The 4 PI SKY research group has been involved in the study of a rare transient phenomena, known as a tidal disruption event (TDE). A TDE is the result of a star straying too close to a supermassive black hole, and being ripped apart by its strong gravitational field. The remains of the star then fall down onto the black hole, and emit across the electromagnetic spectrum (see illustration).

Image credit: NASA/CXC/U. Michigan/J. Miller et al.; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss

Members of the 4 PI SKY group have been continually observing radio emission from this source using the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager located in Cambridge, with observations spanning 3 years. Their research has indicated the possible presence of ultra-fast outflows emanating from the black hole, known as jets.

Further reading: https://arxiv.org/abs/1511.08803, https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.03094