Sprecher/in: Dr. Sebastian Kamann (Liverpool John Moores University)

Titel: Wempe lecture 2 “Star cluster dynamics”

Zusammenfassung: The interiors of massive star clusters are among the most dynamically active environments in the Universe, where frequent gravitational encounters continually reshape stellar orbits and determine the fate of both stars and their host systems. In this talk, I explore the consequences of this evolution, from gradual processes such as mass segregation and cluster evaporation to dramatic events including core collapse and the possible formation of intermediate-mass black holes. I will outline the dynamical models used to describe these systems and show how they incorporate cluster evolution when searching for evidence of these elusive black holes. Finally, I will survey the rich population of stellar exotica produced by repeated encounters, including blue stragglers, millisecond pulsars, and binaries composed of stellar remnants and luminous companions. In this context, one crucial question is whether dense star clusters the primary factories of the binary black holes whose mergers we now observe through gravitational waves.

• Datum:
  27. April 2026, 14:00 – 15:00
  
  
• Ort:

  AIP; Kirch-Haus, Konferenzraum

  
  
• Kontakt:
  Peter Weilbacher
  pweilbacher@aip.de