Multimessenger prospects of quasi-periodic eruptions
Vojtěch Witzany, Alessia Franchini, Matteo Bonetti, Luca Broggi
astro-ph.HE, gr-qc
Submitted: 2026-07-16
Comments: Invited chapter for the book "Mysterious Repeating Signals from Centers of Galaxies" (Eds. Dheeraj Pasham, Eric Coughlin, Riccardo Arcodia, Petra Sukova, Itai Linial, Springer Singapore, expected in 2027)
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are recurring soft X-ray transients that may be generated by inspirals of stellar-mass objects spiraling into supermassive black holes, known as extreme mass ratio
Terminology
Abstract
Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are recurring soft X-ray transients that may be generated by inspirals of stellar-mass objects spiraling into supermassive black holes, known as extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs). Independently, EMRIs and the gravitational-wave signals they generate are one of the key targets for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). What is the potential of a coincident detection of EMRIs both as a QPE and by LISA? Electromagnetic counterparts to LISA events would provide sky localization, enable standard siren measurements of the Hubble constant and constrain formation mechanisms of the corresponding inspirals. Combined observations would link the accurate measurements of black hole masses and spins to their galactic nuclear environments and would thus enable lasting synergies with various observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. However, most of the currently known QPEs imply EMRI orbital periods that place the frequencies of the corresponding gravitational-wave signal out of the LISA sensitivity band. Additionally, the selection biases of QPE detections and the LISA instrument may preclude a coincident detection. Future searches should focus on expanding the QPE catalogs and ultimately hunt for ``golden'' short-period QPEs that correspond to EMRIs that fall within the LISA band.
Sources
- Two-body relaxation in the EMRI-TDE disk model for Quasi Periodic Eruptions
- Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
- LISA Sensitivity and SNR Calculations
- LISA Definition Study Report
- The properties of GSN 069 accretion disk from a joint X-ray and UV spectral analysis: stress-testing quasi-periodic eruption models
- Gravitational Radiation-Driven Chaotic Tide in a White Dwarf-Massive Black Hole Binary as a Source of Repeating X-ray Transients
- QPEs from EMRI Debris Streams Impacting Accretion Disks in Galactic Nuclei
- Gravitational Wave Signatures of Quasi-Periodic Eruptions: LISA Detection Prospects for RX J1301.9+2747
- Collisions with tidal disruption event disks: implications for quasi-periodic X-ray eruptions
- Alive and Strongly Kicking: Stable X-ray Quasi-Periodic Eruptions from eRO-QPE2 over 3.5 Years
- The DEBCat detached eclipsing binary catalogue
- Impact of mass transfer on the orbital evolution of a white dwarf close to an intermediate-mass black hole
Related papers
- Numerical Studies of Accretion Flows onto a Neutron Star Engulfed in a Massive Star
- Collisionless Accretion of Finite-Angular-Momentum Plasma onto a Spinning Black Hole
- Impact of Magnetic Field Topology on Electromagnetic and Gravitational Waves from Binary Neutron Star Merger Remnants
- XRISM Resolve Spectroscopy of GX 5-1: Constraints on Iron Spectral Features in a Luminous Neutron-Star Binary
- SN 1006: A Cosmic Laboratory for Investigating Shock Acceleration Physics
- Neutrino Spectral Pinching in 3D Core-Collapse Supernovae: Late-Time Convergence, Failed-Explosion Signatures, and Viewing-Angle Dispersion