Stellar Distributions around Supermassive Black Holes in Gas-rich Nuclear Star Clusters
We study the stellar distribution around supermassive black holes in gas-rich nuclear star clusters (NSCs). NSCs could contain vast amounts of gas, which contribute significantly to shaping the stellar distribution, typically altering the stellar density cusp from the usual J. N. Bahcall & R. A....
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adeca7 |
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| Summary: | We study the stellar distribution around supermassive black holes in gas-rich nuclear star clusters (NSCs). NSCs could contain vast amounts of gas, which contribute significantly to shaping the stellar distribution, typically altering the stellar density cusp from the usual J. N. Bahcall & R. A. Wolf solution and consequently affecting the dynamics in the NSC. The dense gaseous environment in NSCs gives rise to dynamical phenomena that are otherwise rare in other gas-free environments. Here we extend the derivation introduced in J. N. Bahcall & R. A. Wolf to include an additional energy dissipation term associated with gas drag. We examine the effects of different forms of gas drag on the stellar density distribution. Finally, we discuss implications on the rates of tidal disruption events and other transients triggered by stellar interactions in gas-rich galactic nuclei. |
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| ISSN: | 2041-8205 |