Kavli Affiliate: Dheeraj R. Pasham
| First 5 Authors: Dheeraj R. Pasham, Eric Coughlin, Sjoert van Velzen, Jason Hinkle,
| Summary:
Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are recurring soft X-ray outbursts from
galactic nuclei and represent an intriguing new class of transients. Currently,
10 QPE sources are reported in the literature, and a major challenge lies in
identifying more because they are (apparently) intrinsically and exclusively
X-ray bright. Here we highlight the unusual infrared (IR) echo of the tidal
disruption event (TDE) — and subsequent QPE source — AT2019qiz, which rose
continuously and approximately linearly with time over roughly 1000 days
(between 2019 and 2024). We argue that this continuous long rise alongside the
relatively high inferred IR temperature (800-1200 K) cannot be generated by the
TDE itself, including the late-time/remnant TDE disk, but that the reprocessing
of the light from the QPEs by a shell of dust can reproduce the observations.
This model predicts 1) IR QPEs at the 0.1 percent level that are potentially
detectable with the James Webb Space Telescope, and 2) that if the QPEs cease
in AT2019qiz, the IR light curve should decline steadily and linearly over the
same 1000-day timescale. We identify another TDE with similar IR behavior,
AT2020ysg, which could thus harbor QPEs. Our findings and inferences constitute
a novel method for identifying “bright” QPEs (with peak bolometric
luminosities $gtrsim$10$^{44}$ erg/sec), i.e., that the follow-up of optically
selected TDEs with wide-field infrared surveys can indirectly reveal the
presence of QPEs. This approach could be particularly effective with the
upcoming Roman telescope, which could detect dozens of QPE candidates for
high-cadence X-ray follow-up.
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