Explain the absence of matching X-ray variability during optical tidal flares

Explain why prominent optical tidal flares in OJ 287, including the May 24, 2020 flare and the 2022 October flare, are not accompanied by corresponding X-ray variability.

Background

The paper identifies a characteristic increase in the optical-to-X-ray flux ratio during OJ 287 tidal flares. This indicates that the optical flare component varies strongly while the X-ray emission does not show a corresponding response.

The lack of a clear physical explanation limits the interpretation of the relationship between optical and X-ray emission and complicates the use of multiwavelength behavior as a diagnostic of tidal flares.

References

There is no clear explanation why it happens, but in the best studied tidal flare of OJ~287, peaking on May 24, 2020, there was no x-ray variability that would match the prominent optical flare.

— The October 2022 flare in OJ 287 and the mass of its primary black hole  (2609.04998 - Valtonen et al., 4 Sep 2026) in Section 3, subsection “Swift Observations of OJ 287 in 2016 and 2022/2023”