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Giant-Amplitude X-ray Flares as Probes of the Black Hole Region of Nearby Galaxies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2016

Stefanie Komossa
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany; skomossa@mpe.mpg.de
Weimin Yuan
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OHA, U.K.
Da Wei Xu
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany; National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China

Abstract

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In the last few years, several giant-amplitude, non-recurrent X-ray flares have been observed from optically non-active galaxies. The observations were interpreted in terms of the long-predicted tidal disruption flares of stars captured by supermassive black holes. In this contribution, we review the observations and interpretation of the X-ray flares and add some new thoughts. Future X-ray observations of the flare events are expected to open up a new window to detect and investigate SMBHs and their immediate environment in galaxies. Here, we concentrate on the possibility to detect new X-ray flares in deep fields with the planned European X-ray mission XEUS.

Type
Part 7 Normal Galaxies and Clusters
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2003 

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