Prof. Dr. Andreja Gomboc (UNG): Tidal disruption events: probing black holes through destruction of stars

Massive black holes are lurking in centers of most if not all large galaxies. A vast majority of them are in dormant, quiescent state. However, the presence of such a black hole can be revealed if an unfortunate star gets too close to it and is torn apart by the black hole's tidal force. This process produces a bright flare, which can be observed with space and/or ground-based telescopes.
In the last two decades the study of Tidal Disruptions Events (TDEs) gained momentum on theoretical side from advanced hydrodynamical modelling in general relativity and on observational side from detection of dozens of TDEs by wide-field sky surveys.
I will address main open questions stemming from TDE simulations and observations, and observational prospects of studying them with the largest sky survey to date, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which is about to begin at the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile.
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