus providing a measurement complementary to the rates derived from X-ray and radio observations11. Correcting for the beaming angle effects, this rate confirms that approximately 1 per cent of TDEs have relativistic jets. Optical surveys can use AT2022cmc as a prototype to unveil a population of jetted TDEs.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05465-8

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