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Extreme Nuclear Transients
- 23 Sep 2025
- 2 min read
Extreme Nuclear Transients (ENTs) are a newly discovered class of cosmic explosions, even more powerful than gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are the most intense flashes of electromagnetic radiation.
ENTs
- About: Extreme Nuclear Transients (ENTs) are powered by the accumulation of stellar debris from massive stars, at least three times the mass of the Sun, which are torn apart by supermassive black holes.
- Mechanism: Extreme tidal forces stretch and compress the star near the event horizon, releasing enormous amounts of electromagnetic energy.
- Features: ENTs can remain luminous in radio wavelengths for years, making them detectable across vast distances.
- While ENTs share similarities withTidal Disruption Events (TDEs), they differ in that ENTs occur in larger host galaxies and involve more massive central black holes.
- Fast X-ray transients (FXTs) are short-lived and less energetic than ENTs, originating from supernovae rather than interactions with supermassive black holes.
- Significance: Observing ENTs helps study supermassive black holes, including inactive ones, and extreme cosmic physics.
- Upcoming telescopes like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (2027) will enhance ENT observations and understanding of the early universe.
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Read More : GRB 200826A: Gamma-Ray Burst |
