The Stars of the Galactic Center
Abstract
We consider the origin of the so-called S stars orbiting the supermassive black hole at the very center of the Galaxy. These are usually assumed to be massive main-sequence stars. We argue instead that they are the remnants of low-to-intermediate mass red giants that have been scattered into near-radial orbits and tidally stripped as they approach the central black hole. Such stars retain only low-mass envelopes and thus have high effective temperatures. Our picture simultaneously explains why S stars have tightly bound orbits and the observed depletion of red giants in the very center of the Galaxy.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1086/430308
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0503441
- Bibcode:
- 2005ApJ...624L..25D
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxy: Center;
- Galaxy: Kinematics and Dynamics;
- Galaxy: Nucleus;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 1 figure, ApJ Letters, in press