biostudies-literatureUnknown634(8035)Nicholl MQuasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are luminous bursts of soft X-rays from the nuclei of galaxies, repeating on timescales of hours to weeks^1-5. The mechanism behind these rare systems is uncertain, but most theories involve accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs) undergoing instabilities^6-8 or interacting with a stellar object in a close orbit^9-11. It has been suggested that this disk could be created when the SMBH disrupts a passing star^8,11, implying that many QPEs should be preceded by observable tidal disruption events (TDEs). Two known QPE sources show long-term decays in quiescent luminosity consistent with TDEs^4,12 and two observed TDEs have exhibited X-ray flares consistent with individual eruptions<sup>13,14</supNature804-808https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11499261biostudies-literatureQuasi-periodic X-ray eruptions years after a nearby tidal disruption event.PMC11499261McGee SLSmith KWMargutti RRavi VRemillard RMinguez PGao HKara EChen TWJaniuk ASalvesen GGillanders JHAamer AGendreau KNicholl MTurner SGDRidley EJDewangan GCFulton MDSheng XWainscoat RJArzoumanian ZNathan EBerger EChornock RWevers TAuchettl KChakraborty JFabian ACAngus CRCendes YLaskar TYoung DRWeston JAlexander KDPatra KCHuber MEBonnerot CPasham DRSmartt SJGuolo MLowe TBStein Rvan Velzen SLin CCde Boer THerman JChambers KCFerrara ECRamsden PDhillon VSHajela ALawrence AOates SRIngram AMummery AMoore TGompertz BPStevance HFGomez SGreenwood JGillan AFMagnier EASrivastav SfalseQuasi-periodic X-ray eruptions years after a nearby tidal disruption event.Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are luminous bursts of soft X-rays from the nuclei of galaxies, repeating on timescales of hours to weeks^1-5. The mechanism behind these rare systems is uncertain, but most theories involve accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs) undergoing instabilities^6-8 or interacting with a stellar object in a close orbit^9-11. It has been suggested that this disk could be created when the SMBH disrupts a passing star^8,11, implying that many QPEs should be preceded by observable tidal disruption events (TDEs). Two known QPE sources show long-term decays in quiescent luminosity consistent with TDEs^4,12 and two observed TDEs have exhibited X-ray flares consistent with individual eruptions<sup>13,14</sup2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Oct2025-04-26T00:15:51.707Z2025-04-06T09:40:18.055ZS-EPMC114992613938502810.1038/s41586-024-08023-6