EXTREME CORONAL LINE EMITTERS: TIDAL DISRUPTION OF STARS BY MASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN GALACTIC NUCLEI?

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 749; no. 2; pp. 115 - 15
• Main Authors: Wang, Ting-Gui, Zhou, Hong-Yan, Komossa, S., Wang, Hui-Yuan, Yuan, Weimin, Yang, Chenwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP 20.04.2012
• Subjects: Astronomy; ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BLACK HOLES; Black holes (astronomy); Disruption; Earth, ocean, space; Emitters; Exact sciences and technology; Fading; GALAXIES; GALAXY NUCLEI; IONIZATION; LUMINOSITY; MASS; PHOTON EMISSION; Signatures; Stars; Stellar coronas; SUPERNOVAE; Accretion; Line shape; Coronal line; Supernovae; Black holes; Disk galaxies; Absolute magnitude; Line formation; Luminosity; Supermassive black hole; Velocity dispersion; supernovae: general; line: formation; black hole physics; Supermassive stars; Ionization; Galaxy nuclei; Cosmology; Emission line; Galactic centers; galaxies: nuclei; Sky surveys; Massive black hole

Tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies is expected to produce unique emission-line signatures, which have not yet been explored adequately. Here we report the discovery of extremely strong coronal lines from [FeX] up to [FeXIV] in a sample of seven galaxies...