A tidal disruption-like X-ray flare from the quiescent galaxy SDSS
  J120136.02+300305.5
  SDSS J120136.02+300305.5 was detected in an XMM-Newton slew from June 2010
with a flux 56 times higher than an upper limit from ROSAT, corresponding to
Lx~3x10^44 ergs/s. It has the optical spectrum of a quiescent galaxy (z=0.146).
Overall the X-ray flux has evolved consistently with the canonical t^-5/3
model, expected for returning stellar debris from a tidal disruption event,
fading by a factor ~300 over 300 days. In detail the source is very variable
and became invisible to Swift between 27 and 48 days after discovery, perhaps
due to self-absorption. The X-ray spectrum is soft but is not the expected tail
of optically thick thermal emission. It may be fit with a Bremsstrahlung or
double-power-law model and is seen to soften with time and declining flux.
Optical spectra taken 12 days and 11 months after discovery indicate a deficit
of material in the broad line and coronal line regions of this galaxy, while a
deep radio non-detection implies that a jet was not launched during this event.
