Tidal disruption events by a massive black hole binary

Abstract

© 2016 The Authors. Massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) are a natural byproduct of galaxy mergers. Previous studies have shown that flares from stellar tidal disruption events (TDEs) are modified by the presence of a secondary perturber, causing interruptions in the light curve. We study the dynamics of TDE debris in the presence of a milliparsec-separated MBHB by integrating ballistic particle orbits in the time-varying potential of the binary. We find that gaps in the light curve appear when material misses the accretion radius on its first return to pericentre. Subsequent recurrences can be decomposed into 'continuous' and 'delayed' components, which exhibit different behaviour. We find that this potential can substantially alter the locations of stream self-intersections. When debris is confined to the plane, we find that close encounters with the secondary massive black hole (MBH) leave noticeable signatures on the fallback rate and can result in significant accretion on to the secondary MBH. Tight, equal-mass MBHBs accrete equally, periodically trading the infalling stream.