Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2008-10-15
Science, 321, 1060, 2008
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
20 pages includingh 7 figures. "This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for pers
Scientific paper
10.1126/science.1160653
The presence of young massive stars orbiting on eccentric rings within a few tenths of a parsec of the supermassive black hole in the Galactic centre is challenging for theories of star formation. The high tidal shear from the black hole should tear apart the molecular clouds that form stars elsewhere in the Galaxy, while transporting the stars to the Galactic centre also appears unlikely during their stellar lifetimes. We present numerical simulations of the infall of a giant molecular cloud that interacts with the black hole. The transfer of energy during closest approach allows part of the cloud to become bound to the black hole, forming an eccentric disc that quickly fragments to form stars. Compressional heating due to the black hole raises the temperature of the gas to 100-1000K, ensuring that the fragmentation produces relatively high stellar masses. These stars retain the eccentricity of the disc and, for a sufficiently massive initial cloud, produce an extremely top-heavy distribution of stellar masses. This potentially repetitive process can therefore explain the presence of multiple eccentric rings of young stars in the presence of a supermassive black hole.
Bonnell Ian A.
Rice W. K. M.
No associations
LandOfFree
Star Formation Around Super-Massive Black Holes does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Star Formation Around Super-Massive Black Holes, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Star Formation Around Super-Massive Black Holes will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-303459