• DOI:10.1088/0004-637X/743/2/134
• Corpus ID: 118446962

SWIFT J1644+57: A WHITE DWARF TIDALLY DISRUPTED BY A 104 M☉ BLACK HOLE?

@article{Krolik2011SWIFTJA,
  title={SWIFT J1644+57: A WHITE DWARF TIDALLY DISRUPTED BY A 104 M☉ BLACK HOLE?},
  author={Julian H. Krolik and Tsvi Piran},
  journal={The Astrophysical Journal},
  year={2011},
  volume={743}
}

• J. Krolik, T. Piran
• Published 5 June 2011
• Physics
• The Astrophysical Journal

We propose that the remarkable object Swift J1644+57, in which multiple recurring hard X-ray flares were seen over a span of several days, is a system in which a white dwarf was tidally disrupted by an intermediate-mass black hole. Disruption of a white dwarf rather than a main-sequence star offers a number of advantages in understanding the multiple, and short, timescales seen in the light curve of this system. In particular, the short internal dynamical timescale of a white dwarf offers a more natural way of understanding the short rise times (∼100 s) observed. The relatively long intervals between flares (∼5 × 104 s) may also be readily understood as the period between successive pericenter passages of the remnant white dwarf. In addition, the expected jet power is larger when a white dwarf is disrupted. If this model is correct, the black hole responsible must have a mass ≲ 105 M☉.