The Properties of Nuclear Star Clusters and their Host Galaxies

Abstract

Nuclear star clusters are found at the centers of most galaxies. They are the densest stellar systems in the Universe, and thus have unique and interesting stellar dynamics. We review how common nuclear star clusters are in galaxies of different masses and types, and then discuss the typical properties of NSCs. We close by discussing the formation of NSCs, and how a picture is emerging of different formation mechanisms being dominant in lower and higher mass galaxies.

Invited Review from IAUS351: "Star Clusters: from the Milky Way to the Early Universe"

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• The Milky Way's nuclear star cluster: Old, metal-rich, and cuspy
• Formation of supermassive black hole seeds in nuclear star clusters via gas accretion and runaway collisions
• Formation of super-massive black holes in galactic nuclei I: delivering seed intermediate-mass black holes in massive stellar clusters
• Effect of mass loss due to stellar winds on the formation of supermassive black hole seeds in dense nuclear star clusters