Journal article
AT2019cmw: a highly luminous, cooling featureless TDE candidate from the disruption of a high mass star in an early-type galaxy
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v 546(3), 130
01 Mar 2026
Abstract
We present optical/UV photometric and spectroscopic observations, as well as X-ray and radio follow-up, of the extraordinary event AT2019cmw. With a peak bolometric luminosity of similar to 10(45.6) erg s(-1), it is one of the most luminous thermal transients ever discovered. Extensive spectroscopic follow-up post-peak showed only a featureless continuum throughout its evolution. This, combined with its nuclear location, blue colour at peak and lack of prior evidence of an AGN in its host lead us to interpret this event as a 'featureless' tidal disruption event (TDE). It displays photometric evolution atypical of most TDEs, cooling from similar to 30 to similar to 10kK in the first similar to 300 d post-peak, with potential implications for future photometric selection of candidate TDEs. No X-ray or radio emission is detected, placing constraints on the presence of on-axis jetted emission or a visible inner-accretion disc. Modelling the optical light curve with existing theoretical prescriptions, we find that AT2019cmw may be the result of the disruption of a star in the tens of solar masses by a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Combined with a lack of detectable star formation in its host galaxy, it could imply the existence of a localized region of star formation around the SMBH. This could provide a new window to probe nuclear star formation and the shape of the initial mass function (IMF) in close proximity to SMBHs out to relatively high redshifts.
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Details
- Title
- AT2019cmw: a highly luminous, cooling featureless TDE candidate from the disruption of a high mass star in an early-type galaxy
- Creators
- Jacob L. Wise - Liverpool John Moores UniversityDaniel A. Perley - Liverpool John Moores UniversityNikhil Sarin - Stockholm UniversityTatsuya Matsumoto - Kyoto UniversityK-Ryan Hinds - Liverpool John Moores UniversityYuhan Yao - Miller CollegeJesper Sollerman - AlbaNovaSteve Schulze - Northwestern UniversityAleksandra Bochenek - Liverpool John Moores UniversityMichael W. Coughlin - University of MinnesotaKishalay De - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and CosmologyRichard Dekany - California Institute of TechnologySara Frederick - Vanderbilt UniversityChristoffer Fremling - California Institute of TechnologySuvi Gezari - Space Telescope Science InstituteMatthew J. Graham - California Institute of TechnologyAnna Y. Q. Ho - Cornell UniversityShrinivas Kulkarni - California Institute of TechnologyRuss R. Laher - Infrared Processing and Analysis CenterConor Omand - Liverpool John Moores UniversityNatalya Johnson - Drexel UniversityYashvi Sharma - California Institute of TechnologyKirsty Taggart - University of California, Santa CruzCharlotte Ward - Princeton UniversityAvery Wold - Infrared Processing and Analysis CenterLin Yan - California Institute of Technology
- Publication Details
- Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v 546(3), 130
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Number of pages
- 28
- Grant note
- University of Edinburgh Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories; United States Department of Energy (DOE) GO-15889 / HST IPAC Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Smithsonian Institution National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Oskar Klein Center at Stockholm University National Central University of Taiwan Caltech Keck Observatory Archive (KOA)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Physics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001679858300001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105029506138
- Other Identifier
- 991022198379404721