Abstract: Stars orbiting sufficiently close to massive black holes inevitably
inspiral towards the black hole due to gravitational wave radiation.
The fate of such stars is subtle and depends on an interplay between
tidal heating of the star, mass transfer from the star to the black
hole, and collisions between the star and any ambient accretion disk.
In this talk, I will describe the possible fates of stars on such
orbits and their connection to enigmatic classes of recently
discovered recurring transients in galactic nuclei, including partial
tidal disruption events and quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs). I will
also discuss the connection between inspiraling stars and other
stellar dynamical processes in galactic nuclei, e.g., the orbiting
stars observed in the Galactic Center, extreme mass ratio inspirals of
compact objects observable by LISA, hyper-velocity stars, and tidal
disruption events.
Cody Hall, 50 St. George Street
Prof. Quateart
November 20, 2024
2:00pm - 3:00pm