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  • SWIFT J2058.4+0516: DISCOVE...
    BRADLEY CENKO, S; KRIMM, Hans A; BLOOM, Joshua S; FILIPPENKO, Alexei V; GAL-YAM, Avishay; GREINER, Jochen; KULKARNI, S. R; OFEK, Eran O; OLIVARES E, Felipe; SCHADY, Patricia; SILVERMAN, Jeffrey M; TANVIR, Nial R; HORESH, Assaf; DONG XU; RAU, Arne; FRAIL, Dale A; KENNEA, Jamie A; LEVAN, Andrew J; HOLLAND, Stephen T; BUTLER, Nathaniel R; QUIMBY, Robert M

    Astrophysical journal/˜The œAstrophysical journal, 07/2012, Volume: 753, Issue: 1
    Journal Article

    We report the discovery by the Swift hard X-ray monitor of the transient source Swift J2058.4+0516 (Sw J2058+05). Our multi-wavelength follow-up campaign uncovered a long-lived (duration > ~ months), luminous X-ray (L sub(X,iso) approximate 3 x 10 super(47) erg s super(-1)) and radio (nuL sub(nu,iso) approximate 10 super(42) erg s super(-1)) counterpart. The associated optical emission, however, from which we measure a redshift of 1.1853, is relatively faint, and this is not due to a large amount of dust extinction in the host galaxy. Based on numerous similarities with the recently discovered GRB 110328A/Swift J164449.3+573451 (Sw J1644+57), we suggest that Sw J2058+05 may be the second member of a new class of relativistic outbursts resulting from the tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole. If so, the relative rarity of these sources (compared with the expected rate of tidal disruptions) implies that either these outflows are extremely narrowly collimated (straighttheta < 1degrees) or only a small fraction of tidal disruptions generate relativistic ejecta. Analogous to the case of long-duration gamma-ray bursts and core-collapse supernovae, we speculate that rapid spin of the black hole may be a necessary condition to generate the relativistic component. Alternatively, if powered by gas accretion (i.e., an active galactic nucleus (AGN)), Sw J2058+05 would seem to represent a new mode of variability in these sources, as the observed properties appear largely inconsistent with known classes of AGNs capable of generating relativistic jets (blazars, narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies).