Unveiling the Source of Intense Light in Supermassive Black Holes

New simulations have accurately replicated the entire sequence of a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) from stellar disruption to the peak luminosity of the resulting flare, unveiling a previously unknown type of shockwave within TDEs and settling a longstanding debate about the energy source of the brightest phases in these events. This breakthrough paves the way for future studies to utilize TDE observations as a means to measure essential properties of black holes and potentially test Einstein's predictions in extreme gravitational environments, shedding new light on the mysteries of supermassive black holes.