Interpreting Sgr A*'s Most Luminous X-ray Flares - Daryl Haggard (McGill University)

Interpreting Sgr A*'s Most Luminous X-ray Flares - Daryl Haggard (McGill University)

Sagittarius A* is the closest example of a supermassive black hole 
(SMBH) buried within a dense, massive stellar cluster. Sgr A* is more 
than 100 times closer than any other SMBH, and our proximity allows us 
to detect emission from its accretion flow in the radio, submillimeter 
(submm), near infrared (NIR), and X-ray regimes. These rich 
multiwavelength, time-resolved data have the power to probe the physical 
processes that underlie rapid flares originating near the black hole's 
event horizon. During ambitious Chandra and VLA monitoring campaigns 
over the last several years, we have detected the brightest-ever X-ray 
flares from Sgr A*. However, despite years of observational and 
theoretical study, we do not have a complete, unique model to explain 
these high-energy flares, or their relationship to variability at other 
wavelengths. Viable models range from the tidal disruption of asteroids 
to gravitational lensing to magnetic reconnection, motivating observers 
to place tighter constraints on the timing and multiwavelength 
properties of these outbursts. X-ray flares may also help us relate Sgr 
A* to weakly accreting black holes across the mass spectrum. I will 
discuss the possible origins and continuing mysteries surrounding Sgr 
A*'s high-energy flares and give a brief update on the Sgr A*/G2 
interaction.