Direct Feeding of the Black Hole at the Galactic Center with Radial Gas Streams from Close-In Stellar Winds

Abstract

We show that the recently-discovered orbits of massive stars with closest approach of ~10^3 Schwarzschild radii from SgrA*, allow winds from these stars to provide the required mass deposition rate near the black hole horizon. The observed luminosity of SgrA* does not require viscous transport of angular momentum, as long as the total wind mass loss rate reaches ~10^{-6} solar masses per year from the close-in stars. The specific orbits of the nearest stars should cause modulation of the radio and infrared flux from SgrA* on a timescale of years in a predictable fashion.

5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS