Abstract for Proposal 094351
Following up on a new serendipitous XMM-Newton TDE to find new QPEs
Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are the latest addition to the
ever-growing family of extra-galactic transients. The first QPE source was
discovered in 2019, with a current total of six sources. They appear to
be linked to Tidal Disruption Events. Several models have been suggested,
trying to account for the complex observed behaviour of these puzzling
objects, but they all fall short in some aspects. Understanding these
peculiar objects might help us constrain the physics of super-Eddington
accretion, that happens in both TDEs and QPEs. To improve our knowledge
of QPEs, a larger sample is required. We propose to follow up on a new
X-ray serendipitous TDE, expected to be found by the newly deployed
transient detection system STONKS, in order to assess the presence of
QPEs in its decay.
Details on Observing Strategy and Trigger Criteria
We request an Anticipated ToO, joint with Swift. The first step will
be triggered by the detection of a serendipitous X-ray TDE candidate
in new XMM-Newton observations by the newly deployed STONKS transient
detection system. We request 12 ks of Swift time, one 3 ks exposure every
week over a month, starting the week after the alert is communicated by
us. These will then lead to the trigger of a 100 ks XMM-Newton ToO if
the source is showing a TDE-like decay (probability ~0.5), in the week
after this second trigger is confirmed. A second observation of 100ks
(probability ~0.5) is asked in the next visibility window of the source,
typically a few months later. The total weighted observing time is 100ks
XMM-Newton and 12ks Swift.