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Hyper-velocity and tidal stars from binaries disrupted by a massive Galactic black hole

Nature volume 331, pages 687–689 (1988)Cite this article

Abstract

A close but newtonian encounter between a tightly bound binary and a 106 M⊙ black hole causes one binary component to become bound to the black hole and the other to be ejected at up to 4,000 km−1. The discovery of even one such hyper-velocity star coming from the Galactic centre would be nearly definitive evidence for a massive black hole. The new companion of the black hole has a high orbital velocity which increases further as its orbit shrinks by tidal dissipation. The gravitational energy released by the orbit shrinkage of a such a tidal star can be comparable to its total nuclear energy release.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

    J. G. Hills

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  1. J. G. Hills
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Hills, J. Hyper-velocity and tidal stars from binaries disrupted by a massive Galactic black hole. Nature 331, 687–689 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/331687a0

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