431 citations · 3.2k across the 62 of their papers we have counts for
63 papers
On the relative importance of shocks and self-gravity in modifying tidal disruption event debris streams
Julia Fancher, Eric R. Coughlin, Chris Nixon
In a tidal disruption event (TDE), a star is destroyed by the gravitational field of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) to produce a stream of debris, some of which accretes onto the…
Can a binary star host three giant circumbinary planets?
Cheng Chen, Rebecca G. Martin, C. J. Nixon
We investigate the orbital stability of a tilted circumbinary planetary system with three giant planets. The planets are spaced by a constant number () of mutual Hill radii in t…
On the conditions for warping and breaking protoplanetary discs
Alison K. Young, Struan Stevenson, C. J. Nixon +1
Recent observations demonstrate that misalignments and other out-of-plane structures are common in protoplanetary discs. Many of these have been linked to a central host binary wit…
Orbital stability of two circumbinary planets around misaligned eccentric binaries
Cheng Chen, Stephen H. Lubow, Rebecca G. Martin +1
With -body simulations we investigate the stability of tilted circumbinary planetary systems consisting of two nonzero mass planets. The planets are initially in circular orbits…
Tidal capture of stars by supermassive black holes: implications for periodic nuclear transients and quasi-periodic eruptions
M. Cufari, C. J. Nixon, Eric R. Coughlin
Stars that plunge into the center of a galaxy are tidally perturbed by a supermassive black hole (SMBH), with closer encounters resulting in larger perturbations. Exciting these ti…
Simulated optical light curves of super-Eddington tidal disruption events with ZEBRA flows
R. A. J. Eyles-Ferris, R. L. C. Starling, P. T. O'Brien +2
We present simulated optical light curves of super-Eddington tidal disruption events (TDEs) using the zero-Bernoulli accretion (ZEBRA) flow model, which proposes that during the su…
Stars Crushed by Black Holes. III. Mild Compression of Radiative Stars by Supermassive Black Holes
Suman Kumar Kundu, Eric R. Coughlin, C. J. Nixon
A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when the gravitational field of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) destroys a star. For TDEs in which the star enters deep within the tidal radi…
A simple and accurate prescription for the tidal disruption radius of a star and the peak accretion rate in tidal disruption events
Eric R. Coughlin, Chris Nixon
A star destroyed by a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in a tidal disruption event (TDE) enables the study of SMBHs. We propose that the distance within which a star is completely de…
Using the Hills Mechanism to Generate Repeating Partial Tidal Disruption Events and ASASSN-14ko
M. Cufari, Eric R. Coughlin, C. J. Nixon
Periodic nuclear transients have been detected with increasing frequency, with one such system -- ASASSN-14ko -- exhibiting highly regular outbursts on a timescale of d…
The Eccentric Nature of Eccentric Tidal Disruption Events
M. Cufari, Eric. R. Coughlin, C. J. Nixon
Upon entering the tidal sphere of a supermassive black hole, a star is ripped apart by tides and transformed into a stream of debris. The ultimate fate of that debris, and the prop…
Exploring compact binary merger host galaxies and environments with
S. Mandhai, G. P. Lamb, N. R. Tanvir +5
Compact binaries such as double neutron stars or a neutron star paired with a black-hole, are strong sources of gravitational waves during coalescence and also the likely progenito…
On the dynamics of low-viscosity warped discs around black holes
N. C. Drewes, C. J. Nixon
Accretion discs around black holes can become warped by Lense-Thirring precession if the disc is tilted with respect to the black hole spin vector. When the disc viscosity is suffi…
Short gamma-ray bursts and the decompression of neutron star matter in tidal streams
C. J. Nixon, E. R. Coughlin, J. E. Pringle
Short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) are generally thought to result from the merger of two neutron stars or the merger of a neutron star with a black hole. It is becoming standard pract…
On the orbital evolution of binaries with circumbinary discs
Ryan Heath, Chris Nixon
Circumbinary discs are generally thought to take up angular momentum and energy from the binary orbit over time through gravitational torques mediated by orbital resonances. This p…
Variability in Short Gamma-ray Bursts: Gravitationally Unstable Tidal Tails
Eric R. Coughlin, C. J. Nixon, Jennifer Barnes +2
Short gamma-ray bursts are thought to result from the mergers of two neutron stars or a neutron star and stellar mass black hole. The final stages of the merger are generally accom…
Fallback Rates from Partial Tidal Disruption Events
Patrick R. Miles, Eric R. Coughlin, C. J. Nixon
A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when a star plunges through a supermassive black hole's tidal radius, at which point the star's self-gravity is overwhelmed by the tidal gravi…
Emission from elliptical streams of dusty debris around white dwarfs
C. J. Nixon, J. E. Pringle, E. R. Coughlin +2
White dwarfs are routinely observed to have polluted atmospheres, and sometimes significant infrared excesses, that indicate ongoing accretion of circumstellar dust and rocky debri…
Strong surface outflows on accretion discs
C. J. Nixon, J. E. Pringle
In order to provide an explanation for the unexpected radial brightness distribution of the steady accretion discs seen in nova-like variables, Nixon & Pringle (2019) proposed that…
Extreme variability in an active galactic nucleus: Gaia16aax
G. Cannizzaro, M. Fraser, P. G. Jonker +12
We present the results of a multi-wavelength follow up campaign for the luminous nuclear transient Gaia16aax, which was first identified in January 2016. The transient is spatially…
The Influence of Black Hole Binarity on Tidal Disruption Events
Eric R. Coughlin, Philip J. Armitage, Giuseppe Lodato +1
Mergers are fundamental to the standard paradigm of galaxy evolution, and provide a natural formation mechanism for supermassive black hole binaries. The formation process of such…
Galactic chimney sweeping: the effect of 'gradual' stellar feedback mechanisms on the evolution of dwarf galaxies
L. Garratt-Smithson, G. A. Wynn, C. Power +1
We investigate the impact of time-resolved `gradual' stellar feedback processes in high redshift dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Here `gradual' feedback refers to individual stellar fee…
Partial Stellar Disruption by a Supermassive Black Hole: Is the Lightcurve Really Proportional to ?
Eric R. Coughlin, C. J. Nixon
The tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole, and the subsequent accretion of the disrupted debris by that black hole, offers a direct means to study the inner regio…
Ultra-deep tidal disruption events: prompt self-intersections and observables
Siva Darbha, Eric R. Coughlin, Daniel Kasen +1
A star approaching a supermassive black hole (SMBH) can be torn apart in a tidal disruption event (TDE). We examine ultra-deep TDEs, a new regime in which the disrupted debris appr…
Generalised warped disk equations
Rebecca G. Martin, Stephen H. Lubow, J. E. Pringle +6
The manner in which warps in accretion disks evolve depends on the magnitude of the viscosity. For small viscosity the warp evolves in a wave-like manner; for large visc…