Surface brightness profile of the Milky Way’s nuclear star cluster

0428860 - ASÚ 2015 RIV FR eng J - Journal Article
Schödel, R. - Feldmeier, A. - Kunneriath, Devaky - Stolovy, S. - Neumayer, N. - Amaro-Seoane, P. - Nishiyama, S.
Surface brightness profile of the Milky Way’s nuclear star cluster.
Astronomy & Astrophysics. Roč. 566, June (2014), A47/1-A47/17. ISSN 0004-6361. E-ISSN 1432-0746
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GC13-00070J
Institutional support: RVO:67985815
Keywords : galactic centre * black holes
Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics
Impact factor: 4.378, year: 2014

Although the Milky Way nuclear star cluster (MWNSC) was discovered more than four decades ago, several of its key properties have not been determined unambiguously up to now because of the strong and spatially highly variable interstellar extinction toward the Galactic centre. In this paper we aim at determining the shape, size, and luminosity/mass of the MWNSC. Our findings support the in situ growth scenario for nuclear clusters and emphasise the need to increase the complexity of theoretical models for their formation and for the interaction between their stars and the central black hole in order to include rotation, axisymmetry, and growth in recurrent episodes.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0234432