Princeton University Astrophysical Sciences 2022 Spitzer Lecturer

The UCLA Galactic Center Group has opened up a new approach to studying black holes and the physics of the extreme.  By advancing state-of-the-art high-resolution imaging technology on the world’s largest telescopes, we have greatly expanded the power of using stellar orbits to study black holes. Recent observations have revealed an environment around the black hole that is quite unexpected - young stars where there should be none; a lack of old stars where there should be many; and a puzzling new class of objects that may be how our black hole gets fed.  Continued measurements of the motions of stars have solved many of the puzzles posed by these perplexing populations of stars. This work is providing insight into how black holes grow and the role that they play in regulating the growth of their host galaxies.