Transient Signatures of Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Accretion from Tidal Disruption Events

Recent studies have shown that close encounters between stars and black hole remnants occur frequently in dense star clusters. Depending upon the distance at closest approach, these interactions can lead to dissipating encounters such as tidal captures and disruptions, or direct physical collisions, all of which may result in multi-wavelength flares that could last for months to years. In this talk, I will present the outcomes of hydrodynamic calculations of tidal disruptions of a solar-like star by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) and compare them with disruptions by a stellar-mass black hole. Depending on black hole to star mass ratio, the stellar remnant can be eventually ejected to be unbound, or completely disrupted either after the first pericenter or after many pericenter passages. If the star survives for many pericenter passages, the detection of periodic flares (with repetitions likely occurring on timescales ranging from roughly days to years) can offer insight into an accreting stellar-mass black hole/IMBH. Based on the properties of the material bound to the black hole at the end of our simulations, I will comment upon the expected accretion process and associated electromagnetic signatures that are likely to result.