Scientific Colloquium 3:30 p.m., Thursday, April 11, 2013 -
PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL DATE
THE JOHN BAHCALL LECTURE
ANDREA GHEZ Lauren Leichtman & Arthur Levine Chair in
Astrophysics University of California, Los Angeles
"The Galactic Center: Unveiling the Heart of our
Galaxy"
Proposed
almost half a century ago as the sources that power active
galactic nuclei, massive black holes were initially greeted with
skepticism. The center of our Galaxy has proven to be the ideal
laboratory to probe the reality and characteristics of massive
black holes. Adaptive optics using lasers on the world’s largest
telescopes have made possible the resolution of remarkable
activity at the center of the Milky Way, including putative
flares associated with accretion events and a swarm of stars in
tight orbits that encircle the central black hole in the Galaxy.
The history and techniques used to reveal what we now know about
the core of our Galaxy and the interesting physics associated
with its resident black hole will be presented.
