2009/09/30 by Fabio Antonini, Joshua Faber, Alessia Gualandris +1 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Binary number #Breakup #Galactic Center #Galactic halo #Galactic tide #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Hypervelocity #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Stars #Supermassive black hole #Tidal force #astro-ph.CO #astro-ph.GA
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/713/1/90
published as Astrophys.J.713:90-104,2010 · accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal
arxiv created 2009/12/28 · openalex publication_date 2010/03/18 · arxiv updated 2014/11/20 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The tidal breakup of binary star systems by the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the center of the galaxy has been suggested as the source of both the observed sample of hypervelocity stars (HVSs) in the halo of the Galaxy and the S-stars that remain in tight orbits around Sgr A*. Here, we use a post-Newtonian N-body code to study the dynamics of main-sequence binaries on highly elliptical bound orbits whose periapses lie close to the SMBH, determining the properties of ejected and bound stars as well as collision products. Unlike previous studies, we follow binaries that remain bound for several revolutions around the SMBH, finding that in the case of relatively large periapses and highly inclined binaries the Kozai resonance can lead to large periodic oscillations in the internal binary eccentricity and inclination. Collisions and mergers of the binary elements are found to increase significantly for multiple orbits around the SMBH, while HVSs are primarily produced during a binary's first passage. This process can lead to stellar coalescence and eventually serve as an important source of young stars at the galactic center.