Gravitational Dynamics of Large Stellar Systems
arXiv:0804.3987 · doi:10.1088/0264-9381/25/11/114007
Abstract
Internal dynamical evolution can drive stellar systems into states of high central density. For many star clusters and galactic nuclei, the time scale on which this occurs is significantly less than the age of the universe. As a result, such systems are expected to be sites of frequent interactions among stars, binary systems, and stellar remnants, making them efficient factories for the production of compact binaries, intermediate-mass black holes, and other interesting and eminently observable astrophysical exotica. We describe some elements of the competition among stellar dynamics, stellar evolution, and other mechanisms to control the dynamics of stellar systems, and discuss briefly the techniques by which these systems are modeled and studied. Particular emphasis is placed on pathways leading to massive black holes in present-day globular clusters and other potentially detectable sources of gravitational radiation.
21 pages, invited talk presented at the 18th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GRG18), Sydney, July 2007. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravity
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