Do flares in Sagittarius A* reflect the last stage of tidal capture?

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether the rapid X-ray and IR flares observed in Sagittarius A* are caused by the black hole's tidal capture and disruption of small bodies like comets or asteroids.

Contribution

It proposes a novel hypothesis that flares result from tidal disruption of small bodies, linking stellar dynamics and flare activity in the Galactic Center.

Findings

Flares may originate from tidal capture events.

Small bodies can produce observable flares upon disruption.

Supports the tidal disruption model for flare generation.

Abstract

In recent years the case for the presence of 3-4 10^6 M_sun black hole in our Galactic Center has gained strength from results of stellar dynamics observations and from the detection of several rapid X-ray and IR flares observed in the Sagittarius A* from 2000 to 2004. Here we explore the idea that such flares are produced when the central black hole tidally captures and disrupts a small body - e.g. a comet or an asteroid.