Circularization of Tidal Disruption Streams for Schwarzschild Black Holes and Distribution of Orbital Inclinations of Tidally Disrupted Stars for Kerr Black Holes

Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs) occur when a star approaches sufficiently close to a supermassive black hole (SMBH) such that the tidal gravitational field of the SMBH overcomes the self-gravity of the star, causing the star to rip apart. A stream of debris is formed from the star’s remnants, which proceeds to orbit about the black hole. Relativistic apsidal precession causes leading elements of the stream to collide with trailing elements, dissipating energy on the way to circularization. We explore this circularization process for Schwarzschild, or spherically symmetric, SMBHs, finding that the process is likely to take longer than was first expected, and uncovering two distinct regimes of circularization. We then show work on how TDE rates depend on orbital inclination for Kerr, or axisymmetric SMBHs.