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| Paper: |
Dynamical Models of the Galactic Center |
| Volume: |
439, The Galactic Center: a Window to the Nuclear Environment of Disk Galaxies |
| Page: |
142 |
| Authors: |
Merritt, D. |
| Abstract: |
The distribution of late-type (old) stars in the inner parsec of the Milky
Way is very different than expected for a relaxed
population around a supermassive black hole.
Instead of a density cusp, there is a ∼0.5 pc core.
This article discusses what sorts of dynamical models might
explain this “conundrum of old age.”
A straightforward interpretation is that the nucleus is
unrelaxed, and that the distribution of the old giants
reflects the distribution of fainter stars and stellar remnants
generally in the core.
On the other hand, a density cusp could be present in the
unobserved populations,
and the deficit of bright giants could be a result of interactions with
these objects.
At the present time, no model is clearly preferred. |
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