IGR J12580+0134: A Possible Repeated Partial Tidal Disruption Event Inferred from Late-Time Radio Re-brightenin

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Main Authors: Ma, Po, Fu, Shao-Yu, Wu, Linhui, Lei, Wei-Hua, Yuan, Qiang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Ma, Po
Fu, Shao-Yu
Wu, Linhui
Lei, Wei-Hua
Yuan, Qiang
author_facet Ma, Po
Fu, Shao-Yu
Wu, Linhui
Lei, Wei-Hua
Yuan, Qiang
contents Repeating partial tidal disruption events (pTDEs) provide a direct probe of stellar orbits and episodic mass loss around supermassive black holes, but robust identification requires multi-band and multi-epoch evidence. %consistent with a single physical origin. We investigate whether the late-time radio rebrightening of the nuclear transient IGR~J12580+0134 in NGC~4845 can be explained as a repeating pTDE, using multi-epoch Karl G.\ Jansky VLA observations together with X-ray constraints from \textit{Swift}/XRT and \textit{NICER}. Through a systematic analysis of the radio data, we identify two well-defined radio flares and a possible third late-time rebrightening flare. Modeling the second flare with a synchrotron afterglow framework using Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting is consistent with a sub-relativistic outflow with a characteristic velocity of order ${v \simeq 0.3c}$, an isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy of order ${10^{50}}$ erg, and an approximately constant-density circumnuclear medium. No significant contemporaneous brightening is detected by \textit{Swift}/XRT during the 2016 radio flare, while faint \textit{NICER} flares in 2023 suggest intermittent low-level accretion. We also considered several possible interpretations for the late-time radio rebrightening, and found that the repeated pTDE scenario provides a more natural overall explanation for the observed phenomenology. Given the currently sparse data coverage, continued sensitive radio and X-ray monitoring will be essential to test this interpretation and to search for future reactivations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_22040
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle IGR J12580+0134: A Possible Repeated Partial Tidal Disruption Event Inferred from Late-Time Radio Re-brightenin
Ma, Po
Fu, Shao-Yu
Wu, Linhui
Lei, Wei-Hua
Yuan, Qiang
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Repeating partial tidal disruption events (pTDEs) provide a direct probe of stellar orbits and episodic mass loss around supermassive black holes, but robust identification requires multi-band and multi-epoch evidence. %consistent with a single physical origin. We investigate whether the late-time radio rebrightening of the nuclear transient IGR~J12580+0134 in NGC~4845 can be explained as a repeating pTDE, using multi-epoch Karl G.\ Jansky VLA observations together with X-ray constraints from \textit{Swift}/XRT and \textit{NICER}. Through a systematic analysis of the radio data, we identify two well-defined radio flares and a possible third late-time rebrightening flare. Modeling the second flare with a synchrotron afterglow framework using Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting is consistent with a sub-relativistic outflow with a characteristic velocity of order ${v \simeq 0.3c}$, an isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy of order ${10^{50}}$ erg, and an approximately constant-density circumnuclear medium. No significant contemporaneous brightening is detected by \textit{Swift}/XRT during the 2016 radio flare, while faint \textit{NICER} flares in 2023 suggest intermittent low-level accretion. We also considered several possible interpretations for the late-time radio rebrightening, and found that the repeated pTDE scenario provides a more natural overall explanation for the observed phenomenology. Given the currently sparse data coverage, continued sensitive radio and X-ray monitoring will be essential to test this interpretation and to search for future reactivations.
title IGR J12580+0134: A Possible Repeated Partial Tidal Disruption Event Inferred from Late-Time Radio Re-brightenin
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.22040