VLBI Diagnostics for Off-axis Jets in Tidal Disruption Events
Research Paper#Astrophysics🔬 Research|Analyzed: Jan 4, 2026 00:19•
Published: Dec 25, 2025 13:26
•1 min read
•ArXivAnalysis
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 / Citation
View Original"Detecting superluminal motion would provide a smoking-gun signature of the off-axis jet interpretation."