|
This ESO workshop for observers and theorists is held at the ESO Garching, 22 - 25 June 2010. Its purpose is to discuss recent progress in our understanding of the formation and evolution of black holes and star clusters in the centres of galaxies and their connection to each other.
The centers of massive galaxies are special in many
ways, not the least because all of them are believed
to host supermassive black holes. Since the discovery
of key relations linking the mass of the central dark
object with the large scale properties of the dynamically
hot galactic component, it has become clear that the
growth of the central black hole is intimately connected
to the evolution of its host galaxy. However, for lower
mass galaxies, the situation is much less clear. These
galaxies, spanning a large range of Hubble types, typically
host nuclear clusters of a few 106- 107 solar masses.
The presence of black holes and their relation to these
nuclear clusters remains largely unknown.
Recent studies have shown that nuclear cluster masses are
coupled to the mass of their host galaxy, following a
relation similar as for supermassive black holes, suggesting
both types of central massive objects (CMOs) are closely
related. Although nuclear clusters are more than the low-mass
analogs of supermassive black holes, all CMOs very probably
share some basic ingredients in their formation processes.
This workshop aims at bringing together a broad international
audience in the combined field of galaxy nuclei, super-massive
black holes, nuclear star clusters, to confront state-of-the
art observations with cutting-edge models.
The key scientific questions for this workshop are:
- What is the evolutionary/causal connection between
nuclear clusters and black holes?
- Are intermediate mass black holes formed in nuclear
clusters/globular clusters?
- Where do we stand observationally for black holes,
nuclear clusters and intermediate mass black holes?
- What can the Galactic Centre tell us about the nuclear
cluster-black hole connection?
- How do the central massive objects relate to the host galaxies?
- What do theoretical models tell us about star
formation in the extreme gravitational potential
near the black hole and under the extreme stellar
densities in galactic centers?
- What do theoretical models tell us about dynamics, evolution
and migration of nuclear star clusters in galaxy centres?
- Do we understand the feeding of the central pc?
- How are nuclear clusters replenished with fresh gas?
For further information please refer to the workshop website.
|