Determine whether steep TDE circumnuclear density profiles are intrinsic

Determine whether the steep circumnuclear-medium density profiles inferred for tidal disruption events are intrinsic physical properties or are partly produced by methodological biases associated with the assumed geometry, filling factors, and microphysical parameters.

Background

The paper derives a steep radial density profile for AT 2019avd and finds similarly steep profiles in several comparison tidal disruption events. However, the absolute density normalization depends on assumptions about source geometry, filling factors, and shock microphysics. Consequently, the authors identify an unresolved question concerning whether the apparent steep profiles reflect the actual circumnuclear environments of tidal disruption events or instead arise partly from the analysis methodology.

References

It therefore remains unclear whether the steep CNM profile inferred for TDEs are intrinsic or partly driven by methodological biases.

— Radio Emission with Dust: A Bow-Shock Interpretation for the TDE Candidate AT 2019avd  (2609.08324 - Wei et al., 8 Sep 2026) in Section 4.3, “The relatively high density profile”