VLBI Diagnostics for Off-axis Jets in Tidal Disruption Events
Analysis
This paper addresses the ambiguity in the origin of late-time radio flares in tidal disruption events (TDEs), specifically focusing on the AT2018hyz event. It proposes using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) to differentiate between a delayed outflow and an off-axis relativistic jet. The paper's significance lies in its potential to provide a definitive observational signature (superluminal motion) to distinguish between these competing models, offering a crucial tool for understanding the physics of TDEs and potentially other jetted explosions.
Key Takeaways
- •VLBI is proposed as a key method to differentiate between delayed outflow and off-axis jet models in TDE radio flares.
- •Superluminal motion of the emission centroid is the key diagnostic for identifying an off-axis jet.
- •The findings are expected to be applicable to other jetted explosions like microquasars and gamma-ray bursts.
Reference
“Detecting superluminal motion would provide a smoking-gun signature of the off-axis jet interpretation.”