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Black Hole Motion as Catalyst of Orbital Resonances

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2007

C. M. Boily ,
T. Padmanabhan  and
A. Paiement
C. M. Boily
Affiliation:
Observatoire astronomique & CNRS UMR 7550, Université de Strasbourg I, F-67000 Strasbourg email: [email protected]
T. Padmanabhan
Affiliation:
I.U.C.A.A., Ganeshkhind Post Bag 4, Pune, India email: [email protected]
A. Paiement
Affiliation:
E.N.S.P. de Strasbourg, Parc d'innovation, Bd. Sébastien Brant, F-67412Ilkirch
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Abstract

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The motion of a black hole about the centre of gravity of its host galaxy induces a strong response from the surrounding stellar population. We consider the case of a harmonic potential and show that half of the stars on circular orbits in that potential shift to an orbit of lower energy, while the other half receive a positive boost. The black hole itself remains on an orbit of fixed amplitude and merely acts as a catalyst for the evolution of the stellar energy distribution function f(E). We then consider orbits in the logarithmic potential and identify the response of stars near resonant energies. The kinematic signature of black hole motion imprints the stellar line-of-sight mean velocity to a magnitude ≃ 13% the local root mean-square velocity dispersion σ. The high velocity dispersion at the 5:2 resonance hints to an observable effect at a distance ≃ 3 times the hole's influence radius.

Keywords

stellar dynamicsgravitationGalaxy: centregalaxies: nuclei
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 3 , Symposium S246: Dynamical Evolution of Dense Stellar Systems , September 2007 , pp. 311 - 315
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2008

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