"Binaries: Into the Galactic Center and Back Out Again"

Abstract:

With current and future Gaia astrometric data we are entering a new era for binary detection and characterization. We can build a remarkably full census of stellar companions in the solar neighbourhood, but it will remain uncertain how accurately we can extrapolate these populations towards the dense, old galactic center. However, rare energetic binary disruption in the galactic center can send one of the stars flying back out, through the local galaxy, and thus carry information about the deep old depths of the inner galaxy out to us. In this talk I’ll give an overview of which binaries will be in our local census, describe the mechanism and properties of binary disruptions and ejections from Sgr A*, and show a new ejection candidate and how it can help us bridge our understanding of binarity near and far in the galaxy.