Abstract:
Either dynamical friction or in-situ formation should lead to a large population of massive stellar remnants in the central parsec of the Milky Way. I review the recent discovery of evidence for a substantial population of quiescent black hole binaries in the Galactic Center, obtained from Chandra ACIS-I observations. I discuss more recent analysis of ACIS-I and ACIS-S data that reveals another quiescent binary, and adds to the number of these binaries that are mildly variable. I also discuss the discovery of several transients in the central parsec by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and follow up spectroscopic and timing observations with NuSTAR, which suggest these objects may possibly be black hole binaries. The distribution and logN-logS of  black hole and neutron star binaries in the Galactic Center are compared and contrasted.  The question of whether the black hole binaries have a spherical distribution, or as might be predicted from vector resonant relaxation a disk-like distribution, is discussed.

Host: Fred Baganoff