Scientific Seminars

X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions, the enigma goes on

Riccardo Arcodia
MIT

2022-10-24    11:00    Merate - Biblioteca, Guest Seminar, meet.google.com/voo-iecc-eko

Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are high-amplitude bursts of X-ray radiation recurring every few hours and originating near the central black holes in galactic nuclei. They provide a new channel to study how massive black holes are activated in low-mass galaxies. Currently only a handful of such sources are known, half of which found through a project I am leading using the eROSITA X-ray telescope. I will give an overview of the multi-wavelength observational properties of QPEs and of the models proposed to explain them. I will present further work in preparation to highlight how these seemingly simple transients are rather complex in terms of timing variability and long-term evolution.