Prof. Andrea Ghez
UCLA
"Our Galactic Center: A Laboratory for Exploring the Physics & Astrophysics of Black Holes"
Abstract: The proximity of our Galaxy's center presents a unique opportunity to study a galactic nucleus with orders of magnitude higher spatial resolution than can be brought to bear on any other galaxy. Over the last decade, we have shown that the environment near a supermassive back hole is quite different than what theoretical models have predicted, which challenges many of our notions of how galaxies form and evolve over time. In particular, young stars are found where none were expected, few old stars are revealed where many were predicted, and a new, unanticipated class of objects have been discovered. As the only supermassive black hole environment in the universe that can be studied via stellar orbits, this environment presents a unique opportunity to explore gravitational dynamics. By continuing to monitor these stars and by pushing on the cutting-edge of high-resolution technology, we will be able to capture the orbital motions of stars with sufficient precision to build direct dynamical models that will provide new insight into the feedback role that black holes play is cosmological models.
Keywords: Physcis, Astronomy, Heilborn