431 citations · 3.2k across the 62 of their papers we have counts for
42 papers · 1 filter
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…
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…
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…
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…
Circumbinary discs around merging stellar-mass black holes
Rebecca G. Martin, Chris Nixon, Fu-Guo Xie +1
A circumbinary disc around a pair of merging stellar-mass black holes may be shocked and heated during the recoil of the merged hole, causing a near-simultaneous electromagnetic co…
Super-Eddington Accretion in Tidal Disruption Events: the Impact of Realistic Fallback Rates on Accretion Rates
Samantha Wu, Eric R. Coughlin, Chris Nixon
After the tidal disruption of a star by a massive black hole, disrupted stellar debris can fall back to the hole at a rate significantly exceeding its Eddington limit. To understan…
Misaligned Accretion and Jet Production
Andrew King, Chris Nixon
Disc accretion on to a black hole is often misaligned from its spin axis. If the disc maintains a significant magnetic field normal to its local plane, we show that dipole radiatio…
Black holes in stellar-mass binary systems: expiating original spin?
Andrew King, Chris Nixon
We investigate systematically whether accreting black hole systems are likely to reach global alignment of the black hole spin and its accretion disc with the binary plane. In low-…
On the structure of tidally-disrupted stellar debris streams
Eric R. Coughlin, Chris Nixon, Mitchell C. Begelman +1
A tidal disruption event (TDE) -- when a star is destroyed by the immense gravitational field of a supermassive black hole -- transforms a star into a stream of tidally-shredded de…
Post-periapsis pancakes: sustenance for self-gravity in tidal disruption events
Eric R. Coughlin, Chris Nixon, Mitchell C. Begelman +2
A tidal disruption event, which occurs when a star is destroyed by the gravitational field of a supermassive black hole, produces a stream of debris, the evolution of which ultimat…
Apsidal precession, disc breaking and viscosity in warped discs
Rebecca Nealon, Chris Nixon, Daniel J. Price +1
We demonstrate the importance of general relativistic apsidal precession in warped black hole accretion discs by comparing three - dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamic simula…