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This content will become publicly available on January 30, 2026

Title: Rare Occasions: Tidal Disruption Events Rarely Power the AGNs Observed in Dwarf Galaxies
Abstract Tidal disruption events (TDEs) could be an important growth channel for massive black holes in dwarf galaxies. Theoretical work suggests that the observed active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in dwarf galaxies are predominantly TDE-powered. To assess this claim, we perform variability analyses on the dwarf-hosted AGNs detected in the 7 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South survey, with observations spanning ≈16 yr. Based on the spectral energy distribution modeling withx-cigale, we select AGNs hosted by dwarf galaxies (stellar mass below 1010M⊙). We focus on X-ray sources with full-band detections, leading to a sample of 78 AGNs (0.122 ≤z≤ 3.515). We fit the X-ray light curves with a canonical TDE model oft−5/3and a constant model. If the former outperforms the latter in fitting quality for a source, we consider the source as a potential TDE. We identify five potential TDEs, constituting a small fraction of our sample. Using true- and false-positive rates obtained from fitting models to simulated light curves, we perform Bayesian analysis to obtain the posterior of the TDE fraction for our sample. The posterior peaks close to zero (2.56%), and we obtain a 2σupper limit of 9.80%. Therefore, our result indicates that the observed AGNs in dwarf galaxies are not predominantly powered by TDEs.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2407089
PAR ID:
10593042
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
The Astrophysical Journal
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal
Volume:
980
Issue:
1
ISSN:
0004-637X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
13
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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