Double Tidal Disruption Events or Repeating Partial Tidal Disruption Events in AT 2020vdq

Abstract AT 2020vdq has been known as a candidate of repeating partial tidal disruption events (pTDEs) due to its two flares with a time interval of ∼1000 days. Here, a simplified method is proposed to test such repeating pTDEs scenario considering a main-sequence star tidally disrupted twice. For the two flares in AT 2020vdq if related to the repeating pTDEs scenario, a theoretical tidal disruption event (TDE)–model determined stellar mass of the original star disrupted for the first flare should be not very different from the mass of the star (to trace the reminder of the original star) disrupted for the second flare because a pTDE with impact parameter β smaller than 1 can lead to most of (probable higher than 90%) the stellar mass also bound to the reminder of the original star. After considering theoretical TDE model applied to describe the two flares in AT 2020vdq, the model determined stellar masses are about 2 and 0.36 M ⊙ for the stars disrupted in the first flare and the second flare. The large mass difference cannot be reasonably expected by the repeating pTDEs with β around 0.6 in AT 2020vdq. The results in this manuscript indicate that the repeating pTDEs scenario is not preferred at current stage in AT 2020vdq, but the probable double TDEs for two individual stars tidally disrupted should be currently recommended.