Aims
Our main aims are defined by the following questions:
- What is the structure, mass and light distribution of the nuclear star cluster )NSC)?
- What is the radius of influence of the black hole?
- What is the relation between the NSC and the surrounding disk-like part of the nuclear bulge (the so-called nuclear disk? What is the formation history of the NSC?
- Did recent star formation take place only in the central parsec or throughout the cluster? Models of the recent star formation history at the Galactic centre predict a large number of young clusters, but we only know of three of them (Arches, Quintuplet, Central Cluster). Where are the missing clusters? Have they already dissolved?
- The Hills-mechanism predicts that the central black hole will break up binary stars. Thus, the so-called S-stars, B-dwarfs tightly bound to Sagittarius A*, may have been deposited at their current location. In parallel, hypervelocity stars are ejected from the Milky Way. This requires a source population of B-dwarf binaries distributed throughout the central parsecs. Does it exist?