Aims

Our main aims are defined by the following questions:

1. What is the structure, mass and light distribution of the nuclear star cluster )NSC)?
2. What is the radius of influence of the black hole?
3. 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?
4. 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?
5. 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?