The impact of tidal disruption events on galactic habitability

Pacetti, Elenia; Balbi, A.; Lingam, Manasvi; Tombesi, Francesco; Perlman, Eric S.

doi:10.1093/mnras/staa2535

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Our current work in tandem with publications on the negative impacts of high-energy radiation from AGN (Balbi & Tombesi 2017;Lingam et al 2019), as well as the contributions from tidal disruption events (Pacetti et al 2020), collectively suggests that the innermost ∼ 1 kpc of the Milky Way is not readily conducive to the existence of biospheres on the surfaces of rocky planets. This tentative conclusion should be seen as complementary in scope to the papers cited in the prior paragraph because the latter did not incorporate SMBH activity in their modelling.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…In the past few years, there has been a flurry of activity directed toward ascertaining the impact of the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) on habitability on galactic scales, encompassing both active galactic nuclei (AGN) (Balbi & Tombesi 2017;Chen et al 2018;Lingam et al 2019; Amaro-Seoane & Chen 2019; Wisłocka et al 2019;Liu et al 2020) as well as tidal disruption events (TDEs) (Pacetti et al 2020). However, these studies delved exclusively into the positive and negative ramifications ★ E-mail: balbi@roma2.infn.it † E-mail: mlingam@fit.edu of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, and optical light) emitted during the peak activity of the central SMBH.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of AGN outflows on the surface habitability of terrestrial planets in the Milky Way

Ambrifi,

Balbi,

Lingam

et al. 2022

Preprint

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It is well-known that active galactic nuclei (AGN) are accompanied by winds and outflows, some of which may reach weakly relativistic speeds of about 10 percent the speed of light. Yet, in spite of their ubiquity, the impact of AGN outflows in modulating surface habitability of terrestrial planets on galactic scales, using the Milky Way as the basis for comparison, is poorly investigated and inadequately understood. In this work, we address this issue by focusing on two key mechanisms: AGN winds can heat atmospheres and drive atmospheric escape, as well as stimulate the formation of nitrogen oxides and thence cause ozone depletion. By developing simple models, we estimate the maximal distance up to which these deleterious effects are rendered significant for Earth-like planets in the Milky Way, and thereby demonstrate that this value may extend to 1 kpc. In the case of quasars hosting larger supermassive black holes, such effects could actually influence the AGN host galaxy as a whole.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of AGN outflows on the surface habitability of terrestrial planets in the Milky Way

Ambrifi,

Balbi,

Lingam

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…In our analysis we have not considered other aspects which are investigated by recent works in the context of galactic habitability. For example, the combined action of tidal disruption events (Pacetti et al 2020) and the active phase of the central black hole (Balbi & Tombesi 2017) further reduce the habitability of the bulge. Moreover, a proper evaluation of the habitability of the bulge should also account for the relatively higher probability of stellar encounters which can perturb planetary orbital configuration but, on the other hand, also favor lithopanspernia (Melosh 1988;Wesson 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The best place and time to live in the Milky Way

Spinelli,

Ghirlanda,

Haardt

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Context. Among the most powerful cosmic events, supernovae (SNe) and γ´ray bursts (GRBs) can be highly disruptive for life: their radiation can be harmful for biota or induce extinction by removing most of the protective atmospheric ozone layer on terrestrial planets. Nearby high-energy transient astrophysical events have been proposed as possible triggers of mass extinctions on Earth. Aims. We aim at assessing the habitability of the Milky Way (MW) along its cosmic history against potentially disruptive astrophysical transients with the scope of identifying the safest places and epochs within our Galaxy. We also test the hypothesis that long GRBs had a leading role in the late Ordovician mass extinction event (" 440 Myrs ago). Methods. We characterise the habitability of the MW along its cosmic history as a function of galactocentric distance of terrestrial planets. We estimate the dangerous effects of transient astrophysical events (long/short GRBs and SNe) with a model which binds their rate to the specific star formation and metallicity evolution within the Galaxy along its cosmic history. Our model also accounts for the probability of forming terrestrial planets around FGK and M stars. Results. Until "6 billion years ago the outskirts of the Galaxy were the safest places to live, despite the relatively low density of terrestrial planets. In the last "4 billion years, regions between 2 and 8 kpc from the center, featuring a higher density of terrestrial planets, became the best places for a relatively safer biotic life growth. We confirm the hypothesis that one long GRB had a leading role in the late Ordovician mass extinction event. In the last 500 Myrs, the safest galactic region is comprised between 2 and 8 kpc from the center of the MW, whereas the outskirts of the Galaxy have been sterilized by 2-5 long GRBs.

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“…We did not consider other aspects that were investigated in recent works in the context of Galactic habitability. For example, the combined action of tidal disruption events (Pacetti et al 2020) and the active phase of the central black hole (Balbi & Tombesi 2017) further reduce the habitability of the bulge. Moreover, a detailed evaluation of the habitability of the bulge should also account for the relatively higher probability of stellar encounters that can perturb planetary orbital configuration, but on the other hand, also favor lithopanspernia (Melosh 1988;Wesson 2010).…”

Section: The Galaxymentioning

confidence: 99%

The best place and time to live in the Milky Way

Spinelli

Ghirlanda

Haardt

et al. 2021

A&A

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Context. Counted among the most powerful cosmic events, supernovae (SNe) and γ-ray bursts (GRBs) can be highly disruptive for life: Their radiation can be harmful for biota or induce extinction by removing most of the protective atmospheric ozone layer from terrestrial planets (TPs). Nearby high-energy transient astrophysical events have been proposed as possible triggers of mass extinctions on Earth. Aims. We assess the habitability of the Milky Way (MW) throughout its cosmic history against potentially disruptive astrophysical transients with the aim of identifying the safest places and epochs within our Galaxy. We also test the hypothesis that one long GRB played a leading role in the late Ordovician mass-extinction event (∼445 Myr ago). Methods. We characterised the habitability of the MW throughout its cosmic history as a function of galactocentric distance of TPs. We estimated the dangerous effects of transient astrophysical events (long and short GRBs and SNe) with a model that connects their rate to the specific star formation and metallicity evolution within the Galaxy throughout its cosmic history. Our model also accounts for the probability that TPs form around FGK and M stars. Results. Until about six billion years ago, the outskirts of the Galaxy were the safest places to live, despite the relatively low density of TPs. In the last about four billion years, regions between 2 and 8 kpc from the center, which had a higher density of TPs, became the best places for a relatively safer biotic life growth. We confirm the hypothesis that one long GRB played a leading role in the late Ordovician mass-extinction event. In the last 500 Myr, the safest neighborhood in the Galaxy was a region at a distance of 2 to 8 kpc from the Galactic center, whereas the MW outskirts were sterilized by two to five long GRBs.

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The impact of tidal disruption events on galactic habitability

Cited by 13 publications

References 58 publications

The impact of AGN outflows on the surface habitability of terrestrial planets in the Milky Way

The impact of AGN outflows on the surface habitability of terrestrial planets in the Milky Way

The best place and time to live in the Milky Way

The best place and time to live in the Milky Way

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