Dynamics and Evolution of Galactic NucleiDeep within galaxies like the Milky Way, astronomers have found a fascinating legacy of Einstein's general theory of relativity: supermassive black holes. Connected to the evolution of the galaxies that contain these black holes, galactic nuclei are the sites of uniquely energetic events, including quasars, stellar tidal disruptions, and the generation of gravitational waves. This textbook is the first comprehensive introduction to dynamical processes occurring in the vicinity of supermassive black holes in their galactic environment. Filling a critical gap, it is an authoritative resource for astrophysics and physics graduate students, and researchers focusing on galactic nuclei, the astrophysics of massive black holes, galactic dynamics, and gravitational wave detection. It is an ideal text for an advanced graduate-level course on galactic nuclei and as supplementary reading in graduate-level courses on high-energy astrophysics and galactic dynamics. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL OVERVIEW | 1 |
OBSERVATIONS OF GALACTIC NUCLEI AND SUPERMASSIVE | 11 |
COLLISIONLESS EQUILIBRIA | 57 |
MOTION NEAR SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES | 117 |
THEORY OF GRAVITATIONAL ENCOUNTERS | 213 |
CONTENTS | 236 |