Constraining the dynamics and growth history of super-massive black holes (SMBHs) in the lowest and highest mass regime

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Pavel Kroupa
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2012 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 228179270

• Final Report Year: 2018

Final Report Abstract

The project lead to the development of a code, MUESLI, which allows the study of globular cluster populations in any type of galaxy and is thus very useful for understanding the specific frequency of globular cluster systems. Globular clusters are disrupted through tides and internal evolution and decay through dynamical friction. The side-project on the low-mass X-ray binary yields the potential discovery of significant concentrated non-luminous mass in the hosting globular cluster. This work can be continued by applying MUESLI in a study of observed globular cluster systems of time-evolving galaxies to infer the possible birth distribution functions and to infer from this the likely feeding rate of the SMBH from refilling of the loss cone through disrupted globular clusters.

Publications

• 2014. Erosion of globular cluster systems: the influence of radial anisotropy, central black holes and dynamical friction. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 441, 150-171
  Brockamp, M., Küpper, A. H. W., Thies, I., Baumgardt, H., Kroupa, P.
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu562)
• 2014. How tidal erosion has shaped the relation between globular cluster specific frequency and galaxy luminosity. Astronomy and Astrophysics 565, L6
  Mieske, S., Küpper, A. H. W., Brockamp, M.
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201424005)
• 2014. The Puzzling Negative Orbit-period Derivative of the Low-mass X-Ray Binary 4U 1820-30 in NGC 6624. The Astrophysical Journal 795, 116
  Peuten, M., Brockamp, M., Küpper, A. H. W., Kroupa, P.
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/795/2/116)