Detection of disk-jet co-precession in a tidal disruption event

TL;DR

This paper presents observational evidence of disk-jet co-precession in a tidal disruption event, showing synchronized X-ray and radio quasi-periodic variations explained by a Lense-Thirring precession model, revealing new short-term variability in TDEs.

Contribution

It provides the first compelling observational evidence of disk-jet co-precession in a TDE, supported by high-cadence radio monitoring and a successful precession model.

Findings

19.6-day quasi-periodic variations in X-ray and radio emissions

Synchronized X-ray and radio variability indicating a shared mechanism

Lense-Thirring precession model explains the observed variations

Abstract

Theories and simulations predict that intense spacetime curvature near black holes bends the trajectories of light and matter, driving disk and jet precession under relativistic torques. However, direct observational evidence of disk-jet co-precession remains elusive. Here, we report the most compelling case to date: a tidal disruption event (TDE) exhibiting unprecedented 19.6-day quasi-periodic variations in both X-rays and radio, with X-ray amplitudes exceeding an order of magnitude. The nearly synchronized X-ray and radio variations suggest a shared mechanism regulating the emission regions. We demonstrate that a disk-jet Lense-Thirring precession model successfully reproduces these variations while requiring a low-spin black hole. This study uncovers previously uncharted short-term radio variability in TDEs, highlights the transformative potential of high-cadence radio monitoring, and offers profound insights into disk-jet physics.