Off-nuclear tidal disruption events observed by Roman Space Telescope
| Program ID | 19039 |
|---|---|
| Science Category | Active Galaxies & Supermassive Black Holes |
| Program Type | Analysis |
| Category | Small |
| Principal Investigator | Kishore Patra |
| PI Institution | University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Co-Investigators |
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| Abstract | The hierarchical growth framework for galaxies predicts the existence of wandering massive black holes (MBHs) and binary MBHs in galaxies. Yet observational evidence for these populations remains limited. Tidal disruption events (TDEs) offer a unique probe of otherwise dormant MBHs, and recent off-nuclear TDE discoveries demonstrate their potential to reveal wandering black holes. Here, we propose to analyze Roman WFI imaging from the HLWAS and HLTDS surveys to construct the first systematic catalog of TDE--host offsets by combining LSST-discovered TDEs with high-resolution, wide-field Roman data. Using PSF-convolved scene modeling, we will measure TDE--host separations to identify a statistical sample of off-nuclear TDEs. By pushing these measurements to the smallest accessible scales, we will also identify TDEs with sub-pixel offsets, which could serve as candidate binary MBH systems. Roman-I-Sim simulations and proof-of-concept analyses using HST data demonstrate that Roman imaging can achieve subpixel centroid precision, enabling sensitivity to offsets down to parsec scales for nearby systems. The resulting catalog will enable measurements of the off-nuclear TDE rate, separation distribution, and MBH properties, providing the first empirical constraints on wandering MBHs and a new pathway to identify candidate binary MBHs. This program will deliver a lasting legacy dataset for studies of black hole growth and galaxy assembly in the Roman--LSST era. |