Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2008-07-14
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters; final version, minor changes only
Scientific paper
10.1086/591734
Over the last 15 years, around a hundred very young stars have been observed in the central parsec of our Galaxy. While the presence of young stars forming one or two stellar disks at approx. 0.1 pc from the supermassive black hole (SMBH) can be understood through star formation in accretion disks, the origin of the S stars observed a factor of 10 closer to the SMBH has remained a major puzzle. Here we show the S stars to be a natural consequence of dynamical interaction of two stellar disks at larger radii. Due to precession and Kozai interaction, individual stars achieve extremely high eccentricities at random orientation. Stellar binaries on such eccentric orbits are disrupted due to close passages near the SMBH, leaving behind a single S star on a much tighter orbit. The remaining star may be ejected from the vicinity of the SMBH, thus simultaneously providing an explanation for the observed hypervelocity stars in the Milky Way halo.
Baumgardt Holger
Kroupa Pavel
Löckmann Ulf
No associations
LandOfFree
Origin of the S Stars in the Galactic Center 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 Origin of the S Stars in the Galactic Center, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Origin of the S Stars in the Galactic Center will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-595324