On the uniqueness of kinematical signatures of intermediate-mass black holes in globular clusters

Autor(en)
Alice Zocchi, Mark Gieles, Vincent Hénault-Brunet
Abstrakt

Finding an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) in a globular cluster (GC), or proving its absence, is a crucial ingredient in our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. The challenge is to identify a unique signature of an IMBH that cannot be accounted for by other processes. Observational claims of IMBH detection are often based on analyses of the kinematics of stars, such as a rise in the velocity dispersion profile towards the centre. In this contribution we discuss the degeneracy between this IMBH signal and pressure anisotropy in the GC. We show that that by considering anisotropic models it is possible to partially explain the innermost shape of the projected velocity dispersion profile, even though models that do not account for an IMBH do not exhibit a cusp in the centre.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Astrophysik
Journal
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Band
10
Seiten
197-200
Anzahl der Seiten
4
ISSN
1743-9213
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921315007802
Publikationsdatum
08-2014
ÖFOS 2012
103003 Astronomie, 103004 Astrophysik
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nutrition and Dietetics, Medicine (miscellaneous), Space and Planetary Science
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/on-the-uniqueness-of-kinematical-signatures-of-intermediatemass-black-holes-in-globular-clusters(189653e3-42f5-4351-86d4-ad81c892ef05).html