The Galactic Center (GC) plays a pivotal role in the evolution of the Milky Way. It is instrumental in mapping and understanding the central regions of quiescent galaxies since it is the closest galactic nucleus to us. It serves as a unique test bed for both stellar dynamics in an extremely dense environment as well as magnetohydrodynamics in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). It is fundamental for studying star formation, because the conditions of its interstellar medium (magnetic fields, temperature, turbulence) are unlike any other place in the Milky Way. Despite many detailed multiwavelength studies of the central regions of our Galaxy, we still have many open questions concerning its history and future evolution.
This symposium will bring together experts working on both observational and theoretical studies of the Galactic Center so that they can “traverse” this exciting region from Sgr A* and the surrounding dense nuclear star cluster to the central molecular zone and back, covering about eight orders of magnitude in spatial length. Looking at the Galactic nucleus from this vantage point will uncover details of its past processes and potential future.
We will explore the remarkable progress made since the last major meeting of the community—the Galactic Center Workshop in Granada (April 24–28, 2023). We will examine exciting new results, including those from JWST and GRAVITY/ERIS at the VLT, as well as insights from ALMA and MeerKAT.
Key Topics
- Sgr A*: new results from radio and infrared interferometry with the EHT and GRAVITY/VLTI, respectively; detections and predictions of relativistic effects in the Galactic Center; high-energy phenomena; multi-wavelength and multi-messenger physics; accretion and ejection of matter; past activity of Sgr A*.
- Stellar dynamics and population in the central parsec: stellar dynamics; star formation; binary and multiple stars; interstellar matter in the central parsec and its interaction with stars and Sgr A*; unidentified and rare sources (dusty objects, X-ray binaries, stellar remnants).
- Nuclear Stellar Cluster (NSC) and Nuclear Stellar Disc (NSD): structure and stellar populations; formation history; interactions between gas and stars; kinematics and dynamics; existence or not of a stellar cusp of old stars; variable stars.
- Star formation in the GC: observations and models; initial mass function; efficiency of star formation in the GC.
- Central Molecular Zone (CMZ): stellar and gas dynamics; star formation; astrochemistry in the CMZ; feeding and feedback mechanisms; magnetic fields; comparison to CMZs in nearby galaxies.
- Comparison between our GC and nearby nuclei: Is the GC a good analogue for the nuclei of similar galaxies? What differences are there in terms of central black holes and their activity as well as concerning nuclear stellar clusters and discs? How can we explain any differences? Is the GC a good analogue for a high-z star forming region? What is the driving force of the observed outflow from the GC—is it star formation or recurrent AGN activity?
Scientific Organizing Committee
| Michal Zajaček, Masaryk University, Czechia (chair) |
| Rainer Schödel, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain (co-chair) |
| Roland Crocker, Australian National University, Australia |
| Bożena Czerny, Center for Theoretical Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland |
| Anja Feldmeier-Krause, University of Vienna, Austria |
| Reinhard Genzel, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany |
| Andrea Ghez, University of California, Los Angeles, USA |
| Jonathan Henshaw, Liverpool John Moores University, UK |
| Izaskun Jiménez Serra, Center of Astrobiology, Spain |
| Cornelia Lang, University of Iowa, USA |
| Sera Markoff, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Smadar Naoz, UCLA, USA |
| Nadine Neumayer, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany |
| Tomoharu Oka, Keio University, Japan |
| Florian Peißker, University of Cologne, Germany |
| Bart Ripperda, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, Canada |
Local Organizing Committee
| Michal Zajaček, Masaryk University, Czechia (chair) |
| Tereza Jeřábková, Masaryk University, Czechia (co-chair) |
| Vladimír Karas, Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czechia (co-chair) |
| Petra Suková, Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czechia (co-chair) |
| Henry Best, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Marianna Dafčíková, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Jiří Dušek, Brno Observatory and Planetarium, Czechia |
| Izzy Garland, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Václav Glos, Masaryk University, Czechia (PR) |
| Maitrayee Gupta, Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czechia |
| Jan Janík, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Zuzana Kuljovská, Brno Observatory and Planetarium, Czechia |
| Petr Kurfürst, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Zdeněk Mikulášek, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Monika Pikhartová, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Dominik Alvaro Rada, Masaryk University, Czechia (website) |
| Lýdia Štofanová, Masaryk University/Czech Aerospace Research Center, Czechia |
| Norbert Werner, Masaryk University, Czechia |
| Miloš Zejda, Masaryk University, Czechia |