Late-time X-Ray Observations of the Jetted Tidal Disruption Event AT2022cmc: The Relativistic Jet Shuts Off

Abstract

The tidal disruption event (TDE) AT2022cmc represents the fourth known example of a relativistic jet produced by the tidal disruption of a stray star, providing a unique probe of the formation and evolution of relativistic jets in otherwise dormant supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Here we present deep, late-time Chandra observations of AT2022cmc extending to t _obs ≈ 400 days after disruption. Our observations reveal a sudden decrease in the X-ray brightness by a factor of ≳14 over a factor of ≈2.3 in time, and a deviation from the earlier power-law decline with a steepening α ≳ 3.2 ( F _X ∝ t ^− ^α ), steeper than expected for a jet break, and pointing to the cessation of jet activity at t _obs ≈ 215 days. Such a transition has been observed in two previous TDEs (Swift J1644+57 and Swift J2058+05). From the X-ray luminosity and the timescale of jet shut-off, we parameterize the mass of the SMBH in terms of unknown jet efficiency and accreted mass fraction parameters. Motivated by the disk–jet connection in active galactic nuclei, we favor black hole masses ≲10 ^5 M _⊙ (where the jet and disk luminosities are comparable), and disfavor larger black holes (in which extremely powerful jets are required to outshine their accretion disks). We additionally estimate a total accreted mass of ≈0.1 M _⊙ . Applying the same formalism to Swift J1644+57 and Swift J2058+05, we favor comparable black hole masses for these TDEs of ≲ a few × 10 ^5 M _⊙ , and suggest that jetted TDEs may preferentially form from lower-mass black holes when compared to nonrelativistic events, owing to generally lower jet and higher disk efficiencies at higher black hole masses.

Keywords

• Relativistic jets
• Tidal disruption
• Galaxy accretion disks
• Transient sources