The Evolution of X-ray Spectra in Tidal Disruption Events

Abstract

The study of the evolution of X-ray spectra in tidal disruption events (TDEs) is an important approach for understanding the physical processes occurring near a supermassive black hole. Observations show that the X-ray spectra of TDEs are very soft at the peak after the outburst, followed by a spectral hardening on a timescale of years. Theoretically, TDEs are suggested to undergo super-Eddington accretion at the time around the outburst. In this paper, we constructed a new disc-corona model to explain the observed X-ray spectral hardening in TDEs. In our model, there is a transition radius $r_{\text{tr}}$. For $r< r_{\text{tr}}$, the accretion flow exists in the form of a slim disc, the emission of which is dominated by soft X-rays. While for $r>r_{\text{tr}}$, the accretion flow exists in the form of a traditionally sandwiched disc-corona, in which a harder X-ray spectrum is produced. Our calculations show that $r_{\text{tr}}$ decreases with decreasing mass accretion rate $\dot {M}$, which intrinsically can predict the hardening of the X-ray spectra since the relative contribution of the outer disc-corona to the inner slim disc to the X-ray spectrum increases with decreasing $\dot {M}$. Our model has been applied to explain the observed X-ray spectral hardening in TDE candidate AT 2019azh, in which $\dot {M}$ is assumed to decrease proportionally to $t^{-5/3}$. Potential applications of the model in explaining the X-ray spectral evolution in upcoming rich TDE observations are also expected.