Science

Transient accretion onto a supermassive black hole through the tidal disruption of a stray star offers a unique opportunity to probe the environment around quiescent galactic nuclei and to map the lifecycle of relativistic jets and outflows. Observations to date have revealed that powerful jets in TDEs are rare, but the origin of the emission in radio-quiet TDEs is still debated. To make progress and unlock the potential of TDEs as tools to study black hole physics requires: (i) larger samples with (ii) deep radio observations. The first is now possible thanks to the recently increased TDE discovery rate; deep radio follow-up is possible only with the VLA. Our large program will create a radio census of new TDE candidates, with triggers from optical, X-ray, or high energy surveys. Our observations will triple the number of TDEs with deep radio observations, including broad multi-frequency follow-up for an expected 17 detected events (out of 23 observed). We will be sensitive to both non-relativistic outflows and on- and off-axis jets. Besides constraining the physical conditions that lead to jet formation, this large program will be essential to prepare the VLA community for efficient selection of LSST transients for radio follow up.