Reconstruction of Stellar Orbits Close to Sagittarius A*: Possibilities for Testing General Relativity
Astrophysics
2009-10-31 v2 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Abstract
We have reconstructed possible orbits for a collection of stars located within 0.5 arcsec of Sgr A*. These orbits are constrained by observed stellar positions and angular proper motions. The construction of such orbits serves as a baseline from which to search for possible deviations due to the unseen mass distribution in the central 1000 AU of the Galaxy. We also discuss the likelihood that some of these stars may eventually exhibit detectable relativistic effects, allowing for interesting tests of general relativity around the 2.6 x 10^6 solar mass central object.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/9904177,
title = {Reconstruction of Stellar Orbits Close to Sagittarius A*: Possibilities for Testing General Relativity},
author = {P. C. Fragile and G. J. Mathews},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/9904177},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
20 pages, 5 figures submitted to Astrophysical Journal, substantial changes and additions based on referee's comments