{
  "abstract": "Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are luminous, recurring soft X-ray outbursts observed in the nuclei of low-mass galaxies. They display two remarkable trends: outburst durations are $\\sim$10-20% of the recurrence timescale, and longer bursts are more luminous. A promising theory that naturally explains the quasi-periodicity invokes collisions between a star on an extreme mass-ratio inspiral (EMRI) orbit and the accretion disk around the supermassive black hole. However, it remains unclear how this model reproduces the observed trends. We therefore carry out two-dimensional, multi-frequency radiation hydrodynamic (RH) simulations of star--disk collisions. Crucially, we adopt a more realistic circumnuclear disk structure from previous Radiation MHD simulations of sub-Eddington accretion disks. We find that the thick, puffed-up disk atmosphere, extending to $z/r\\sim1$, causes different portions of the bow shock to break out at different times, producing prolonged thermal emission as the shock emerges through the breakout surface at $z/r\\sim0.7$. The X-ray flare duration is set by the shock propagation time through the optically thick disk--a $\\sim$10% of the orbital timescale, reproducing the observed duty cycle. A more oblique star-disk interaction yields a longer, more luminous flare. The realistic AGN disk models also exhibit a surface density $Σ\\propto r^2$, giving a collisional energy $E\\propto P^{2/3}$ that may explain the luminosity--period trend, especially for the weaker QPEs. Overall, we suggest that a more realistic circumnuclear disk structure can explain several observed QPE trends-and QPEs may, in turn, constrain the disk structure.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Journal reference: The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 1009, Issue 2, id.L55, 10 pp., October 2026",
  "arxiv": "2609.03011",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Zhaohuan Zhu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xiaoshan Huang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yan-Fei Jiang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shunquan Huang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e49r9cx69x62q.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.03011",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "e49r9cx69x62q",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03011",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.HE"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7208704542",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.03011",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-02",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e49r9cx69x62q.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:36:22Z",
      "native_id": "2609.03011",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03011"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.HE",
      "subfield": "high-energy-astrophysics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Unlocking the QPE Mystery: Star-Disk Collisions in Realistic AGN Disks",
  "title_text": "Unlocking the QPE Mystery: Star-Disk Collisions in Realistic AGN Disks",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:20:44Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e49r9cx69x62q",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.3847/2041-8213/aea6a1",
      "pid": "3em49a7ds02w1",
      "relation": "published-as",
      "title": "Unlocking the Quasiperiodic Eruption Mystery: Star–Disk Collisions in Realistic Active Galactic Nucleus Disks",
      "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal Letters"
    }
  ]
}