PIRSA:26030092

Massive black hole demographics with tidal disruption events

Mummery, A. (2026). Massive black hole demographics with tidal disruption events. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/26030092

Mummery, Andrew. Massive black hole demographics with tidal disruption events. Perimeter Institute, Apr. 02, 2026, https://pirsa.org/26030092 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:26030092,
            doi = {10.48660/26030092},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/26030092},
            author = {Mummery, Andrew},
            keywords = {Strong Gravity},
            language = {en},
            title = {Massive black hole demographics with tidal disruption events},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2026},
            month = {apr},
            note = {PIRSA:26030092 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Andrew Mummery Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)

Talk numberPIRSA:26030092
DOI10.48660/26030092
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series
Subject

Abstract

Tidal disruption events — where an unfortunate star is destroyed by a previously quiescent supermassive black hole — offer a unique probe of the low mass end of the supermassive black hole population. Recent observational advances have lead to the discovery of ~100 such events, many of which are comprehensively followed up across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. I will discuss how time-dependent relativistic accretion theory can be used to understand this multi wavelength emission from optical through X-ray energies, and how this theory allows tidal disruption events to act as probes of the massive black hole population. I will present current constraints on the occupation fraction of intermediate mass black holes, and look forward to what can be expected in the LSST era.