Tidal Disruption Event (TDE)

Why in news?

• Telescopes operated by NASA recently observed a massive black hole devouring a star.
• The incident was the fifth-closest example of a black hole destroying a star and occurred 250 million light-years from the earth in the centre of another galaxy.
• This astronomical phenomenon of the destruction of a star by a black hole is formally called a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE).

About Tidal Disruption Event (TDE):

• A Tidal Force is the difference in the strength of gravity between two points. If the tidal force exerted on a body is greater than the intermolecular force that keeps it together, the body will get disrupted.
• During a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE), the tidal force of a black hole disrupts the star in the vicinity.
• While about half of the star’s debris continues on its original path, the other half is attracted by the black hole’s gravitational pull.
• The gradual growth of this material bound to the black hole produces a short-lived flare of emission known as a Tidal Disruption Event.

Significance:

• TDEs are attractive to astronomers because of their observability and short duration, and the opportunity to study the impact of black hole’s gravity on materials around them.
• They are also an important tool to learn how black holes influence their environments.

PRACTICE QUESTION

‘Tidal Disruption Event (TDE)’, sometimes seen in news, is associated with:

(a) Renewable energy generation

(b) Cosmology

(b) Marine pollution

(d) None of the above

Answer