Stars getting close enough to black holes(BHs)can be torn apart by strong tidal forces,producing electromagnetic flares.To date,more than 100 tidal disruption events(TDEs)have been observed,each involving invariably n...Stars getting close enough to black holes(BHs)can be torn apart by strong tidal forces,producing electromagnetic flares.To date,more than 100 tidal disruption events(TDEs)have been observed,each involving invariably normal gaseous stars whose debris falls onto the BH,sustaining the flares over years.White dwarfs(WDs),which are the most prevalent compact stars and a million times denser-and therefore tougher-than gaseous stars,can only be disrupted by intermediate-mass black holes(IMBHs)of 10^(2)–10^(5) solar masses.WD-TDEs are considered to generate more powerful and short-lived flares,but their evidence has been lacking.Here we report observations of a fast and luminous X-ray transient EP250702a detected by Einstein Probe.Its one-day-long X-ray peak as luminous as 10^(47−49) erg s^(−1) showed strong recurrent flares with hard spectra extending to several tens of MeV gamma-rays,as detected by Fermi/GBM and Konus-Wind,indicating relativistic jet emission.The jet's X-rays dropped sharply from 3×10^(49) erg s^(−1) to around 1044 erg s^(−1) within 20 days(10 days in the source rest frame).These characteristics are inconsistent with any previously known transient phenomena.We suggest that this fast-evolving event over the unprecedentedly short timescale arises likely from disruption of a WD by an IMBH.At late times,a soft component progressively dominates the X-ray spectrum,reaching a luminosity as high as 1044 erg s^(−1),which is consistent with being extreme super-Eddington emission from an accretion disk expected to form in an IMBH-WD TDE.WD-TDEs open a new window for investigating the elusive IMBHs and their surrounding stellar environments,and they are prime sources of gravitational waves in the band of space-based interferometers.展开更多
The Einstein Probe(EP)is an interdisciplinary mission of time-domain and X-ray astronomy.Equipped with a wide-field lobstereye X-ray focusing imager,EP will discover cosmic X-ray transients and monitor the X-ray varia...The Einstein Probe(EP)is an interdisciplinary mission of time-domain and X-ray astronomy.Equipped with a wide-field lobstereye X-ray focusing imager,EP will discover cosmic X-ray transients and monitor the X-ray variability of known sources in 0.5-4 keV,at a combination of detecting sensitivity and cadence that is not accessible to the previous and current wide-field monitoring missions.EP can perform quick characterisation of transients or outbursts with a Wolter-I X-ray telescope onboard.In this paper,the science objectives of the EP mission are presented.EP is expected to enlarge the sample of previously known or predicted but rare types of transients with a wide range of timescales.Among them,fast extragalactic transients will be surveyed systematically in soft X-rays,which includeγ-ray bursts and their variants,supernova shock breakouts,and the predicted X-ray transients associated with binary neutron star mergers.EP will detect X-ray tidal disruption events and outbursts from active galactic nuclei,possibly at an early phase of the flares for some.EP will monitor the variability and outbursts of X-rays from white dwarfs,neutron stars and black holes in our and neighbouring galaxies at flux levels fainter than those detectable by the current instruments,and is expected to discover new objects.A large sample of stellar X-ray flares will also be detected and characterised.In the era of multi-messenger astronomy,EP has the potential of detecting the possible X-ray counterparts of gravitational wave events,neutrino sources,and ultra-high energyγ-ray and cosmic ray sources.EP is expected to help advance the studies of extreme objects and phenomena revealed in the dynamic X-ray universe,and their underlying physical processes.Besides EP's strength in time-domain science,its follow-up telescope,with excellent performance,will also enable advances in many areas of X-ray astronomy.展开更多
We report the discovery of a peculiar X-ray transient,EP240408a,by Einstein Probe(EP)and follow-up studies made with EP,Swift,NICER,GROND,ATCA and other ground-based multiwavelength telescopes.The new transient was fi...We report the discovery of a peculiar X-ray transient,EP240408a,by Einstein Probe(EP)and follow-up studies made with EP,Swift,NICER,GROND,ATCA and other ground-based multiwavelength telescopes.The new transient was first detected with Wide-field X-ray Telescope(WXT)on board EP on April 8th,2024,manifested in an intense yet brief X-ray flare lasting for 12 s.The flare reached a peak flux of 3:9×10^(−9) erg cm^(−2) s^(−1) in 0.5-4 keV,∼300 times brighter than the underlying X-ray emission detected throughout the observation.Rapid and more precise follow-up observations by EP/FXT,Swift and NICER confirmed the finding of this new transient.Its X-ray spectrum is non-thermal in 0.5-10 keV,with a power-law photon index varying within 1.8-2.5.The X-ray light curve shows a plateau lasting for∼4 d,followed by a steep decay till becoming undetectable∼10 d after the initial detection.Based on its temporal property and constraints from previous EP observations,an unusual timescale in the range of 7-23 d is found for EP240408a,which is intermediate between the commonly found fast and long-term transients.No counterparts have been found in optical and near-infrared,with the earliest observation at 17 h after the initial X-ray detection,suggestive of intrinsically weak emission in these bands.We demonstrate that the remarkable properties of EP240408a are inconsistent with any of the transient types known so far,by comparison with,in particular,jetted tidal disruption events,gamma-ray bursts,X-ray binaries and fast blue optical transients.The nature of EP240408a thus remains an enigma.We suggest that EP240408a may represent a new type of transients with intermediate timescales of the order of∼10 d.The detection and follow-ups of more of such objects are essential for revealing their origin.展开更多
文摘Stars getting close enough to black holes(BHs)can be torn apart by strong tidal forces,producing electromagnetic flares.To date,more than 100 tidal disruption events(TDEs)have been observed,each involving invariably normal gaseous stars whose debris falls onto the BH,sustaining the flares over years.White dwarfs(WDs),which are the most prevalent compact stars and a million times denser-and therefore tougher-than gaseous stars,can only be disrupted by intermediate-mass black holes(IMBHs)of 10^(2)–10^(5) solar masses.WD-TDEs are considered to generate more powerful and short-lived flares,but their evidence has been lacking.Here we report observations of a fast and luminous X-ray transient EP250702a detected by Einstein Probe.Its one-day-long X-ray peak as luminous as 10^(47−49) erg s^(−1) showed strong recurrent flares with hard spectra extending to several tens of MeV gamma-rays,as detected by Fermi/GBM and Konus-Wind,indicating relativistic jet emission.The jet's X-rays dropped sharply from 3×10^(49) erg s^(−1) to around 1044 erg s^(−1) within 20 days(10 days in the source rest frame).These characteristics are inconsistent with any previously known transient phenomena.We suggest that this fast-evolving event over the unprecedentedly short timescale arises likely from disruption of a WD by an IMBH.At late times,a soft component progressively dominates the X-ray spectrum,reaching a luminosity as high as 1044 erg s^(−1),which is consistent with being extreme super-Eddington emission from an accretion disk expected to form in an IMBH-WD TDE.WD-TDEs open a new window for investigating the elusive IMBHs and their surrounding stellar environments,and they are prime sources of gravitational waves in the band of space-based interferometers.
基金supported by Strategic Priority Program on Space Science of Chinese Academy of Sciences,in collaboration with ESA,MPE and CNES(Grant Nos.XDA15310000,and XDA15052100)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.61234003,61434004,and 61504141)CAS Interdisciplinary Project(Grant No.KJZD-EW-L11-04)。
文摘The Einstein Probe(EP)is an interdisciplinary mission of time-domain and X-ray astronomy.Equipped with a wide-field lobstereye X-ray focusing imager,EP will discover cosmic X-ray transients and monitor the X-ray variability of known sources in 0.5-4 keV,at a combination of detecting sensitivity and cadence that is not accessible to the previous and current wide-field monitoring missions.EP can perform quick characterisation of transients or outbursts with a Wolter-I X-ray telescope onboard.In this paper,the science objectives of the EP mission are presented.EP is expected to enlarge the sample of previously known or predicted but rare types of transients with a wide range of timescales.Among them,fast extragalactic transients will be surveyed systematically in soft X-rays,which includeγ-ray bursts and their variants,supernova shock breakouts,and the predicted X-ray transients associated with binary neutron star mergers.EP will detect X-ray tidal disruption events and outbursts from active galactic nuclei,possibly at an early phase of the flares for some.EP will monitor the variability and outbursts of X-rays from white dwarfs,neutron stars and black holes in our and neighbouring galaxies at flux levels fainter than those detectable by the current instruments,and is expected to discover new objects.A large sample of stellar X-ray flares will also be detected and characterised.In the era of multi-messenger astronomy,EP has the potential of detecting the possible X-ray counterparts of gravitational wave events,neutrino sources,and ultra-high energyγ-ray and cosmic ray sources.EP is expected to help advance the studies of extreme objects and phenomena revealed in the dynamic X-ray universe,and their underlying physical processes.Besides EP's strength in time-domain science,its follow-up telescope,with excellent performance,will also enable advances in many areas of X-ray astronomy.
基金based on data obtained with Einstein Probe,a space mission supported by Strategic Priority Program on Space Science of Chinese Academy of Sciences,in collaboration with ESA,MPE and CNES(Grant No.XDA15310000)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDB0550200)+5 种基金the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2022YFF0711500)the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12333004,12321003,12103065,12373040,12021003,12025303,12393814,and 12203071)the China Manned Space Project(Grant Nos.CMS-CSST-2021-A13,and CMS-CSST-2021-B11)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciencessupported by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship(Grant No.RYC2021-030888-I)financial support from AGAUR,CSIC,MCIN and AEI 10.13039/501100011033(Grant Nos.PID2023-151307NB-I00,PIE 20215AT016,CEX2020-001058-M,and 2021-SGR-01270)。
文摘We report the discovery of a peculiar X-ray transient,EP240408a,by Einstein Probe(EP)and follow-up studies made with EP,Swift,NICER,GROND,ATCA and other ground-based multiwavelength telescopes.The new transient was first detected with Wide-field X-ray Telescope(WXT)on board EP on April 8th,2024,manifested in an intense yet brief X-ray flare lasting for 12 s.The flare reached a peak flux of 3:9×10^(−9) erg cm^(−2) s^(−1) in 0.5-4 keV,∼300 times brighter than the underlying X-ray emission detected throughout the observation.Rapid and more precise follow-up observations by EP/FXT,Swift and NICER confirmed the finding of this new transient.Its X-ray spectrum is non-thermal in 0.5-10 keV,with a power-law photon index varying within 1.8-2.5.The X-ray light curve shows a plateau lasting for∼4 d,followed by a steep decay till becoming undetectable∼10 d after the initial detection.Based on its temporal property and constraints from previous EP observations,an unusual timescale in the range of 7-23 d is found for EP240408a,which is intermediate between the commonly found fast and long-term transients.No counterparts have been found in optical and near-infrared,with the earliest observation at 17 h after the initial X-ray detection,suggestive of intrinsically weak emission in these bands.We demonstrate that the remarkable properties of EP240408a are inconsistent with any of the transient types known so far,by comparison with,in particular,jetted tidal disruption events,gamma-ray bursts,X-ray binaries and fast blue optical transients.The nature of EP240408a thus remains an enigma.We suggest that EP240408a may represent a new type of transients with intermediate timescales of the order of∼10 d.The detection and follow-ups of more of such objects are essential for revealing their origin.
