Speaker: Nicholas Stone
Date/Time: December 5, 2025 / 12 noon CST
Location: NCSA 1040
Zoom: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/82318062756?pwd=M3g1MFF6cytsOWFEbmU0UW1XWVoxQT09
Title: Loss Cone Dynamics in Regular and Post-Starburst Galaxies
Abstract: As time domain surveys have matured, larger numbers of exotic transients have been discovered, including tidal disruption events (TDEs). At present, roughly 100 TDEs have been found, but in the near future, Rubin and ULTRASAT will find at least thousands more. Although TDEs have great potential for measuring the uncertain bottom end of the massive black hole (MBH) mass function, a key step towards achieving this goal will be first improving our understanding of TDE rates. Dynamically speaking, TDEs are created when perturbations excite stars in a galactic center onto nearly radial “loss cone” orbits. In this talk, I will survey the basic theory of the loss cone as well as modern refinements and will then compare theoretical rates of loss cone refilling to new observations of TDE rates, focusing on two interesting discrepancies: a (possible) deficit of TDEs in normal galaxies and a (definite) enhancement of TDEs in rare post-starburst galaxies.