A maximum X-ray luminosity scale of disc-dominated tidal disruption events

TL;DR

This paper models disc-dominated tidal disruption events around low-mass black holes, predicting a maximum X-ray luminosity scale of about 10^{43}-10^{44} erg/s, independent of black hole mass, aligning with observations.

Contribution

It introduces a dynamical model linking Eddington luminosity to debris formation, predicting a universal X-ray luminosity limit for TDEs around low-mass black holes.

Findings

Bright TDEs reach a maximum X-ray luminosity of 10^{43}-10^{44} erg/s.

Most low-mass black hole TDEs are obscured in X-rays by outflows.

Predicted luminosity scale matches observed TDE populations.

Abstract

We develop a model describing the dynamical and observed properties of disc-dominated TDEs around black holes with the lowest masses ($M \lesssim {\rm few} \times 10^{6} M_\odot$). TDEs around black holes with the lowest masses are most likely to reach super-Eddington luminosities at early times in their evolution. By assuming that the amount of stellar debris which can form into a compact accretion disc is set dynamically by the Eddington luminosity, we make a number of interesting and testable predictions about the observed properties of bright soft-state X-ray TDEs and optically bright, X-ray dim TDEs. We argue that TDEs around black holes of the lowest masses will expel the vast majority of their gravitationally bound debris into a radiatively driven outflow. A large-mass outflow will obscure the innermost X-ray producing regions, leading to a population of low black hole mass TDEs which are only observed at optical \& UV energies. TDE discs evolving with bolometric luminosities comparable to their Eddington luminosity will have near constant (i.e. black hole mass independent) X-ray luminosities, of order $L_{\rm X, max} \equiv L_M \sim 10^{43} - 10^{44}$ erg/s. The range of luminosity values stems primarily from the range of allowed black hole spins. A similar X-ray luminosity limit exists for X-ray TDEs in the hard (Compton scattering dominated) state, and we therefore predict that the X-ray luminosity of the brightest X-ray TDEs will be at the scale $L_M(a) \sim 10^{43}-10^{44}$ erg/s, independent of black hole mass and accretion state. These predictions are in strong agreement with the properties of the existing population ($\sim 40$ sources) of observed TDEs.