Tidal Disruption of Stars by Supermassive Black Holes

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) reside at the heart of most galaxies, with the most direct evidence of these massive objects arising from the detection of an Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). However, for quiescent BHs in which accretion occurs at a much lower rate, it is more difficult to probe the nature of these sources using similar techniques as those used for AGN. However, tidal disruption events (TDEs), which are luminous accretion powered flares that occur when a star wanders too close and is ripped apart by the tidal forces of a BH, can be used to probe the nature of these objects and provide new ways to test our understanding of various aspects of accretion physics. Due to their multi-wavelength properties wide-field optical transient surveys such as ASAS-SN, iPTF, Pan-STARRs and ZTF, as well as UV and X-ray satellites have allowed us to identify a number of TDE candidates with a wide diversity in their observational properties. Here, I will present an overview of our current knowledge of the demographics and properties of these events, highlighting specifically how TDEs are used to probe fundamental questions related to BH demographics, accretion and jet formation. In addition, I will also highlight future prospects of discovering these events with upcoming multi-wavelength and synoptic surveys such LSST and eROSITA.