2020ApJ...903..140Z -
Astrophys. J., 903, 140-140 (2020/November-2)
Depletion of bright red giants in the Galactic Center during its active phases.
ZAJACEK M., ARAUDO A., KARAS V., CZERNY B. and ECKART A.
Abstract (from CDS):
Observations in the near-infrared domain showed the presence of the flat core of bright late-type stars inside ∼0.5 pc from the Galactic center supermassive black hole (Sgr A*), while young massive OB/Wolf-Rayet stars form a cusp. Several dynamical processes were proposed to explain this apparent paradox of the distribution of the Galactic center stellar populations. Given the mounting evidence on the significantly increased activity of Sgr A* during the past million years, we propose a scenario based on the interaction between the late-type giants and a nuclear jet, whose past existence and energetics can be inferred from the presence of γ-ray Fermi bubbles and bipolar radio bubbles. Extended, loose envelopes of red giant stars can be ablated by the jet with kinetic luminosity in the range of Lj ≃ 1041-1044ergs–1 within the inner ∼0.04 pc of Sgr A* (S-cluster region), which would lead to their infrared luminosity decrease after several thousand jet-star interactions. The ablation of the atmospheres of red giants is complemented by the process of tidal stripping that operates at distances of <=1 mpc, and by the direct mechanical interaction of stars with a clumpy disk at >=0.04 pc, which can explain the flat density profile of bright late-type stars inside the inner half parsec from Sgr A*.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2020. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Journal keyword(s):
Galactic center - Red giant stars - Red supergiant stars - Relativistic jets - Stellar dynamics
Simbad objects:
11
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