The giant X-ray outbursts from nearby, non-active galaxies: tidal disruption flares ?

One efficient method to probe the direct vicinity of SMBHs in nearby galaxies is to make use of the detection of flares from tidally disrupted stars (e.g., Lidskii & Ozernoi 1979, Rees 1988). The first few excellent candidates for the occurrence of this process in non-active galaxies have emerged recently. Here, we present a review of these observations, compare with variability in AGN, and discuss theoretical implications. We concentrate on the cases of NGC 5905 and RXJ1242-1119, and report results from a systematic search for further X-ray flares from a sample of >100 nearby galaxies.