Description |
1 online resource (xxii, 284 pages) : illustrations (some color) |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-271) and index. |
Contents |
Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. Observational Techniques -- 1.1 The GC Across the Electromagnetic Spectrum -- 1.1.1 Radio Wavelengths -- 1.1.2 Far-Infrared Wavelengths -- 1.1.3 Near- and Mid-Infrared Wavelengths -- 1.1.4 Optical Wavelengths -- 1.1.5 X-Ray Energies -- 1.1.6 y-Ray Energies -- 1.2 NIR Imaging Through the Atmosphere -- 1.3 Speckle Imaging -- 1.3.1 The Knox-Thompson Method -- 1.3.2 The Bispectrum Analysis -- 1.3.3 Seeing Calibration of Fourier Data -- 1.3.4 The Shift-and-Add Algorithm -- 1.3.5 Speckle Spectroscopy -- 1.3.6 Speckle Instrumentation -- 1.4 Single Telescope Adaptive Optics -- 1.4.1 Adaptive Optics Imaging -- 1.4.2 Adaptive Optics Spectroscopy -- 1.4.3 Adaptive Optics Instrumentation -- 1.5 Cleaning and Deconvolution -- 1.5.1 Linear Deconvolution -- 1.5.2 Lucy-Richardson Deconvolution -- 1.5.3 Estimating the PSF -- 1.5.4 Iterative Blind Deconvolution -- 1.5.5 Comparison of Deconvolution Algorithms -- 1.6 Future IR Interferometry -- 1.6.1 VLTI -- 1.6.2 Keck Interferometer -- 1.6.3 LBT LINC/NIRVANA -- 2. Observational Results -- 2.1 The Discovery of Sagittarius A -- 2.2 Large-Scale Structures at the Galactic Center -- 2.3 The Circum Nuclear Disk -- 2.4 The Mini-Spiral -- 2.5 Radio Filaments -- 2.6 Near-lnfrared Images of the Central Stellar Cluster -- 2.6.1 A Brief History of NIR Imaging -- 2.6.2 Diffraction Limited Images -- 2.7 The Radio and lnfrared Positional Reference Frames -- 2.8 Number Density Counts -- 2.8.1 Evidence for a Central Stellar Cusp -- 2.8.2 K-band Luminosity Function -- 2.9 Polarization of Filaments and Stars -- 2.9.1 Extended Filaments in the Sgr A Complex -- 2.9.2 Polarized Emission from Stars -- 2.10 Stellar Velocities and Orbital Accelerations -- 2.10.1 Measuring Stellar Proper Motions -- 2.10.2 Motions in the Outer Cluster -- 2.10.3 Motions in the Inner Cluster -- 2.10.4 Accelerations of Stars Near Sgr A -- 2.10.5 Stellar Orbits -- 2.11 Spectroscopy -- 2.11.1 Stellar Populations -- 2.11.2 The Upper Mass Cut-Off -- 2.11.3 The Central Arcsecond -- 2.11.4 Results of Speckle Spectroscopy -- 2.11.5 Adaptive Optics Spectroscopy of the Central Cusp -- 2.12 Star Formation at the Galactic Center? -- 2.12.1 Embedded Objects -- 2.12.2 IR-Excess Objects -- 2.13 Sgr AddXMLRootTags.pl Across the Electromagnetic Spectrum -- 2.13.1 Size and Spectrum of Sgr AddXMLRootTags.pl at Radio Wavelengths -- 2.13.2 Polarization of Sgr AddXMLRootTags.pl at Radio Wavelengths -- 2.13.3 Sgr AddXMLRootTags.pl as a Variable X-Ray Source -- 2.13.4 Sgr AddXMLRootTags.pl as a Variable NIR Source -- 2.13.5 How Likely are Strong NIR Flares? -- 2.13.6 First Simultaneous X-Ray/NIR Detection of Sgr AddXMLRootTags.pl -- 3. Astrophysical Results -- 3.1 The Stellar Velocity Field -- 3.2 Scenarios for Star Formation at the Galactic Center -- 3.2.1 Infall of Stellar Clusters -- 3.2.2 In Situ Formation from Dense Gas -- 3.2.3 Formation of Stars in the Mini-Spiral -- 3.2.4 Capture of Stars by Ejection of Stellar Remnants -- 3.3 The Central Dark Mass -- 3.3.1 First Order Estimates -- 3.3.2 Mass Estimators -- 3.3.3 The Jeans Method -- 3.3.4 The Orbit of the Star S2 -- 3.3.5 Orbits of Other Stars Around Sgr AddXMLRootTags.pl -- 3.3.6 A Lower Limit to the Mass -- 3.4 Stability of the Enclosed Dark Mass -- 3.5 Agglomerations of Exotic Particles? -- 3.6 The Central Stellar Cusp -- 3.6.1 Spatial Distribution of the Sta. |
Summary |
Reviewing the fundamental instrumental techniques and current observational results, this book unveils the mysteries of the physical processes in the central parsec of our Milky Way: the super-massive black hole embedded in a central stellar cluster as well as the gas and dust in the circumnuclear region. The observations described cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum from decimeter radio-waves to high energy X-ray and -rays, and a comprehensive summary of up-to-date astrophysical interpretations is given. The emphasis is put on observational techniques, image processing aspects, and a detailed presentation of the most cutting-edge work carried out in the near-infrared wavelength regime. These recent results include both the first orbits of stars around the central black hole and the multiwavelength variability of the central source. |
Note |
Print version record. |
Subject |
Black holes (Astronomy)
|
|
Black holes (Astronomy) -- Observations.
|
|
Milky Way.
|
|
SCIENCE -- Astronomy.
|
|
Black holes (Astronomy) (OCoLC)fst00833708
|
|
Deep space -- Milky Way.
(OCoLC)fst01240104
|
Genre/Form |
Observations. (OCoLC)fst01423822
|
Added Author |
Schödel, Rainer, 1971-
|
|
Straubmeier, Christian Michael, 1970-
|
Other Form: |
Print version: Eckart, Andreas. Black hole at the center of the Milky Way. London : Imperial College Press ; Hackensack, NJ : Distributed by World Scientific Pub. Co., ©2005 (DLC) 2006296481 |
ISBN |
1860947395 (electronic bk.) |
|
9781860947391 (electronic bk.) |
|