Related papers: Stellar Relaxation Processes Near the Galactic Mas…

The study of how stars distribute themselves around a massive black hole (MBH) in the center of a galaxy is an important prerequisite for the understanding of many galactic-center processes. These include the observed overabundance of point…

The massive Galactic black hole and the stars around it are a unique laboratory for studying how relaxation processes lead to close interactions of stars and compact remnants with the central massive black hole, in particular those leading…

The coherent torques between stars on orbits near massive black holes (MBHs) lead to resonant angular momentum relaxation. Due to the fact that orbits are Keplerian to good approximation, the torques efficiently change the magnitude of the…

We study the process of mass segregation through 2-body relaxation in galactic nuclei with a central massive black hole (MBH). This study has bearing on a variety of astrophysical questions, from the distribution of X-ray binaries at the…

A massive black hole resides in the center of most, perhaps all galaxies. The one in the center of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, provides a uniquely accessible laboratory for studying in detail the connections and interactions between a…

[abridged] Energy relaxation around a massive black hole (MBH) is key to establishing the dynamical state of galactic nuclei, and the nature of close stellar interactions with the MBH. The standard description of relaxation as diffusion…

Most galactic nuclei harbor a massive black hole (MBH), whose birth and evolution are closely linked to those of its host galaxy. The unique conditions near the MBH: high velocity and density in the steep potential of a massive singular…

This is a pedagogical review of recent results on the interactions of central massive black holes with stars very near them, focused on the black hole in the center of the Milky Way. Table of contents: [1] Introduction [2] Stellar dynamics…

Massive black holes (MBHs) with a mass below ~ 1e7 Msun are likely to reside at the centre of dense stellar nuclei shaped by 2-body relaxation, close interactions with the MBH and direct collisions. In this contribution, we stress the role…

We show that dynamical relaxation in the aftermath of a galactic merger and the ensuing formation and decay of a binary massive black hole (MBH), are dominated by massive perturbers (MPs) such as giant molecular clouds or clusters. MPs…

Two-body energy exchange between stars orbiting massive black holes (MBHs) leads to the formation of a power-law density distribution n(r)~r^(-a) that diverges towards the MBH. For a single mass population, a=7/4 and the flow of stars is…

As the closest example of a galactic nucleus, the Galactic center presents an exquisite laboratory for learning about supermassive black holes (SMBH) and their environs. Detailed studies of stellar dynamics deep in the potential well of a…

A massive black hole (MBH) consumes stars whose orbits evolve into the small phase-space volume of unstable orbits, the "loss-cone", which take them directly into the MBH, or close enough to interact strongly with it. The resulting…

I discuss four key questions about Galactic Center dynamics, their implications for understanding both the environment of the Galactic MBH and galactic nuclei in general, and the progress made in addressing them. The questions are (1) Is…

I briefly review advances in the understanding and modeling of relativistic stellar dynamics around massive black holes (MBHs) in galactic nuclei, following the inclusion of coherent relaxation and of secular processes in a new formal…

Supermassive black holes in the centre of galaxies dominate the gravitational potential of their surrounding stellar clusters. In these dense environments, stars follow nearly Keplerian orbits, which get slowly distorted as a result of the…

We investigate the role of massive perturbers, such as giant molecular clouds or stellar clusters, in supplying low-angular momentum stars that pass very close to the central massive black hole (MBH) or fall into it. We show that massive pe…

We study the role of massive perturbers (MPs) in deflecting stars and binaries to almost radial ("loss-cone") orbits, where they pass near the central massive black hole (MBH), interact with it at periapse, and are ultimately destroyed. MPs…

We present results from dynamical Monte Carlo simulations of dense star clusters near the Galactic center. These clusters sink toward the center of the Galaxy by dynamical friction. During their inspiral, they may undergo core collapse and…

Massive Black Hole (MBH) binaries are considered to be one of the most important sources of Gravitational Waves (GW) that can be detected by GW detectors like LISA. However, there are a lot of uncertainties in the dynamics of MBH binaries…