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Abstract
We report an observational estimate of the rate of stellar tidal disruption flares
(TDFs), based on our (successful) search for these events in archival Sloan Digital
Sky Survey (SDSS) multi-epoch imaging data. Our pipeline took advantage of the excellent
astrometry of SDSS to separate nuclear flares from supernovae. The 10 year baseline
and the high cadence of the observations facilitate a clear-cut identification of
variable active galactic nuclei. We found 186 nuclear flares, of which two are excellent
TDF candidates. To compute the rate of (optical) stellar tidal disruption events,
we simulate our entire pipeline to obtain the efficiency of detection for a given
light curve. Using a simple model to extrapolate the observed light curves forward
and backward in time, we find our best-estimate of the TDF rate: 3x10-5 per galaxy
per year. In addition, we give a model-independent upper limit to the TDF rate: <
3x10-4 per galaxy per year (90% CL).
Comments Proceeding of the Tidal Disruption events and AGN outbursts workshop,
25-27 June 2012, ESAC, Madrid, Spain. To appear in EPJ web of conferences,
Editor: R. D. Saxton