Institute for Advanced Study Informal Astrophysics Seminar

Galactic nuclei are the densest stellar environments in the Universe. The observed stellar distribution within the innermost 0.5 pc of the Milky Way exhibits spherical and counter-rotating disk structures. Existing theoretical models cannot convincingly explain the origin of these stellar disks. I will show that the long-term gravitational interaction between stars in these systems resembles the interaction between axisymmetric molecules constituting a liquid crystal. The observed distribution can be explained by an isotropic-nematic phase transition. Disks of stellar mass black holes in galactic nuclei could be abundant sources of gravitational waves detectable by LIGO.