= Tidal disruption
Disruption of a self-gravitating body when differential gravitational <acceleration> across it exceeds its binding <acceleration>. For a body of radius $R$, <mass> $m$ at distance $r$ from a much more massive body $M$, the competing scales are $GMR/r^3$ and $Gm/R^2$; their equality gives $r\sim R(M/m)^{1/3}$, up to geometry and internal-structure factors. The <tidal tensor> gives the directional differential <acceleration>. A <tidal disruption event> near a black hole is a specific astronomical application.
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