Presentation #432.06 in the session AGN, TDEs, Black Hole Accretion and Feedback.
Tidal disruption events (TDEs) occur when a star ventures near a supermassive black hole (SMBH). TDEs produce emission across the electromagnetic spectrum, and are being rapidly discovered by high cadence, full-sky optical and X-ray surveys. The origins of radio emission from TDEs remain mysterious. A few optically- and X-ray-selected TDEs are radio-bright, but a lack of observations combined with large selection effects compromise any conclusions about the common emission mechanisms and radio luminosity function. Radio-selected TDEs also provide a complementary view of the properties of TDE hosts to that of optical/X-ray samples, which allows us to constrain the factors that, e.g., drive the TDE rate. The Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) will revolutionize our understanding of radio-detected TDEs. VLASS is observing the sky with dec>-40 at 3 GHz in 3 epochs separated by ~a year with a high sensitivity and spatial resolution. We are using VLASS observations to compile the first complete, statistically-sized radio-selected TDE sample, which we are following up extensively across the electromagnetic spectrum. In this talk, I will discuss our search criteria and the resulting sample. I will review the multi-wavelength properties of the radio-selected TDE sample, and will discuss the consequences for our understanding of TDEs. Finally, I will highlight individual objects that are particularly unique, such as one event (VT J1548) with an associated long-lasting and extremely luminous infrared-flare.