Long-term stream evolution in tidal disruption events

Understand

A large number of tidal disruption event (TDE) candidates have been observed recently, often differing in their observational features.

• Two classes appear to stand out: X-ray and optical TDEs, the latter featuring lower effective temperatures and luminosities.
• These differences can be explained if the radiation detected from the two categories of events originates from different locations.
• In practice, this location is set by the evolution of the debris stream around the black hole and by the energy dissipation associated with it.