MOCCA-SURVEY Database I: tidal disruption events of white dwarfs in globular clusters and young mass clusters

We exploit more than 1000 star cluster Monte Carlo models from the MOCCA Survey Database 1, to infer the local rate density of white dwarf (WD) tidal disruption events (TDEs) in globular clusters (GCs) and young massive clusters (YMCs). We suggest that the WD TDE rate for GCs and YMCs in the local Universe is similar to 90-500 yr(-1) Gpc(-3), with 90 per cent of WD TDEs occurring in GCs. The total WD TDE rate density is similar to 9-50 times larger than estimated previously. Our results show that thermonuclear explosions induced by WD TDEs can be observed at a rate of similar to 100-550 yr(-1) by the next generation optical surveys, such as the Legacy Survey of Space & Time by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. We also find that massive WDs are preferentially disrupted as a result of mass segregation, and that 20 per cent of exploding WDs have mass greater than or similar to 1.0 M-circle dot despite the small population of such WDs.

Automated summary

We utilized over 1000 star cluster Monte Carlo models from the MOCCA Survey Database 1 to estimate the local rate density of white dwarf (WD) tidal disruption events (TDEs) in globular clusters (GCs) and young massive clusters (YMCs). We found that the WD TDE rate in the local Universe for GCs and YMCs is approximately 90-500 per Gpc(-3) per year, with 90 percent of TDEs occurring in GCs. This total rate density is about 9-50 times higher than previous estimates. Our results indicate that the optical surveys of the next generation, such as the Legacy Survey of Space & Time by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, could observe thermonuclear explosions caused by WD TDEs at a rate of approximately 100-550 per year. We also discovered that massive WDs are more likely to be disrupted due to mass segregation, and that 20 percent of exploding WDs have a mass greater than or equal to 1.0 solar masses despite their small population.