08/26/2020: New Observations of Black Hole Devouring a Star Reveal Rapid Disk Formation

New tidal disruption event observations led by astronomers at UC Santa Cruz now provide clear evidence that debris from the star forms a rotating disk, called an accretion disk, around the black hole. Theorists have been debating whether an accretion disk can form efficiently during a tidal disruption event, and the new findings should help resolve that question, said first author Tiara Hung, a postdoctoral researcher on the UC Santa Cruz Transients Team.

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