Distinguish full from partial stellar disruption in J2244+0816

Distinguish whether the candidate tidal disruption event in WISE J2244+0816 resulted from the full disruption or partial disruption of a star.

Background

The optical decline of WISE J2244+0816 is better fit slightly by a steeper power law near the expected partial-disruption index of 9/4 than by the canonical 5/3 index associated with a full disruption. However, the uncertainties and sparse optical sampling allow both interpretations.

The mid-infrared decline is likewise consistent with indices between 5/3 and 3, while reprocessing by the disk, wind, and dust prevents a direct measurement of the intrinsic fallback rate. Consequently, the disruption type remains unresolved.

References

We therefore cannot conclusively distinguish between a full and a partial disruption nor are our TDE host galaxies inactive, but the observed optical decay shows a slight preference for the steeper $n=9/4$ power-law expected for a partial disruption.

— Extreme AGN Variability in WISE: Powerful Flares and Candidate Tidal Disruption Events in AGN  (2609.01421 - Upadhyayula et al., 1 Sep 2026) in Section 5.3, “Tests of the Fallback Power-Law Decline”