https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20123905001
Stellar dynamics and tidal disruption events in galactic nuclei
Weizmann Institute of Science, Faculty of Physics, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics
a e-mail: tal.alexander@weizmann.ac.il
The disruption of a star by the tidal field of a massive black hole is the final outcome of a chain of complex dynamical processes in the host galaxy. I introduce the “loss cone problem”, and describe the many theoretical and numerical challenges on the path of solving it. I review various dynamical channels by which stars can be supplied to a massive black hole, and the relevant dynamical relaxation/randomization mechanisms. I briefly mention some “exotic” tidal disruption scenarios, and conclude by discussing new dynamical results that are changing our understanding of dynamics near a massive black hole, and may well be relevant for tidal disruption dynamics.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2012
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
